Google Goggles is a downloadable image recognition application created by Google Inc. which can be currently found on the Mobile Apps page of Google Mobile. It is used for searches based on pictures taken by handheld devices. For example, taking a picture of a famous landmark would search for information about it, or taking a picture of a product's barcode will search for information on the product.

History

Google Goggles was developed for use on Google's Android operating systems for mobile devices. While initially only available in a beta version for Android phones, Google announced its plans to enable the software to run on other platforms, notably iPhone

IPhone

The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...

 and BlackBerry

BlackBerry

BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...

 devices. Google has not discussed a non-handheld format. On 5 October 2010, Google announced availability of Google Goggles for iPhone devices, that run iOS 4.0.

Uses

The program proposed will be able to identify virtually anything. Currently the system can identify various labels or landmarks, allowing users to learn about such items without needing a text-based search. The system can identify products barcodes

Barcode

A barcode is an optical machine-readable representation of data, which shows data about the object to which it attaches. Originally barcodes represented data by varying the widths and spacings of parallel lines, and may be referred to as linear or 1 dimensional . Later they evolved into rectangles,...

 or labels that allow users to search for similar products and prices, and save codes for future reference, similar to the failed CueCat

CueCat

The CueCat is a cat-shaped handheld barcode reader that was developed in early 1990s and released in 1999 by the now defunct Digital Convergence Corporation, which connected to computers using the PS/2 keyboard port and USB...

 of the late '90s, but with more functionality. The system will also recognize printed text and using optical character recognition

Optical character recognition

Optical character recognition, usually abbreviated to OCR, is the mechanical or electronic translation of scanned images of handwritten, typewritten or printed text into machine-encoded text. It is widely used to convert books and documents into electronic files, to computerize a record-keeping...

 (OCR) produce a text snippet, and in some cases even translate the snippet into another language.

Future uses

Google is currently working to make the system able to recognize different plants and leaves, which can aid curious persons, those wishing to avoid toxic plants, and botanists and environmentalists searching for rare plants.

Virtual worlds

Goggle applications are in the process of being used for metaverse

Metaverse

The Metaverse is our collective online shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space, including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the internet...

 virtual world

Virtual world

A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...

 image indexing

Index (information technology)

In computer science, an index can be:# an integer that identifies an array element# a data structure that enables sublinear-time lookup -Array element identifier:...

 and catalog

Database catalog

The database catalog of a database instance consists of metadata in which definitions of database objects such as base tables, views , synonyms, value ranges, indexes, users, and user groups are stored....

 applications. Regional coordinates are cammed by avatar-based movement in virtual camera scripted vehicles through 3D simulators in pseudo-Lévy

Lévy flight

A Lévy flight is a random walk in which the step-lengths have a probability distribution that is heavy-tailed. When defined as a walk in a space of dimension greater than one, the steps made are in isotropic random directions...

 patterns and indexed with image capture

Image Capture

Image Capture is an application program from Apple that enables users to upload pictures from digital cameras or scanners which are either connected directly to the computer or the network...

s for recognition correlation of objects, avatars, and scripts in a virtual-GIS

Geographic Information System

A geographic information system, geographical information science, or geospatial information studies is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographically referenced data...

. Reported forecast is for searchable database results of the Second Life

Second Life

Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...

 and/or OpenSimulator

OpenSimulator

OpenSimulator is an open-source server platform for hosting virtual worlds. It is compatible with the client for Second Life and can host alternative worlds with differing feature sets with multiple protocols.-Features:...

 virtual worlds to be available as early as 3Q-2011 from imaging suppliers.

Current version

As of October 2011, Google Goggles is running on version 1.6.1 which add a new feature, it can analyze picture taken from the phone camera and return results, named smart-camera. Goggles is specifically developed to run on mobile devices running the Android operating system. Goggles runs on any phone running Android version 1.6 or higher and can be installed using the Android Market

Android Market

Android Market is an online software store developed by Google for Android OS devices. Its gateway is an application program called "Market", preinstalled on most Android devices, allows users to browse and download mobile apps published by third-party developers...

.
Although developed for Android there is now also an iPhone

IPhone

The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...

 version, as part of the Google Search app, available from the iTunes Store

ITunes Store

The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...

 or App Store. Goggles requires iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4 on iOS 4.0 or higher to run. In January 2011, version 1.3 was released; it can solve Sudoku puzzles.

Platform

Google product manager Shailesh Nalawadi indicated that Google wants Goggles to be an application platform, much like Google Maps

Google Maps

Google Maps is a web mapping service application and technology provided by Google, free , that powers many map-based services, including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder, Google Transit, and maps embedded on third-party websites via the Google Maps API...

, not just a single product. They are currently working on developing an API

Application programming interface

An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other...

for Goggles, once they determine what shape it should take. They are currently discussing API ideas with outside developers.