Google Goggles gets video demo on Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

There's little sense in resisting the obvious: Google is slowly but surely taking over your life, but rather than get indignant and discombobulated, we'd suggest letting go and appreciating how much easier things are with the folks in Mountain View squarely in control. Take Google Goggles, for instance, which aims to convert cameraphone images into useful search results on its own Android platform. Up until now, we've been shown stock demos and videos of it running on conventional handsets, but seeing the Goggles hard at work on Sony Ericsson's not-yet-released Xperia X10 is another thing entirely. Hop on past the break for the frames you're craving, but don't bank on this making the wait for said phone any simpler to stomach.

See more video at our hub!

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:00AM]

Minority Report, here we come...

[One Love Posted Dec 29th 2009 9:58AM]

Toblerone here I come. (Best chocolate ever)

P.S. There are other good barcode search apps in the app store like "Barcode Scanner"

[NeoJew Posted Dec 29th 2009 10:30AM]

@One Love
This doesn't scan barcodes, it looks at the image and figures out what the product/landmark/text/etc is by...well I have no idea HOW they do it, but they do.

[NeoJew Posted Dec 29th 2009 10:33AM]

@NeoJew
well, it DOES scan barcodes, but that's not what makes it so impressive.

[Pseudopath Posted Dec 29th 2009 11:09AM]

I found out the other day why Toblerones are triangular.

It's the only way they can get them to fit in the box.

[One Love Posted Dec 29th 2009 1:30PM]

@Pseudopath: lulz

[Daveiops Posted Dec 29th 2009 1:56PM]

@Pseudopath
Did you find out why the box is triangular?

[naashak Posted Dec 30th 2009 1:33AM]

@NeoJew

Google Googles works by extracting features from text (including stylized text). One big disadvantage of Google Googles vs. other similar offerings (Point and Find and other beta stuff from folks like Nokia) is that it only works for text and does not work for other types of image recognition where the object being photographed has no text. So it is kinda cool but still neither mainstream nor something which is technologically more advanced than many other existing AR software.

[Level 5 Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:01AM]

Woo woo! Next stop, my thighs!

[B3astofthe3ast Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:02AM]

that 8mp camera look like its doing its job well.

[Ghen Posted Dec 29th 2009 9:09AM]

@B3astofthe3ast

Good point.

[Acey Posted Dec 29th 2009 9:19AM]

@B3astofthe3ast

they usually borrow attributes from cybershot series so thats why i love their cameraphones :D

[Hitman Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:02AM]

Staying faithful to my current smartphone (and they change every 3 months) become difficult every morning when I read engadget!

God! Google Goggle is going to be a big hit, hands down!

[Hitman Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:03AM]

becomes*

[antriver Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:08AM]

Does that guy have three hands?

[NeoJew Posted Dec 29th 2009 10:32AM]

@antriver
No, you take the picture then it analyzes it. He held the Toblerone with his left hand and took the picture with his right. Then after it got the picture he put his left hand back on the phone for some reason.

[antriver Posted Dec 29th 2009 11:01AM]

@NeoJew
But whilst he's taking the photo, he's holding the phone with his right hand, lining up the toblerone with his left and also holding the camera.

[gerphimum Posted Dec 29th 2009 12:11PM]

@antriver you can see a mini-tripod for the video camera in the screen's reflection at ~0:20

[ImDaIllest Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:19AM]

is it just me or the screen seems a bit cramped/narrow. I love that magnifying tool though. cant believe at&t will pick this up. heard this isnt even coming with android 2.1, wtf.

[barry99705 Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:29AM]

@ImDaIllest
I think the screen is supposed to be about 16x9 for widescreen movies.

[ImDaIllest Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:34AM]

@barry99705

gr8 for movies sure, but you see webpages though. the magnifying tool helps, looks smooth and kool, but idk man...

[LRawlins Posted Dec 29th 2009 9:08AM]

@ImDaIllest

It was just a lousy mobile browser. I wouldn't worry, if we can get a variant of Opera on there things will be made much simpler with its paragraph/picture snapping and dynamic text arrangement wizardry.

If those boys can make the net both usable and enjoyable on my 240x320 N82 I'd wager the X10's more competent resolution a distinct bonus!

[barry99705 Posted Dec 29th 2009 9:50AM]

@LRawlins Opera sucks. Waiting for Chrome for android. I'd be happy with Firefox as well. The built in browser isn't too bad on my Droid, don't like any of the "replacement" browsers.

[theos Posted Dec 29th 2009 6:15PM]

@barry99705
No, you probably suck and don't know what you are talking about ( but that is becoming the trend here lately it seems :( ). In other news, Opera is doing just fine and is the best mobile browser I had the pleasure to use (both Mini and Mobile versions) ! Desktop version is up there too.
Have a nice day

[Phil Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:23AM]

so somebody is finally building the tricorder, eh?

[DariaMorgendorffer Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:25AM]

Definitely interesting but, by the time the X10 comes out, it will be old news

[ImDaIllest Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:31AM]

@(Unverified)

Meh, im willing to take the plunge.

[NiGHTS Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:33AM]

Good song.

[ArbitrageMan Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:41AM]

What if I don't want google to know about what I'm taking pictures of? .... *waits for laughter to subside...*

[Dr Yusuf AlKindi Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:43AM]

Imagine using that Image Search in a public space, and you photograph some person you see at Stabucks or Wlamart, and do the search and it Google him/her and there you have everything about the person. Suppose you go on a blind date and do the Google image search and discover dirt, or that random person in the car next to you who you photo'd and srched for is a wanted mass murderer who used his Bugatti to mow down a crowd in 1967 and then disappeared, but you found him through your random public Google image srch. Back in George Orwell's day, everyone was afraid of being monitored by the government. Now everyone has a cell phone with a cam. If you act silly in public, get in to an argument on line at the costco, or scold you kid, someone will photograph it and you will be online and searchable. It is a tyranny of the masses because of ubiquitous cameras, cell phones and Google. Will Google eat Microsoft? Oh! Where is Compaq, DEC, Wang, and IBM? All victims of Redmond and Google! Will Google one day buy Harley Davidson?
Be careful! EVERYONE has a cellphone and camera and Google to go.

[RikF Posted Dec 29th 2009 1:45PM]

@Dr Yusuf AlKindi

Except that Google has already said that, although they could enable goggles for faces, they aren't due to privacy concerns.

[baimo Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:44AM]

love the phone - goggles seems a little bit of a pia. easier to type in the name and search

[GuniGuGu Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:51AM]

Totally lost interest in this phone now, with the nexus one due likely before this thing with Android 2.1... and this thing coming out with the Sony Price Tax no doubt and only 1.6 :(

[Mahapralaya Posted Dec 29th 2009 10:56AM]

@GuniGuGu
If the G1 can have Android 2.0, why do you think the X10 won't? SE knows the android crowd demands the latest, but even if they have their heads up their arses, 2.0/2.1 WILL be on the X10 one way or the other.

[zenomatic Posted Dec 29th 2009 3:35PM]

@Mahapralaya
Even *if* SE updates X10 to Android 2.0 you will be stuck with it until you buy a new phone; they never provide updates to their phones after 3-6 months after they've released them. You can ofc flash some custom or home-cooked ROM, but you won't be getting any new drivers etc.
I'm waiting for Nexus One/HTC Bravo to be released and will decide then.

[GuniGuGu Posted Dec 29th 2009 6:14PM]

@Mahapralaya the the thing to realise though is that the updates will be 6 months behind....

[rufioh Posted Dec 29th 2009 8:57AM]

This video only gets interesting at 3:50 when he uses an image with no prominent text (as far as I can see).
Being able to search bar-codes and product names isn't exactly ground-breaking, is it. The fact that it can pick out the information is good, but not very exciting.

[sejohannsenearthlinknet Posted Dec 29th 2009 9:01AM]

"Google is slowly but surely taking over your life." I sure hope that is tongue-in-cheek. Even if it isn't, if it had said "Microsoft is slowly but surely taking over your life", There would be no end to the righteous indignation and flames. I remember when Apple was the anti-establishment champion (1984) and look at them now. What is the saying, power corrupts and absolute power.......

[Pookiewood Posted Dec 29th 2009 11:41AM]

@(Unverified) Thank You! I still don't see how people are so blinded by Google. You hit the nail on the head. Replace Google with MS in that sentence and everyone would be up in arms.

[junktrunk Posted Dec 29th 2009 2:23PM]

@(Unverified)
What are you both talking about? People have said that about MS for at least a decade. It's part of why it's not called the Microsoft Xbox.

[Omoks Posted Dec 29th 2009 9:04AM]

I don't see anything facinating. It's just a more advanced form of OCR that works with various light contrasts. What I am amazed by is how freaking fast that browser is. WOW!

[DeviantmacG Posted Dec 29th 2009 9:04AM]

does it work with Cote d'or? haha

[FAP FAP FAP Posted Dec 29th 2009 9:04AM]

OMG A TOBLERONE!
oh and nice phone.. and stuff...

[thehouseofho Posted Dec 29th 2009 9:19AM]

"Up until now, we've been shown stock demos and videos of it running on conventional handsets"

I've had Goggles running on my Droid for a little over a month now (since its release in the Android Market). Are you calling my phone a "conventional handset"?

[sidepart Posted Dec 29th 2009 9:51AM]

That's actually pretty awesome. It recognizing the specific AMC theatre was amazing. Right now it just seems like a cool little toy though, a parlor trick like augmented reality.

Although, there are a couple of neat little uses I can think of. If the box office is crowded, take a picture of the theatre and see if what the movie times are, maybe order tickets. Same thing as if I were take a picture of the Guthrie on my way out of work, perhaps there's something interesting playing and this way I wouldn't have to walk over there. Perhaps someone has a neat car or other item, I can snap a shot and research it later.

[theschneidster Posted Dec 29th 2009 9:59AM]

I've had this on my Droid for a while now.
It's fun to play with, but I don't think it's super-useful right now.
Great way to show off the Droid, though (:

[Pookiewood Posted Dec 29th 2009 11:37AM]

I don't use Google Anything. Eff Google.

[CDice Posted Dec 29th 2009 12:22PM]

What's the name of the song?

[DariaMorgendorffer Posted Dec 30th 2009 3:43AM]

I can't remember but its all right ah all right

[POZ Posted Dec 29th 2009 1:06PM]

I tied this on my G1.. works pretty good. I did not realize I could do bar codes as well.

I AM FREAKING OUT.