Every now and again you see something and just go “I want that RIGHT NOW… I don’t even want to wait for it to download, let alone sync to my iPhone…
Well, the newest version of the Google Mobile App with “Google Goggles” (you really have to love those guys sense of humour) is one of those things. Augmented Reality has been around for a while now, but trust Google to take it mainstream.
Imagine you are walking down the street and you see the latest DVD on sale in the window. You open the Google App and take a photo of it and bingo… up comes all the info, reviews and (of course) opportunities to purchase. You can see if the store is offering a good deal and decide if you want to buy the DVD or not and if you should walk in and get it or wait the few days for delivery.
Of course it’s fantastic if you are travelling… what’s that building over there? what’s that wine in the shop like?
At this stage I don’t think it does face recognition, but if it did the possibilities really would be endless.
For marketers, this opens up a whole new world of opportunities… and also challenges the need for QR-codes. You could put a special image in your magazine ad with a tag that says “look me up on Google Goggles for an extra special offer”. Then make sure your Google entry includes the offer. Or have a special offer in your shop window that draws people in as they walk buy… “open me in Google Goggles to get 50% off your next purchase”.
I just tried it out on my iPhone (took a photo of the Apple logo on my laptop)… very cool. It identified the image as “Apple Logo” and when I clicked on it did a Google search for “Apple”… nice… just works…
It’s been out on Android for a while, so I guess I don’t have to have Android envy any more.
There’s more info on Google’s Mobile Blog.
Ok marketers, put your thinking caps on and have fun!
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