Nokia rolls out Point & Find beta

 

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By Nicole Kobie

Posted on 2 Apr 2009 at 17:56

Nokia has launched a beta version of its new Point & Find system, which lets smartphone users search for information on an object by looking at it with their handset camera.

"Simply by pointing their camera phone at a poster for a new movie, people can watch the trailer, read reviews, and find the closest cinema where it is playing," says Philipp Schloter, Nokia's general manager for Point & Find.

Future uses of the service suggested by Schloter include scanning barcodes for further information on that product, including details of where it's on sale. It could also be used in museums - with users training their camera on exhibits to recieve further information about them, including pictures and videos.

Currently the system works by matching images to a huge database of existing content. It can also use GPS positioning to help narrow the possibilities if a user is pointing their camera at a well-known landmark, for example.

The service can currently be downloaded in the US and the UK, on selected handsets. The phones supported by the current beta are the Nokia N82, N95, E66, N81, N76, E51, 6290, 6124 Classic, 6121 Classic, 6110 Navigator, and the 5700 Xpress Music.