Google the world around you

Google Goggles is an awesome mobile app that allows you to use your phone to search the web for the objects you see around you.

The newest version of Google Goggles is nothing short of amazing. The handy app works like this: use it to take a picture of anything you see around you – barcodes, newspaper ads, landmarks, logos, wine labels – and Google Goggles will recognize the object, search for it on the web, and present you with the most likely explanation, link or description of the object you photographed.

The Google Goggles interface is very simple – your phone’s camera is overlaid with a grid. There’s a large button to take the image, a crop function to get a better focus and a flashlight, for using the app in the dark. There aren’t any configuration options – instead, you have a getting started tutorial and lots of online help. You’ll also be able to use Google Goggles to investigate a photo that’s already stored on your phone, or to enable search history.

Once Google Goggles has taken and analyzed your image, it will present you with the options it has found. Once you specify which option you are looking for – choosing between a famous painting or a book that uses that painting on its cover, for example – you’ll get Google’s search results. It’s not accurate 100% of the time, but when it is, it’s pretty amazing.

Google Goggles can be used to get information on bunches of stuff – your imagination is pretty much the only limit. The latest version can even scan and search for more information on ads in newspapers and magazines, or solve sudokus! Give it a try, it’s pretty cool.

Google Goggles lets you use your phone to get more information on the world around you.