Wizcom Technologies

Wizcom Technologies Ltd. was a multinational technology company focused on portable electronic language and reading tools. Founded in Jerusalem in 1995, it developed pen-shaped scanners designed to make printed information searchable, translatable, and accessible without requiring a conventional computer or a full-size electronic dictionary. Its central products used an optical scanning tip to capture words or passages from printed material, then displayed information on an integrated screen or provided additional functions such as pronunciation, definitions, and data transfer. The company’s best-known product family was Quicktionary, a line of handheld scanning translators. These devices were intended for travelers, language learners, students, and users who needed to look up words while reading books, documents, or other printed materials. Depending on the model, a user could scan a word and receive an immediate word-by-word translation, consult one or more built-in dictionaries, store scanned text, and transfer stored material to word-processing software. The products therefore occupied a hybrid position between electronic dictionaries, optical character recognition tools, and early mobile language-learning hardware. Wizcom offered products with different levels of functionality and market specialization. Quicktionary 2 Premium, also known as SuperPen, supported numerous downloadable language dictionaries and could retain a large quantity of scanned text for later computer transfer. The Quicktionary TS, introduced at the end of 2007, represented a later generation and used a touch screen intended to simplify operation, including the handling of words that were difficult to scan or interpret. Other devices served narrower purposes. Infoscan concentrated on capturing and storing printed text rather than translating it, while ReadingPen was designed for language learners and people with reading difficulties, including dyslexia, by combining scanning with spoken pronunciation and definitions. The company also produced market-specific configurations. Quicktionary II Expert was tailored to German-speaking users and supplied with a fixed group of German, English, French, and Spanish dictionaries. Quicktionary II Genius was configured for the Japanese market with an English-Japanese dictionary, while Quicktionary II Multi was aimed at the Israeli market and included English-Hebrew, English-Russian, English-Arabic, English-French, and French-English resources. These regional editions illustrate Wizcom’s reliance on localized dictionary content rather than a single uniform hardware configuration. During the 2000s, Wizcom relocated its headquarters from Jerusalem to Marlborough, Massachusetts, reflecting an international operating structure and a connection to the United States consumer-electronics market. Its products were developed for a period when dedicated handheld devices offered a practical alternative to carrying multiple paper dictionaries or accessing online translation services. The later spread of smartphones, mobile applications, and cloud-based translation changed the competitive environment for this category. The available reference material establishes Wizcom’s products and historical relocation, but does not establish its current ownership, website, financial condition, or whether the company remains active.

Wizcom Technologies was established in Jerusalem in 1995 as a developer of compact electronic tools for scanning and processing printed language. Its core concept was to place optical character recognition, dictionary lookup, and translation functions into a handheld pen-shaped device. Rather than requiring a user to type a word into a computer or consult a paper dictionary, the user could move the scanner across printed text and receive information on the device’s display. The company’s principal product family, Quicktionary, developed this concept into a range of portable scanning translators. Quicktionary devices were designed to recognize printed words and provide immediate word-by-word translations. More advanced models could support multiple dictionary packages, store substantial amounts of scanned text, and transfer that material to computer word-processing software. This combination of scanning and data storage gave the products uses beyond language lookup, including the capture of excerpts from printed documents. Wizcom also developed products for more specific user needs. Infoscan focused on scanning and storing text without providing translation. ReadingPen combined scanning with audible pronunciation and definitions, making it relevant to students learning another language and to people with reading difficulties such as dyslexia. The company also adapted its hardware and dictionary configurations for particular national or language markets. Quicktionary II Expert was configured for German-speaking users; Quicktionary II Genius was prepared for the Japanese market; and Quicktionary II Multi was designed for the Israeli market with a selection of English, Hebrew, Russian, Arabic, and European-language dictionaries. Quicktionary 2 Premium, also referred to as SuperPen, represented one of the company’s more capable offerings. It supported more than 25 downloadable language dictionaries, including dictionaries involving European languages and languages using different writing systems, and could store more than 1,000 pages of scanned text for later transfer to a computer. The device’s appeal came from combining a relatively broad language library with a small, dedicated form factor. At the end of 2007, Wizcom launched Quicktionary TS, described as the third generation of its scanning translators. The model introduced touch-screen operation, with the stated aim of making the device easier to use and helping users handle text that was difficult to read or spell. This reflected the company’s continuing effort to improve the user interface of a specialized handheld product category. During the 2000s, Wizcom moved its headquarters from Jerusalem to Marlborough, Massachusetts. The relocation marked a shift in the company’s administrative base while its products continued to be associated with international language markets. The available account does not provide a detailed ownership history, executive roster, sales data, or information about the company’s later corporate trajectory. It also does not establish whether Wizcom Technologies currently operates, has been acquired, or has formally ceased business. As smartphones and software applications increasingly incorporated optical character recognition, translation, text-to-speech, and electronic dictionaries, the market context for dedicated scanning translators became more competitive, but the supplied sources do not document Wizcom’s response or subsequent status.

• 2007

  Quicktionary TS introduced

  [1]Wizcom Technologiesen.wikipedia.org

  Wizcom launched Quicktionary TS at the end of 2007 as a later-generation scanning translator with touch-screen operation.

• 2000

  Headquarters relocated to the United States during the 2000s

  [1]Wizcom Technologiesen.wikipedia.org

  During the 2000s, the company moved its headquarters from Jerusalem to Marlborough, Massachusetts.

• 1995

  Company founded in Jerusalem

  [1]Wizcom Technologiesen.wikipedia.org

  Wizcom Technologies was founded in Jerusalem and began developing portable electronic tools for scanning and processing printed language.

Wizcom positioned its products as dedicated, portable alternatives to conventional dictionaries and computer-based translation tools. Its devices emphasized immediate word lookup from printed text, multilingual dictionary access, pronunciation support, and portability. Some products also addressed educational and accessibility needs, particularly language learning and reading assistance.

• Portable scanning translator

  Quicktionary 2 Premium

  Also known as SuperPen, Quicktionary 2 Premium was a handheld pen-shaped scanner that recognized printed words and supplied immediate word-by-word translations. It supported more than 25 downloadable dictionaries, covering European languages as well as languages using Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, and Russian scripts. The device could also retain more than 1,000 pages of scanned material and transfer the stored text to word-processing software on a computer.

• Portable scanning translator · 2007

  Quicktionary TS

  Quicktionary TS was introduced at the end of 2007 as the third generation of Wizcom scanning translators. Its principal interface change was a touch screen intended to make the device easier to operate. The model was designed to provide immediate translation from printed text while improving interaction with words that were difficult to scan, recognize, or spell.

• Portable text scanner

  Infoscan

  Infoscan was a handheld scanning device focused on capturing printed text for later storage and transfer to word-processing software. Unlike the Quicktionary translators, it did not provide a translation function. Its narrower feature set placed it at a lower price point than the company’s more capable translation-oriented models.

• Reading and language-learning aid

  ReadingPen

  ReadingPen was designed for second-language learners and users with reading difficulties, including dyslexia. After scanning printed text, it could provide definitions, pronounce the text aloud, and assist with correct pronunciation. The product extended Wizcom’s scanning technology beyond translation into educational and reading-support applications.

• Market-specific scanning translator

  Quicktionary II Expert

  Quicktionary II Expert was configured for the German market with six fixed dictionaries: German-English, English-German, German-French, French-German, German-Spanish, and Spanish-German. Unlike Quicktionary 2 Premium, the device did not support additional dictionary installation or transfer of scanned text to word-processing software.

• Market-specific scanning translator

  Quicktionary II Genius

  Quicktionary II Genius was produced for the Japanese market and came configured with an English-Japanese dictionary. It was a more specialized device than the company’s broader multilingual models and did not offer the same dictionary expansion or computer text-transfer functions described for Quicktionary 2 Premium.

• Market-specific scanning translator

  Quicktionary II Multi

  Quicktionary II Multi was tailored to the Israeli market. Its fixed dictionary set covered English-Hebrew, English-Russian, English-Arabic, English-French, and French-English. The model emphasized multilingual lookup for a defined regional audience and lacked the extensibility and computer-transfer capabilities associated with Quicktionary 2 Premium.

1. 1Wizcom Technologiesen.wikipedia.org