curiously configured for Apple fonts first - no doubt.

@flyboy: What do fonts have to do with it? Per the description, it recognizes patterns, not words. Doesn't seem to use words until it matches an image and pulls up its metadata.

I wonder if this is affected by large sale promotional stickers and such.

It's interesting tech, and certainly has the wow factor... but if you have access to an image, good chance is that you'll get basic info from there...

This just seems to be consolidating a Google search for people who can't do it themselves. Neat, but ultimately frivolous... unless someone can layout obvious practical uses that I can't imagine?

@tokiwartooth: A lot of people still don't know how to use Google very well, either. The "art" of searching to get the best possible results is not very well-known. This would take the leg work out of it.

I think it sounds like a great little piece of technology. It could help bargain shoppers and people who research their purchases a lot (which I'm sure is most of us Giz gadget-heads...).

I wonder if it would work if you took a photo of something less commercial- say a symbol of some sort- and actually send back data from Google. Now that would be cool. I've had occasion to wish I could scan an image into a search engine and get back info telling me what it means.

Amazing. Now, how about cut-and-paste, MMS, vibrate-then-ring, voice dialing, and a dozen other cell phone features that were standard in 2004?

@sumocat: just cynically suggesting the iPhone spots stuff you can iBuy on the website before anything else .... :-0

Only a matter of time before it includes a visual people search function as well. Privacy, anyone?

@bandit: Still hasn't got your hand on an iPhone, I see.

Okay - wait for it - Google is going to buy them up in about 5 minutes!

Couldn't they have developed this for a phone that is better suited to this type of thing, like the N95 or something with a better camera, the Iphone doesn't necessarily have to be the only phone this type of software can run on, they could make it on pretty much any WM, Palm or blackberry device. I hope this company does make one, maybe for WM?

@Poltras: He probably doesn't want one, seeing as it lacks so many basic features the free phones have these days...

Have to wonder if this won't piss off a lot of retailers. Usually stores like Best Buy or Borders don't like you taking pictures of the products they're selling. Other than that, excellent step in the right direction for total world integration, I say.

@Sam_Zebian: As yes....Rationalizations made to defend ones choice not to purchase what many of its users consider the sweetest phone ever made.....Keep letting tiny omissions hold you back even when its obvious the phones manufacturer is upgrading it capabilities more often then any other phone on the market dude. You have fun with that. *Thumbs up*

@TheSonOfKrypton: Sure, I'll have fun with my phone, what I consider to be the sweetest phone ever made (until the Sony Experia X1 comes out). Do you know what that phone is???? No, because they don't market the crap out of their products like apple, and that phone I'm talking about is the HTC TYTN II, AKA the AT&T Tilt. It's got waaaay more features than the Iphone, and guess what, I'm browsing the web in 3g, while you iphone users are still in the slow lane of Edge... so yeah, have fun with that.

Once their technology becomes more sophisticated they should have their search engine crawl social networking sites. This way you could take a picture of a stranger and have their facebook profile emailed to your phone. This would take stalking to a whole new level. Can't wait!

Works as long as U photograph the same thing & click on the same results as everyone else.

Amazing how excited people can still get over the obsolete 220kbit EDGE network.

@Sam_Zebian: I would really like to know what is so bad about "marketing the crap out of" a product.

All of this fanboyism for and against the iPhone in every post about iPhone is getting pretty pointless. If you can't live without the features the iPhone lacks, get something else. If you're willing to sacrifice them for the benefits of an iPhone (and you can afford it), get one. Simple as that.

Personally, I bought my iPhone 2 days ago when the price in the UK dropped to £169 and I couldn't be happier with it. But then again I unlocked it and installed a bunch of apps, including one that enables MMS - not everyone would be willing/know how to do that. I've already had a few of my friends and my brother ask if I will unlock theirs when they buy one - something they decided to do after playing with it for about 5 minutes.

Basically what I mean is, on paper there are many phone superior to the iPhone, but when I first got my hands on one, I stopped caring.

Searching for porn will be interesting...

@Ungenious: or searching for who has done porn...

@craig_16: I just agree that it is these little things the iphone doesn't yet have which makes it a phone I'm not interested in at all. Yea, sure you can jailbreak it, but that voids the warranty, so that argument isn't even really a valid one, I'm not risking my warranty because Apple locked down my phone.

@Sam_Zebian: lol...You're bragging because you're surfing the [mobile] web in 3G with your crappy web browser? Sam, honestly dude, I don't want to get into berating you simply because I believe it's irresponsible. I'm merely sticking up for myself and other iPhone users when you CHOOSE to come into an iPhone oriented thread and attempt to disparage us. So for your 3G argument, I present to you this (one of many videos proving the same point):

+ Watch video

Let me be the first to say that to assume as you do is not wrong, but to continue to assume when you have a source of information as vast as the internet is downright dimwitted. 3G IS NOT THE ONLY FACTOR TO HOW FAST WEB PAGES COME UP ON YOUR PHONE. Believe it or not, Safari is FAR superior to that web browser you have on your Windows Mobile OS. The coding on your phones OS is haphazard at best and is therefore not able to render webpages as quickly OR accurately as an iPhone. And THIS is just EDGE!? What happens when Apple drops the 3G iPhone this summer with an even MORE optimized Safari? I mean, think about it. If Safari destroys Win Mo 3G now on Edge, how much MORE will it destroy Win Mo 3G when IT is on 3G. I understand your plight though. Afterall, you have a phone that runs on Windows Mobile: An OS that was originally a PDA OS and still today is not that far away from it (as in crappy indeed). Try not to fester so much hate within yourself for a phone that runs on a Linux based OS: OS X. After all, it's just a phone man. And as much as you may hate my iPhone, my iPhone does not hate you, as evidenced by its response to your finger....A part of your body you haven't used on that HTC touch screen of yours because you have a [sarcasm] far superior device; a stylus [/sarcasm].

@Sam_Zebian: Jailbreaking voids your warranty? Only if you're a MORON who doesn't restore your phone in iTunes before taking it back to Apple for replacement or repair. And after this summer, jailbreaking won't even be an issue anymore.

@TheSonOfKrypton: Ok, so you want to tell me that the limited bandwidth on the iphone is made up for by the 'greatness' of safari mobile??? EVER TRIED SKYFIRE??? it's better than safari, has all of the features it has other than multi-touch and has FLASH!!! And since when was OSX linux??? I think your mistaken, it's UNIX. Oh, and you say the Iphone renders pages faster when on Edge than on 3g from a Winmo phone??? I beg to differ-
[www.pocketables.net]

Oh, and just because I HAVE a stylus, doesn't mean my screen isn't being used by my FINGERS! Dumbass.

@TheSonOfKrypton: It will void your warranty though... what if you break your Iphone's dock connector?? What r you gunna do then??

@Sam_Zebian:

It's great. You made an informed choice, and you're happy with it.

Now STFU and stop interjecting your hate every time there's an article about the iPhone, lest we'll start suspecting you have second doubts about your choice.

@tokiwartooth:

Well, for example, there might be a painting (a photo reproduction, for example) and you're like "Damn, I know this, but I don't know who drew it!". Use this tech, boom 1 minute later, you find out it's a Monét, the title of the painting, and exactly which museum has it on display.

I think this tech has very high potential.

@Sam_Zebian: I like that last word there bro, real mature. But aren't you like, what, 15? So, it's understood. On to the subject at hand: It's funny, that the reviewer in question in the page you linked me to ultimately had this to say : "In other words, the average consumer comparing the standard web experience on a 3G Tilt and an EDGE iPhone side-by-side in an AT&T shop will probably go home to fire up iTunes." That dude knows the truth, as you do.

Opera Mobile on 3G is faster then Safari is on Edge. Congratulations. To nullify my "standard packed in web browser performance" argument, you went an brought up a web browser that sells for 24$ that many will not end up buying. Instead, they'd just rather not surf the web on their phones.....Am I lying? Go look at the highest web browsing mobile device charts.....Go on. Who's on top? Truly though, as a PC user turned Mac switcher, coming this June, I feel sorry for those of you who's ego and pride is so caught up in the device you're using that you refuse to accept a competitors superiority. Remember the iPod dominance coming of age in 2002-2005 and beyond? Well....it's about to happen again. And being well aware of what this little device in my hand can do, I can see why.

Oh, and about the dock connector dude, come on. In all my years of reading blogs like this and forums and owning like 3 iPods and an iPhone, I've never once ever heard of that shit. You obviously (once again) are reaching desperately in an attempt to nullify my argument. But for the sake of argument, if you "happen to break your iPhones dock connector" that also happens to be jailbroken, you find one of the many iPhone disassembly guides on the internet, you crack that bitch open, you sever the cord carrying current from the battery, you seal it back, and you take it to the nearest Apple store, acting confused and perplexed as their best efforts to "fix" your phone fail and they just give you another one because Apple stores are just that God damn pimp.

@Dearhaw: "@Sam_Zebian: Now STFU and stop interjecting your hate every time there's an article about the iPhone, lest we'll start suspecting you have second doubts about your choice."

It's funny, I thought the same exact thing. I mean, for as much as I hate Windows Mobile phones (I've played with a Touch my friend has....Jesus Christ), you'll never find me in a Windows Mobile oriented story disparaging it. Ha, I've got better things to do. But you'd really have to question the true feeling of one who does? Is it really hate? Or is it envy (for a device that ANYONE could have and which you are in no way barred from) that is the true source?

@TheSonOfKrypton: First of all, I know this probably doesn't ammount to much, but I'm 16, not 15. Second, although the writer of the article did end with that remark, facts are facts and everyone know 3g is faster than Edge. Opera mobile may be $24, but opera mini 4, which is just as fast as opera mobile, is free. Refuse to accept superiority??? Yeah, so since when has superiority lacked the basic features of the competition??? Who said the Ipod is the best product for a PMP??? Have you seen the alternatives, the Zune, the Sansas, the Zens, most do way more than an Ipod ever has. And on the last note, I'm not being desperate on my nullification of my arguement. Officially, the Iphone is not meant to be jailbroken, which is why it's not a valid arguement. If the company you fanboys worship so much (apple) doesn't even back up your reasoning as a valid arguement (jailbreaking), then why should I buy that product from them??? And since when was the Apple store "Pimp"?? Oh yeah, since the genius bar started getting some qualified employees, right??? Oh yeah, that never happened...

@thesonofkrypton- I was not reading this article to look for a reason to flame the iphone, but when I read the comment I originally had read, I agreed with it. I was interested in this article because I think that this software is actually quite cool, so I was hopeing it would come out on other platforms, such as windows mobile. I don't waste my time with Apple worshipers like you guys.

Sam_Zebian, man oh man, you, truly, are a comedic genius! Seriously, which comedy show do you write for... wait wait, let me guess Two and a Half men? No, wait, Leno? You're a comedy writer for Leno? I knew it! I mean, to suggest N95 as "superior" was just, I mean, just brilliant, that had me doing a guffaw, I started to see your comic genius, but who knew you were warming us up for some much bigger laughs. Then you mentioned Skyfire, oh man, that was just... I mean, that's LOL moment without the two drink minimum even needed for a belly laugh.

The who Sony Experia X1 bit, like it's superior and better than the iPhone, man, Seinfeld could use you when he does a comeback tour. That was just, I mean, you sir should be up there with Carlin, Murphey, et. al.

But you didn't just stop there with your hysterical Sony bit, no, you wry devil, you said Zune, I could hardly get air I was laughing, I mean, there's no person alive who actually could say that with a straight face and be serious, that was brilliantly funny. Zune! Great! My sides were splitting.

Then your piece de resistance showing you are in the pantheon of humorists, to mention that this software should come to Windows Mobile, THE most laughable platform out there since, maybe Windows ME. Please tell me when you hit the circuit with your standup material like this, you're so funny, it hurts.

Or you really are that stupid, but that simply can't be, NOBODY is that stupid.

Take a picture of the iPhone box and see what happens.

Better yet ... Hold it up to the mirror and take a photo of the iPhone you're holding. If it recognizes itself does that mean it's alive? ;)

@B: I think that would cause a Paradox with unforseeable results. Just like typing "Google" into Google will break the internet :P

This is cool and all, but let's get the simplistic QR Code the de facto standard first, and then move on to a very, very complex system.

"It will void your warranty though... what if you break your Iphone's dock connector?? What r you gunna do then??"

Ever heard of SSH? By the way, I have yet to hear about someone breaking their dock connector. You are grasping at straws.

@DaffyDuck: It's still highly possible... especially with a cheaper dock, it happened to one of my friend's ipod touch... and guess what, he jailbroke it too!

@Sam_Zebian:"I don't waste my time with Apple worshipers like you guys." Really? It seems that your waisting your time by making long pointless comments of hating the iphone and arguing with these "apple worshipers". And by the way, I don't like apple computers but i sure love the iphone. Not all people who have iphones are apple worshipers. Feel free to make a long comment and waist your time by replying to this comment.

@Sam_Zebian: "...my friend's ipod touch"

Given the vast vitriol you've opined upon the iPhone/iPod, I'd have thought you would eschew any type of consort with a personage owning one.

Yeah, whatever. You're sixteen and getting caught up in silly arguments that really have no importance. The iPhone doesn't meet your needs/desires. No problem. Obviously for many people it does, good for them.

Put another way, "Lighten up Francis"

Back to the matter at hand. ViPR could be quite handy, depending on how far they can take it. I sometimes find myself using the camera on my phone to "take notes" about something I see. Sometimes that's a product I want to check reviews/prices on, which could also use the barcode.

It would be extremely cool though to do something like take a picture of a building you find interesting, and get back information on it's history (architect, usage etc.) while you're still standing in front of it. Beats the heck out of trying to finding and entering enough base information to do a text based search and then digging through the returns to find an actual match.

Just think, you could be rummaging through stuff with friends and find something where everyone wonders "what is that thing". Ah, to be the alpha geek, one quick snap, a few seconds, and spewing hopefully correct answers.

eh eh... big in Japan *snikker* **snort**