Google Googles And You Phone

Mobile apps have made the smartphone a day planner, a gaming system, a calculator, and a documentation tool, to name just a few capabilities. And now, with some innovative technology and creative use of your phone’s camera, there are even apps that can see and think for themselves. If the robots ever take over, these could be the apps that will have started it all.

Google Goggles

“Google it” has entered the popular lexicon as the answer to almost any question, and Google Goggles takes it to the next level.

This app boasts the ability to grab text and translate it; recognize famous landmarks, artwork, DVDs, and other images; and even solve Sudoku puzzles for you.

Certain types of text will also pull up relevant results on Google such as phone numbers, maps to addresses, currency conversions, and more.

Although it was initially available on both Android and iOS, it is now on Android only.

CamFind

If you have ever found something in your attic and wondered “What the heck is this thing?” or asked someone “Where did you buy that watch?” then CamFind is for you.

The Android and iOS app can be used to take pictures of shoes, headphones, printers, and just about anything else and tell you where to buy it and how much it costs. It also has the ability to scan QR codes, grab text, and search for similar images.

CamFind also offers several language options to read results out loud, working as a basic translator for some common objects.

PhotoMath

One of the coolest, every-day-use apps showcased at the recent Disrupt Europe 2014 conference is PhotoMath, a math program that solves problems in real time using your phone’s camera.

In addition to solving equations in a way that makes old style calculators look even more antiquated, the app also provides step-by-step explanations of how it arrived at its answer, helping users learn math problem solving.

PhotoMath is available on Windows and iOS now with an Android version slated to come out in 2015. Here is a video of PhotoMath in action.