Speech technology is advancing quickly; even smartphones offer apps that let you speak commands and perform voice-activated searches. Now, a new app for iPhone and Blackberry can convert spoken Arabic into spoken English (and vice versa). The mobile app's speed of processing and accuracy is unprecedented for such a complex and different pair of languages.

Created by Sakhr and Dial Directions for use by the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, and other military customers -- not you -- the app has implications for field personnel who need to understand foreign speech in dire situations. The app also provides a text translation.

"I've seen Sakhr's speech-to-speech mobile translator on the iPhone in action, and it could be a game-changer," said Hythem El-Nazer, the senior vice president of Boston-based TA Associates, speaking to Business Wire. ""Instant, open speech translation on a mobile phone hasn't been done before