14 DAY TRIAL // Google has updated the company’s Mobile App for iOS devices to include support for Google Goggles, the ability to take a snapshot of pretty much anything and get results from the web, faster suggestions, and a fix for voice search on iPod touch fourth generation.
“Search Google quickly using your voice, pictures, and location. Google Mobile App includes the following features,” the search giant notes in the app’s iTunes description.
The list of key functions begins with the newly-added Goggles feature, which the Mountain View, California giant describes as follows:
"New! Google Goggles - use pictures to search the web. Goggles recognizes things such as landmarks, books, wine, artwork, and logos."
A video has been uploaded to YouTube with one of Google’s guys demoing the feature (embedded below).
In the video, the staffer notes that Goggles is still young, and has a lot to learn before it can offer results on anything the user might take a snap of.
For now, the service understands photos of important buildings and landmarks around the world, book covers, pretty much every type of wine that’s worth drinking, art, and icons.
As noted above, the new version (0.7.0.4836) also adds faster suggestions, and fixes for voice search on iPod Touch 4th generation.
The fourth-gen iPod touch is the only iPod that supports Goggles, since it's the only one with a camera.
Other key features of the Google Mobile app that work on all iDevices (iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad) include:
Search by voice - speak your queries in natural language. Simply hold your iPhone to your ear and say your query. (Supports American, British, Indian or Australian English accents, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Czech, Polish and Korean.)
My Location - avoid typing your current location when searching for nearby businesses (e.g. "pizza" or "starbucks")
Google Suggest - tap suggested web search queries and local businesses that appear as you type
Search history - quickly search again for queries you recently performed
Contact search - search your phone's contacts.
Vertical search - search Google Maps, Images, News, and Shopping