Looks like Google's been busy on the camera tip lately -- not only is it launching a new
QR code-based Favorite Places mobile search product today, it's also demoing Google Goggles, a visual search app that generates local results from analyzing mobile phone images. Favorite Places isn't super-complicated, but it sounds like it'll be pretty useful: Google's sent QR code window decals to the 100,000 most researched local businesses on Google and Google Maps, and scanning the code with your phone will bring up reviews, coupons, and offer the ability to star the location for later. (It's not implemented yet, but you'll be able to leave your own reviews in the future.) Google hasn't built this into the Google Mobile app yet, so you'll need something to read QR codes with -- Android devices can use the free Barcode Scanner, and Google and QuickMark are offering 40,000 free downloads of QuickMark for the iPhone today. We just tried it out using QuickMark and it works pretty well -- although we'll wait to see how many QR codes we see in the wild before we call this one totally useful.
Google Goggles is a little more interesting from a technology standpoint: it's an Android app that takes photos, tries to recognize what in them, and then generates search results about them. Goggles can recognize landmarks, books, contact info, artwork, places, wine, and logos at the moment, and Google says it's working on adding other types of objects, like plants. Pretty neat stuff -- but how about linking these two services together at some point, guys? Check some videos after the break.
posted December 7th 2009 5:29PM
google goggles is the technology development i've always wanted (seriously)... now i just need an android phone so i can get it
Has nobody known about Microsoft tag? Google has preselected businesses that they made a tag for, with Microsoft Tag you can make your own Tag linking to whatever website you want, including a site that links to reviews or a phone number. There's an app for it on the iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and Winmo.
http://www.microsoft.com/tag/
@(Unverified) Checked out Microsoft Tag and it seems to do the exact same thing that QR Codes does. I think the difference here is that Google Goggles can take a picture of an object, without the need of an already placed proprietary tag or marker, and interpret said object and search the web based on what it thinks the object is or what it pertains to. Looks too like Goggles has one up on the Microsoft Tag idea with the incorporation of OCR on things like scanning business cards.
The Google Goggles, work well, and have some benefits that the Android Amazon product identification application does not have. But the Amazon seems to identify more products and identify with more accuracy from my own tests, in both photo of object and bar code identification.
Doesn't work for us sad children with a Sprint Hero. Where is my 2.0 update?
@Carl Withakay I have the Eris. We have to be the patient ones so they can make 2.0 (or 2.1) elite stuff with Sense UI. Patience is a virtue.
This sounds cool and all, but I'm trying to figure out what the difference between Goggles and SnapTell are?
@Jimi SnapTell doesn't seem to have GPS or Maps integration - and SnapTell is, well, not Google...
Google goggles is sweet, I've pretty much decided that my next phone is going to be an android phone.
Off topic, was anyone else being OCD when they were placing the stickers on the doors? I kept anticipating the stickers would be placed crooked, which would have caused me major discomfort.
I was right there with you. I sigh whenever I see stickers on the back of people's cars that aren't placed with any regard to symmetry.
I wish I could get over it.
@Hotrod
+1 for fellow with OCD
I'm testing wave right now, that'd be sick if they made a plugin for google goggles.
An iPhone application too please :P
Just downloaded it, installed it, took a picture of a Bass Pro Shop gift card and instantly was taken to the search results with Bass Pro Shop at the top. Did the same with a vendor's business card to add him to my contacts. So far it seems pretty slick. The trick is though to fill up the screen with as much as the defining image as possible. Other words or variances in the shot seem to throw it off.
Sadly, this application is only for those lucky enough running Android 1.6+. Hero, Cliq, Eris, and Behold users running 1.5 are stuck in the dark until HTC, Morotola, and Samsung decide to upgrade their firmware :-(
you should know that nokia had something very very similar for pretty long now, and recently there's been an update check it out:
http://www.symbian-freak.com/news/009/11/point_and_find_gets_an_update_and_support_for_5th_ed.htm
can it do facial recognition?
i'd like to see it recognize a popular face, e.g. Obama when i point it to my TV while watching the news. Or a Megan Fox for when im watching Jeniffer's body...?
@gagan512
ok, so that totally worked on a still image.. but not so much on a video.
Anybody know if anybody has implemented a feature that is a location context reminder? For instance during the week I think of a couple things I'm going to need for a project on the weekend. I need them from the hardware store in a certain town. I would like to set a reminder or alert to fireoff when the phone detects I'm in that location.
it's own my wish list.
@dontcompute: Locale offers this basic functionality. All you'd need is a plugin to a 'todo' app, which may already exist.
@dontcompute --
Yes, several apps use the android location awareness API to trigger reminders.
ActionComplete is one of them http://actioncomplete.com
cant find it on the market!
It doesn't use the flash on the Droid and there doesn't seem to be a setting to turn it on or off. So, unless you are in a bright area it doesn't work too well.
holy shit.... I love android...so much
This is scary as hell.
death of the qr code?
Wow I installed this and the first thing I did was take a picture of the Pepsi wild cherry bottle right next to me; and holy crap within 5 seconds it had the full logo, links to it's wiki's and the Pepsi web site, and images of another can of wild cherry. lol I'm dumb struck how the hell did it do that.
I salute you Google this apps amazing, and something you'd expect to pay hundreds of dollars for.
Well, Google Goggles can search barcodes, so in a way, the two services are already linked, right?
Looks like they have put in a lot of effort to recreate a different version of Microsoft Tag :)
Droid Does.... racism?
http://cheezburger.com/View.aspx?aid=2931142400
http://qmc.tw/OAZT
Quoted from QuickMark's official tweet:
Number of DL's are higher than anticipated,
promo will not last long at this rate
Looks good...but should be for all phones that have google.
If you point your Droid at a mirror and take a pic, will it let you know if you have a Droid or not....hey, that could be really useful.
Or, "Dude- what is that big green lady statue with the torch out in the water?"
"Whoa...THAT"s the statue of Liberty?"
or...
"What's that?...clik..."
"My god, look, it's a Big Mac!"