When words get in the way of a Google search

The applications for mobile phones come to the tourism industry to stay. Every month the new mobile applications are emerging. We can see the variety of mobile services and applications that facilitate virtual experiences to tourism with consideration of the destination marketing organization’s innovativeness and consumers’ needs. In March 2011, Google launched the upgraded Google Search application. The newly upgraded app makes it easier to scour the Web with pictures straight from smartphone camera. The application’s feature, a point-click-and-search ability called Google Googles. Google Goggles lets to tourists use pictures taken with their mobile phone to search the web.

Everybody knows how sometimes difficult to find the right words to describe something that’s unfamiliar to you. The developers of Google Googles wished tourists could hold up a photo and find this, and make it snappy. This application is ideal for things that aren't easy to describe in words. The tourists don’t need to type or speak their query. All they have to do is open the application, snap a picture, and wait for search results.

Using this travel tool, tourists can find the information ten times fast. Application not only recognizes visual cues, building, architectural landmarks, artwork, etc. but translates words from English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

The testing of this device in New York City shows that Google Googles can even recognizes Ney York City’s lesser-known objects, such as the Grace Building and Bryant Park.

The practical uses of this application are endless. Tourists can make the trip abroad without fear of being linguistically weak. Also, very often tourists have pictures from when they traveled and didn’t label very many. Sometimes they can only have a general idea and wonder exactly they were. Google Goggles works with pictures of books, landmarks, barcodes, logos, contact info, artwork, text. It can recognize up to three items at a time. The application is not so good when taking pictures of animals, plants, cars, furniture, or apparel. Developers of this application recommend, for the best results when taking pictures, hold the phone in "left landscape" mode. Google Goggles is free for Android devices, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 devices, iPad, and iPod.

What is the next? What kind of new mobile applications will add the value for our tourist experience? We hope that the next year students of Skema Business school will describe it in their blogs.