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Tag: google goggles

  • Make Your Kids (And Potential Employers) Think You’re Smarter Than You Are With The Google Search App

    Google has put out a couple new ads for its Search App. The last time they did that (in November), we saw a little girl and her mother figure out how to come up with a Martin Van buren costume and an umpire use Voice Search to look up the strike zone in a baseball game.

    In the new ones, we see a dad explaining Mars to his son, using info from Google to answer all questions without hesitation, and a guy getting ready for a job interview using search by image to figure out what his potential employer’s painting is, so he can start a conversation with him.

  • Google Adds Search To The Android Camera With Goggles Update

    Google has released a new update for Google Goggles on Android. The features primarily deal with making it a better shopping tool.

    New features include improved recognition of products, the ability to browse similar products, and easier search from the camera.

    “We’ve increased our coverage of products and barcodes that Goggles recognizes, with a focus on international products and barcodes,” Google said in a Google+ post.

    “Have you ever struggled to replace a favorite dress?” Google adds. “Goggles can help you find products that are similar to something you’ve owned or seen before. When you take a picture of an item and Goggles can’t find an exact match, you’ll have the option to browse products by category that look similar to your image. Refine by category, brands or gender, or long press an item to explore products that are similar to that selection.”

    Google Goggles update

    As far as the “Search From Camera” feature, Google Goggles now lets you turn on the app with one click from within your Android Camera app. You have to enable this feature from within the Goggles app. When the camera detects images with search results, those results will appear in your notifications. Kind of cool.

    One last new feature adds a preview of pages that are linked from QR codes that you scan.

  • Google Goggles Gets Currency Recognition

    Google Goggles Gets Currency Recognition

    When Google launched Google Goggles in 2009 the service was cool, but still pretty limited. While there were lots of things you could search for just by taking a picture, there were lots more that the Google Goggles wouldn’t recognize. Since the launch, however, Google has been steadily increasing the number of things Google Goggles would recognize. They’ve added product bar codes, book and music covers, landmarks, logos, and even sudoku puzzles. Partnerships with museums – including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City – have put Google Goggles to use educating users.

    Yesterday, Google announced the latest upgrade to Google Goggles: currency. Now you can take pictures of over 45,000 kinds of currency from more than 300 countries, and Google Goggles will recognize it. Once Google Goggles recognizes the currency, you can run a Google search or a Google Image search for it, and get further information.

    Google Goggles Search Options

    The currency search is not without its limits, though: it only recognizes bills. I tried to get it to search for a U.S. quarter, but got no results. Searching for a $1 bill, however, works well. At the top of the Google search was a rundown of the basic information about the bill – when it was introduced, what it’s worth, and country of origin. The image search left pulled up a selection of images, as well as ordinary Google search results.

    Google Search Results

    According to Google’s announcement, Google Goggles’ currency recognition includes money that is no longer in use, including pre-Euro European currencies like the lira and the franc. Google says they designed the service to be “helpful to travelers and any budding numismatists out there.”

    Google Goggles is available as a free app in the Android App Market, and is built into the free Google Search app in the iOS App Store. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments.

  • Google Goggles Gets An Upgrade on Android

    Google announced some improvements to Google Goggles for Android with a new update it’s made available for all Android devices – version 1.7.

    The new features include: continuous mode, improved text recognition, and contributed results.

    “Continuous mode is a quick and easy new way to use Goggles,” says Google software engineer David Petrou. “You can now get results instantly without having to take a picture – no shutter press required! Goggles will scan the scene continuously so you don’t need to worry about taking multiple pictures. The new continuous mode works best with books, products, artwork, and landmarks. Snapshot mode is still available, and has some tricks that aren’t in continuous mode yet, including translating text and adding a contact. Also, images recognized in continuous mode sessions won’t show up in your Goggles Search History, so if you’d like to refer back to something, such as a painting in a gallery you should use snapshot mode.”

    continuous mode in google goggles

    “Starting today, when Goggles recognizes a portion of text, you’ll get results that have a close match to the text you’ve scanned,” he continues. “Let’s say you’re reading a magazine article you really like and want to share it with your friends. Just point Goggles at a part of the page, and instantly find a link to an online version to share immediately or read again later. You won’t even need the entire article in the frame. Goggles will also pull up more information from pages around the web where that text is mentioned, so its easier to learn about what you’re seeing.”

    magazine scanning with google goggles

    In terms of user contributions, Google says hundreds of thousands of submissions have already been made to Google Goggles. With the update, if you suggest a better result for something, it could become a result for the next user who searches for a similar object, the company says.

    Not much more info is given on how this is policed for abuse.

    Note: the continuous mode doesn’t work in versions of Android older than 2.3.

  • Google Goggles Adds New Search From Camera Feature

    Google Goggles Adds New Search From Camera Feature

    Google has launched a new version of Google Goggles for Android, which will let you you know when you take pictures that Goggles can actually recognize.

    “With this new opt-in feature in Goggles, you can simply photograph an image using your phone’s camera, and Goggles will work in the background to analyze your image,” explains software engineer Pavel Vodenski. “If your photo contains items that Goggles can recognize, the app will notify you.”

    Google Goggles New Features

    Google Goggles New Features

    “Photos you take with your phone’s camera will only be seen by Goggles if you enable the Search from Camera feature,” adds Vodenski.

    To do this, simply launch Goggle Goggles, go to settings under menu and enable it.

    No word on when the feature might come to other devices, such as the iPhone. Kind of like the Instant Upload feature of Google+.

    It’s version 1.6, and is available in the Android Market.

  • Google Addresses Google Maps “Closed” Spam

    Google Addresses Google Maps “Closed” Spam

    While the concept of local search is still growing, and its potential has yet to be fully realized, the smartphone industry has allowed local, map-based search queries to be much more robust. A good example of the potential of local search, especially in regards to consumers, comes from Google Goggles, which makes use of the augmented reality technology.

    AR brings a depth to local search that goes way beyond looking at placeholders with various reviews attached to them. An example of the augmented reality technology in action:


    With that simple demonstration, you can see the potential for local search, and why it would be so attractive to local business owners who may not have the marketing budget of their local McDonald’s chain. That further explains why Google is now being tasked with eliminating the “Closed” spam that has been infecting the local search market.

    The story came about from a New York Times report. In it, the growing affliction of local businesses finding their Google Maps entry as being closed. The article uses the owner of the Coffee Rules Lounge, located in Kansas, as an example of what Google calls “spammy closed listings.”

    Apparently, the owner discovered his business was listed as “permanently closed” on their Google Maps listing, even though the coffee shop was not actually out of business. The Times article expands on the concept:

    On Google Places, a typical listing has the address of a business, a description provided by the owner and links to photos, reviews and Google Maps. It also has a section titled “Report a problem” and one of the problems to report is “this place is permanently closed.” If enough users click it, the business is labeled “reportedly closed” and later, pending a review by Google, “permanently closed.”

    That’s not a bad tool to have if you’re trying to bury your competition and you want potential consumers to believe the competing businesses are no longer operational.

    As a direct response to the Times’ article, Google posted an entry on their Lat/Long Blog, titled, “Combatting Spammy Closed Listing Labels on Google Maps,” and in it, they promised the situation was being addressed:

    About two weeks ago, news in the blogosphere made us aware that abuse — such as “place closed” spam labels — was occurring. And since then, we’ve been working on improvements to the system to prevent any malicious or incorrect labeling. These improvements will be implemented in the coming days.

    Of course, Google doesn’t actually explain these improvements, much like the Times’ article discussed Google’s lack of information concerning their review process:

    “Google was tight-lipped about its review methods and would not discuss them.”

    Does Google’s lack of specifics trouble you or is the fact that Google is addressing this very powerful anti-competition attribute enough for you? Or would you like to see Google be more open about the processes they employ in both reviewing whether or not a business is actually closed and how they plan to counteract these “place closed” spam? Let us know what you think.

  • Google Goggles Gets Copy/Paste, Map View for Search History

    Today, Google announced some new features for its Google Goggles product, the mobile search app, which lets you search by snapping a picture. There is a new map view of your search history, the ability to copy contact and text results to the clipboard, and some changes to the results interface.

    “If you’ve enabled search history on Goggles, your history contains a list of all the images that you’ve searched for, as well as some information about where you performed the search if you chose to share your location with Google. Sometimes this can be a pretty long list, so we wanted to give you another way to sort and visualize your Goggles results,” says Google Goggles software engineer George Nachman. “We’ve added a map view, which shows your Goggles image search history on a map so you can quickly zoom and pan to find a query from a particular location.”

    Google Goggles Map View for Search History

    In terms of the clipboard stuff, you can grab URLs or phone numbers from signs, and copy the text to your phone’s clipboard so you can paste it into different apps. That’s pretty handy.

    Google revealed at its Inside Search event last week that Google Goggles now supports Russian. The company talked a little more about this today.

    @GoogleMobile
    Google Mobile    Google Goggles learns to read Russian: http://t.co/VFaRJNs 2 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    “Since Google Goggles first launched in 2009, it has been able to recognize and translate text in a number of different languages, as long as the language used Latin characters. With the launch of OCR for Russian, Goggles is now able to read Cyrillic characters. Goggles will recognize a picture of Russian text and allow you to translate the text into one of over 40 other languages. Russian OCR is also available for users of Google Goggles on the Google Search app for iOS. Очень полезно!”

    Also last week, Google announced the launch of Search by Image, which basically takes Google Goggles to the desktop, letting you upload an image and search for results based on that.

  • Google Goggles Gets An Upgrade

    Google has launched a new version of Google Goggles, the application that lets users point their phone’s camera at a variety of things and get search results by taking a picture. The new version, version 1.3, is faster and smarter, according to Google. It can scan barcodes "almost instantly," the company says. 

    "Open Goggles and hover over the barcode or QR code," says a blog post from a couple of Google software engineers. "Within a second the phone gently vibrates and presents results, without requiring a button press. Simply tap on the result to read product reviews, check in-store availability and compare prices."

    Google Goggles Gets Better at Barcode Scanning

    Goggles can also now recognize print ads from magazines and newspapers, and even solve Sudoku puzzles. This is illustrated in the following clip: 

    The video also displays what would appear to be a new tagline for Google Goggles – "Solving life’s problems, one puzzle at a time."

    The print ad functionality could be pretty useful for those interested in the product being advertised. Even if the ad does not come with a QR code, readers will still be able to scan the ad and get more info.

  • Major Advertisers Sign On For Google Goggles Test

    Google’s augmented reality tech might soon make the shift from interesting plaything to revenue-generating tool.  A Google Goggles marketing experiment has begun, at least, and Buick, Delta Airlines, Diageo, Disney, and T-Mobile are all taking part.

    Shailesh Nalawadi, a product manager over Google Goggles, explained this morning on the Official Google Blog, "They have ‘Goggles-enabled’ some of their print ads, movie posters and other media.  When users take pictures of these with Google Goggles, they will be recognized by the app, and users will have the option of clicking-through directly to a mobile destination from the brand."

    Nalawadi later added, "To interact with these experimental campaigns, download Google Goggles from the Android Market or get Google Mobile App for iPhone from the iTunes store, and look for advertising and products from companies in the video above and others that are coming soon."

    The video provides a few visuals if you’re intrigued.  The feat’s certainly impressive enough from a technical standpoint, and the list of partners works in Google’s favor, as well.

    At the same time, it’s hard to imagine that Google will be too successful here.  After all, advertisers struggle to get consumers to even acknowledge their ads’ existence.  Asking a consumer to also pull out his (or her) phone, take a picture of an ad, and then deal with more advertising seems like a stretch.

    We’ll see what happens, in any event.

     

  • Tips for Getting the Most Out of Google Goggles

    Now that Google has released Google Goggles for the iPhone, I think it’s same to assume usage of the feature will go up tremendously. While Goggles may still be in experimental Labs status, the new iPhone release will surely have plenty of people playing around with it. 

    Because of that experimental status, it has some kinks. Right off the bat, you should know that it works best for books, DVDs, landmarks, logos, contact info, artwork, businesses, products, barcodes, and text (it even does translation). 

    Google has some picture taking tips for better search results:

    • Take photos in areas with good lighting.
    • Zoom in as much as possible by placing your phone close to whatever you want to photograph
    • Use the crop button to focus on the area you’re interested in
    • Use your phone in "left landscape" orientation (with your right thumb pressing the shutter)
    • Hold your hands steady, and use the on-screen shutter button

    Types of searches you’ll want to avoid using Google Goggles for, at least at this point, include: animals, plants, cars, furniture, and apparel. I’d expect Google to make strides in these areas as time goes on, but for now, don’t expect spectacular results for these types of queries. 

    You can share pictures you take with Google Goggles right from Goggles itself, using Bluetooth, Facebook, Gmail, Picasa, etc. 

    Goggles SERPs show web results, text matches, similar images, other matches, suggested results and a translation option. "If you take a picture of a business card, you’ll get links to search for the person, email or call them directly, visit their company URL, or add them as a contact on your phone," Google notes. "Barcode matches will provide a link to Google Product Search so you can quickly compare prices."

    Using search history, users can view and manage saved copies of pictures they’ve taken with Google Goggles. That’s interesting in itself. You can have up to 1,000 picutres in your Goggles Search History, and you can remove items from it any time. 

    One of the most potentially useful features of Goggles, especially if you travel a lot, is the translation feature. It currently reads English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish, and translates to those languages, as well as Afrikaans, Albanian, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Galician, Icelandic, Irish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish. Language support will no doubt increase as time goes on. 

    Google does note that it’s not great with pictures of words from computer screens, and that the best results will come from printed materials. 

    Have you used Google Goggles? What is your impression? Share your thoughts. 

  • Now iPhone Users Can Search Google By Taking Pictures

    Late last year, Google launched Google Goggles, an experimental Android app that lets you simply take a picture with your phone’s camera to conduct a search – no query entering necessary. Today, Google announced that Goggles is available for the iPhone via the Google Mobile app. 

    Google Goggles is a very cool concept, but it needs a lot of work, hence its experimental status. I have little doubt, however, that Google will improve its functionality tremendously over time. 

    "Computer vision is a hard problem and Google Goggles is still a Labs product. It works well for things such as landmarks, logos and the covers of books, DVDs and games," says Google software engineer Milan Broum.  "However, it doesn’t yet work for some things you might want to try like animals, plants or food."

    Notice, Broum said yet. It remains a mystery just what kind of resources the company is putting into Google Goggles, but I suspect it’s a substantial amount, because this is some innovative search stuff. Google is all about speeding up the search process, and what could be faster taking a picture to enter a query? That’s even faster than speaking a command (a technology that has revolutionized search in itself, and can also use some improvement, I might add). 

    In April, Google acquired Plink, a visual search company, specifically to have its team work on Google Goggles. Plink made a mobile app called PlinkArt, which let users identify paintings and artworks. 

    In May, Google introduced the ability to use Goggles to search for words in different languages and get translations.  That’s a powerful function to have in your pocket (when it works properly), particularly when traveling. 

    Simply getting Goggles on the iPhone will be a big step for its exposure. SEO is going to be really fun in the future. 

    Here are some tips for getting the most out of Google Goggles. 

  • Google Goggles Gives Translations Via Camera

    Late last year, Google introduced a very cool mobile product called Google Goggles. While only an experimental labs release, it is looking more and more like it will be one that actually graduates to a real feature, and a useful one at that.

    What it does is allow you to point your phone’s camera at something and automatically get search results. Google recently acquired Plink, a visual search company that made a mobile app that lets users take a picture with their phone to identify paintings and artworks. The acquisition was made so that the team could work on Google Goggles.

    Now Google Goggles lets you point your camera at a word in a different language and get it translated. You can use a "region of interest" button to draw a box around specific words, press the shutter button, and if Google recognizes the text, it will give you the option to translate in various languages.

    Google Goggles Translation feature illustrated

    "The first Goggles translation prototype was unveiled earlier this year at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and could only recognize German text," Google says. "Today Goggles can read English, French, Italian, German and Spanish and can translate to many more languages. We are hard at work extending our recognition capabilities to other Latin-based languages. Our goal is to eventually read non-Latin languages (such as Chinese, Hindi and Arabic) as well."

    The latest version of Google Goggles also has improved barcode recognition, more artwork, recognition of more products and logos, an improved user interface, and the ability to initiate visual searches using images in your phone’s photo gallery.

  • Google to Bolster Google Goggles with Plink Acquisition

    Google has acquired the UK-based visual search engine company Plink, which makes PlinkArt, a mobile app that lets users take a picture with their phone and identify paintings and artworks. Google is adding Plink to work on its Google Goggles project.

    Google introduced Goggles as a Google Labs project back in December. It was cool from the get go, but the potential it displayed was far greater than the actual functionality. The addition of Plink will allow Google to expand on that functionality. Google Goggles lets you search Google using pictures from your camera phone. They take an image as input, and using "several image recognition backends," such as object recognition, OCR, face matching, etc. Goggles returns relevant results (at least in theory). It even lets users get local business information without even taking a picture. For that, it uses GPS and compass data.

    "We started Plink to bring the power of visual search to everyone, and we’re delighted to be taking a big step towards that goal today," say founders Mark Cummins and James Philbin. "Google has already shown that it’s serious about investing in this space with Google Goggles, and for the Plink team the opportunity to take our algorithms to Google-scale was just too exciting to pass up."

    Plink Tweets about being acquired by Google - Visual Search company

    "The visual search engines of today can do some pretty cool things, but they still have a long long way to go," the pair add. "We’re looking forward to helping the Goggles team build a visual search engine that works not just for paintings or book covers, but for everything you see around you. There are beautiful things to be done with computer vision – it’s going to be a lot of fun!"

    PlinkArt will still be available for download and will continue to work, but the company will no longer be updating it. They will instead focus all thier efforts on Google Goggles.

    Financial terms of the Plink acquisition have not been disclosed.