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Nokia unveiled a cool service called Nokia Point & Find with the idea to sort of, kind of, merge mobile and real worlds, by allowing users to access relevant information and services, simply by pointing their mobile phone camera at real-life objects.
Although the service is still in beta and is focused on movies and users in the UK and US, you must admit it sounds cool. Best of all, the Finnish giant created Nokia Point & Find as an open service platform on which other companies can build upon. That said, Nokia is inviting all interested parties for a discussion to jointly create “unique user experiences.”
The service relies on an advanced real-time image processing and recognition technologies to link the user to digital content and services. Among the features included are bar code recognition,
GPS, as well as the support for category-specific text-entry search.
Here’s exactly how Nokia Point & Find works:
When a phone is pointed at an object, the service uses a variety of the phone’s capabilities including the camera, internet connectivity, and GPS positioning to evaluate the object. Then, by searching through a database of virtually tagged items, the system identifies the object and returns a set of links to associated content and services.
Apparently businesses dig the idea and I guess it’s fair to say we’ll hear more on the service in the near future. In the meantime, there’s a dedicated mini site with more information, from where you can also download the beta application (selected phones, only – see site for details).
About The Author
Dusan Belic
Dusan has been using smartphones since their introduction and is now following the latest trends in the industry. The "convergence" is what he's most excited about, and writing about it is the next logical thing to do. He thinks that using a smartphone is what everyone who cares about their time should do. In addition to his interests in mobile phones, Dusan also loves to experiment with the latest web and mobile 2.0 services. The idea of accessing and managing your information from any device no matter where you are simply amazes him. Whether it's an online to-do list, note taking service or a video sharing social network, he's there to try it out. He admits though, he's still searching for the ultimate web-based organizational tool, which "sings" perfectly with the mobile PIM application. Dusan used to run SymbianWatch.com which later became part of IntoMobile. He lives in Serbia, South-East Europe, from where he edits the site on a daily basis.
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David
