There are times when I argue with my friends regarding Android’s dominance over its alternatives, and how it not only offers much greater room for personalization but a whole bunch of other features that make it the ultimate choice for millions across the globe. Before moving any further, I would like to point out that I have already used 3 different iPhones, and an HTC-made, Windows Phone. So, after being aware of all the different operating systems around, my ultimate choice is undeniably Android, and quite honestly, it is these apps like Google Goggles that contribute to my inclination towards Google’s masterpiece operating system. Google, in recent times, has come up with fairly impressive apps and other improvements for Android. Here I review and talk about an app that puts fun and convenience together to form a blend, that is both handy entertaining.
So what really is Google Goggles? I still remember the time I first heard the concept of this app. At that time, it was yet to be released, but regardless, the idea certainly blew me off. The word was that Google was working on an app for Android, which would allow users to identify different things by taking pictures. The basic idea was simple, yet very creative. What I gathered from the news post-release was that the world could be heading towards a time where humans, in a way, we’re giving cameras a mind to think and respond. Yes, it seemed a little good to be true, but then so were the hundreds of amazing ideas that the technological world blessed us with, and thus, optimism was high.
So finally the time came when the app was released on Android, and I rushed to download it. Google had fulfilled its promise, and I had the applications that I was waiting for for quite some time. So you get the basic idea of the app – it takes photographs and lets you know what you are looking at. This means that you can stand in front of the London Bridge, take a picture of it, and within a second, get to know exactly where you are. Of course, everyone knows about London Bridge, and so this comes in handy if you are not entirely sure where you are. But hey, this is not just limited to places, but even logos.
So if you take a picture of a Nike logo, the Google Goggles applications would not take more than a second to let you know that the logo is the picture belongs to an American company, Nike. Now since it is directly linked to Google Search, the picture taken takes a whole trip of the internet database and looks for possible matches. It does not promise to give your results about every single thing, but the accuracy it offers is nothing less than remarkable.
While I do admit that I checked out different logos like that of Starbucks and Nike, this application goes beyond the fun and comes in quite handy. This is because it is not just limited to letting you know about different locations and logos but also allows you to read different barcodes. Now you can get to know about locations and logos from elsewhere, perhaps by asking a friend or a stranger passing by, but barcodes, they all seem quite the same to me. In such situations, you can let Google be your Google.
Ever since I first used the app, it has found a place in my ‘favorites’ folder and it continues to stay there. Today, not only does it help me read menus from different languages and get information about different landmarks and logos, but also goes as far as helping me solve Sudoku puzzles. This is how far technology has reached, and this is why this app is one of my personal favorites.
