Snap it: Search engine answers photographic questions

Mountain View, California – A new application is making it easier for on-the-go consumers to obtain information.

Instead of typing in keywords in a search engine, anyone with an Android mobile phone can access Google Goggles and can search using images taken with the phone.

Want to find out who painted a certain portrait? Take a picture with the mobile phone and Google Goggles will tell you who the artist is. Take a snap of a business card and the contact will be added to the phone’s address book.

The phone’s GPS and compass can identify local businesses when a photo is taken, and additional information becomes available.

For more on how smart apps are changing the way consumers obtain information, read our Technology Update