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Google Goggles Comes to the iPhone

Shocked that Google shipped this. I've tried it with everything, from a micro-pipette to a power outlet, and it did not pick up a single thing.
 
tablo13 said:
Google Goggles isn't only for closeup shots 🙄
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No, but Google apparently only want to ship an app that works according to their spec. The 3G won't let it to, since then you'd be limited to what you can shoot, and Google would get craploads of stupid mails like "waa waah, my Googles on 3G won't work as barcode reader, what's wrong, stupid Google!"
 
Translation tool

Kind of surprised that no one has mentioned what Google gives as an example, namely taking a photo of some foreign language text (like from a menu or sign) and having it automatically translate. That in and of itself makes the app very useful, every thing else is just a bonus.
 
Use Google Googles to clip text from Kindle and iBooks

You can use Google Googles to clip text from Kindle and iBooks (helpful since they don't support standard cut and paste.)

First step is to find the text and enlarge the font on the iPad. Then take the photograph in good light and Goggles does the OCR and leaves you with the clipped text. In the test I did it only missed one character on the page
 
book covers and CD covers

Goggles recognizes book and CD covers and links you direct to Amazon and iTunes for purchase.
 
Works really great. I am in a Hotel room in Cologne and there is a small picture of the Cathedral on the wall. Shot a pic from the bed and it recognized it. Impressive.

They should turn it on for people's faces. Privacy notwithstanding.
 
Google Goggles: FAIL

So I read this post a couple of days ago and watched the short video introducing Google Goggles, in which the speaker uses the Goggles software to "recognize" the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco.

Yesterday I happened to be walking right past the Transamerica Pyramid and decided to try Goggles on my iPhone 4, as I wanted to show it to my friend. I tried it about TEN different times, with a variety of views of the Pyramid from different angles and differences. Google Goggles failed to recognize the building even once.

In addition, although the in-app instructions on the iPhone instruct you to zoom in tightly on the subject of the photo, the zoom control appears to be disabled when using Goggles and thus there is no way to zoom in. (Some of the photos I took were from near enough that zoom was unnecessary, so I don't believe the lack of zoom was the cause of the app's failure to recognize the building.)

My consensus is that Google Goggles is completely useless for recognizing well-known structures. It probably works better on books, logos, etc, though I'm not sure there's much value in that. I also think that Google should either fix the app to enable camera zooming, or remove the instruction to use zooming, since currently there's no way to follow the instructions as given.
 
The first time I tried to download that I was kinda disappointed because it never came to my phone. After a week I tried again and finally the Google goggles is in my phone now. I thought that was a joke but, what's the caused of delays?

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jayducharme said:
So you talk to the waiter about what wine he recommends. He brings you a bottle from a local vineyard. Then, rather than converse with the waiter any more, you whip out your iPhone and snap a photo of the bottle label to get more info. I'd prefer asking the waiter.

You're wandering in San Francisco and see the large pointy building. If it were me, I'd simply ask a passerby if they knew what it was. But instead you can whip out your iPhone and take a picture of it, and let the device tell you.

It appears from this video that we as a culture are becoming lost in our technology, completely reliant on it for the simplest things. I can see it being useful to people in a foreign country who don't speak the language. But casual use in your own country (or a different country when you know the language) seems like overkill. 😕
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Well, the iPhone and the app is a universal application and utility. Some times it can be tough to just ask someone about something. Sure we rely on technology more and more but it doesn't mean we will completely stop conversing with human beings. Think of it more as a complimentary aid than a replacement.

Besides that, no one will be telling you the history of the thing but Wikipedia and the internet will.
 
Way to show off Google, but I'm not impressed...

jayducharme said:
So you talk to the waiter about what wine he recommends. He brings you a bottle from a local vineyard. Then, rather than converse with the waiter any more, you whip out your iPhone and snap a photo of the bottle label to get more info. I'd prefer asking the waiter.

You're wandering in San Francisco and see the large pointy building. If it were me, I'd simply ask a passerby if they knew what it was. But instead you can whip out your iPhone and take a picture of it, and let the device tell you.

It appears from this video that we as a culture are becoming lost in our technology, completely reliant on it for the simplest things. I can see it being useful to people in a foreign country who don't speak the language. But casual use in your own country (or a different country when you know the language) seems like overkill. 😕
Click to expand...

I'm with you, man. Don't get me wrong, I use the voice search on a regular basis, especially when I'm driving. But I see way more of a downside here for your every day American than anything positive that could come out it. People are already completely engrossed in their phones, to the expense of the world and people around them. Do we really need another reason to have our eyes glued to the smartphone?
 
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