The Miles Electric was first seen in Sonic Unleashed. Tails holding the Miles Electric, from the Xbox 360/ PlayStation 3 version of Sonic Unleashed. Later on, Tails upgraded the Miles Electric into an alien translator, allowing it to translate Wisp language, albeit only into binary code, meaning only Tails could read it (on the Wii version of Sonic Colors, it initially had a few bugs that resulted in mistranslations, though Tails eventually fixed it).
It is also capable of simpler computer functions, such as playing videos, file handling, menu operations, window operations and has even a help section. It can as well scan objects to analyze their properties. It can as well interface with Tornado-1, essentially turning it into a control panel for the bi-plane. It possesses several functions, including video communication and radar operation for detecting hostile targets. The Miles Electric is like an advanced hand-held computer. The screen of the Miles Electric, from the Wii version of Sonic Colors. These additions were removed in subsequent games, however. It also had a large, angled antenna on top, with an orange base and what appeared to be a translucent teal satellite dish. While reconfigured into a Wisp translator, the device included a bulky black addition on its backside, complete with exposed red and blue wires.
It also no longer has buttons on the left side as it did in Sonic Unleashed. From Sonic Colors and onward however, the Miles Electric is smaller with only has one handle on the left side, rounder corners, and no spiraling wire between the antennas. In Sonic Unleashed, the Miles Electric had two handles on each side, relatively sharp corners, and a spiraling wire between the antennas. The Miles Electric's appearance is that of a wide yellow rectangle, with two cyan-glowing antennas on top, a touchscreen in the middle and some directional pads beside the screen.