ER Mobile Visual Search Engine For iPhone

Evolution Robotics Inc. in companionship with Bandai Networks Co. Ltd announced the ER Search, mobile visual search engine, on new line of camera phones (Spring 2008).

Evolution Robotics focuses much on visualization because of the potential for future product developments. Their goal is to solve a problem in realistic settings by total visual interaction between a human being and a machine. Camera technologies are developing increasingly due to widespread application of web cameras, digital cams and cell-phone cams.

The launch of ER search is estimated the increase in mobile visual search market services up to $24 Billion by 2013 (ABI research) and this will enable the consumers in Japan to take pictures of surrounding objects and do on-line searches. Its download will be available for any KDDI customer with a previous AU camera phone.

ER Search works like using a traditional search engine, but with no typing any text through complicated menus. Instead of it, users snap a picture of any object and are immediately provided with relevant content. For instance, if you are looking for wine in a store, you can photograph wine label and get recommendations and experts reviews on it. So as soon as you see something you are interested in, just snap a picture and see all services and information on the spot. As Satoshi Oshita, CEO of Bandai Networks, said – “the search process is far easier and immediate than anything that has been available before.”

ER Search has the ViPR technology, which supports user-generated content to take new images, videos or places and tag them with links and content to expand the database. World-wide visual database will be created by showing the content results of other users who take similar pictures. A demonstration of visual search technology by Evolution Robotics on Apple’s iPhone can be viewed at Youtube.

ViPR can learn new objects and images (cover art on a music CD), without any special encoding. Also ViPR performs well on most cameras used on low cost mobile phones today.

Database already indexes over 150,000 music CD covers, as well as other mobile applications providing info and links. Even streaming video or images from TV are supported.

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iPhone Firmware 2.0 Beta review: What’s new

With the forthcoming release of the new iPhone, the Internet is starting to get flooded by multiple videos with the new device. Some of theses videos are true fakes, but some seem quite credible.

Yet Apple has recently released iPhone 2.0 beta and I was lucky to have one for a test (in fact the gadget will be officially released in June). Some of the changes are still to come, but some of them will be unveiled by me for you right now:

A great feature of multi-select in mail box. You can choose as many messages as you want. You will be able to work with them as with a group
The Safari browser has a function of saving images directly from web-pages. You hold your finger against the image and in a matter of moments there will appear a pop-up window with options. You can save the image into the Photo album and from the album you can set it as a background image of send to your friends
As far as I have noticed there is no contact search. In fact it might be activated when you have thousands and thousands of contacts, but as I have much less, I didn’t find the option
The calendar features a new button, but as a matter of fact the purpose of that button remained vague to me
Of course, as it was expected, the App store is present (though at the moment it doesn’t do anything)
The basic calculator has a number of new modes besides the new icon
iPhone’s VPN settings feature Cisco VPN screen. Still it is not know yet if the device will support SecurID or other hardware token authenticators
Exchange is on. It can be made through the network and over WiFi it does check-ins, so it’s not as instantaneous
Lots of parental control features have been added (like turning off YouTube)
The new version of firmware will allow you to choose WiFi network

That really sounds great, doesn’t it? A lot of features (as I have already mentioned above) are still to come. So all we can do at this point is sit, wait and wonder!

iPhone Vs iPod Touch: Which One to Choose?

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iPhone Vs iPod Touch: Which One to Choose?

Apple has released iPod Touch and later iPhone. These devices seem to be quite similar, but at the same time they have a number of differences. What are they?

In what way do iPhone and iPod Touch differ?

A lot of people want to buy one, but which one to choose? Both the gadgets are no dirt-cheap, so the choice is quite a task.

In fact, the devices are quite similar as far as what they do, but there are some points of difference.

The similarities:

Both the devices have wi-fi
Both of them can function as an iPod
Both iPhone and iPod Touch have a note pad to take notes
Both of them have a calendar to add events and reminders
Both have picture library
Both the devices possess YouTube capabilities

The difference (It means that these features are possessed by iPhone only):

An inbuilt camera
Maps option (via Google maps)

This feature can be extremely useful for those who get lost often. This makes your life safer as you can find out where you are and then directions from where you are physically.

Internet browsing without using Wi-Fi
EDGE capabilities
The device gas speakers
But at the same time the iPhone costs a little more

So what conclusion can we arrive at? While both the devices cost about the same amount of money, iPhone seems a better choice. In fact, iTouch is an iPhone without a number of features. Moreover, iTouch is not a phone. Then why buy a less functional device for the same money?

Cell Phone Accessories: Top 10 Weird iPhone Accessories

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Cell Phone Accessories: Top 10 Weird iPhone Accessories

If you are an owner of an iPhone you must have been totally keen on the device since you purchased it. I myself remember about it when I see the pretty and attractive design of mine.

Since the device was unveiled Apple has earned millions of dollars selling over 2.3 million iPhones.

But there is another indisputable fact – the market of iPhone accessories is flourishing as well. People are eager to upgrade their beloved gadgets in every possible way. There are widely known accessories as cases, holders, covers etc. But, in fact, there is quite a number of accessories that you might have not even heard of, although they can be even mover useful than the traditional ones.

The list is dedicated to these accessories. The ones that are not given much publicity to, but can be real assets in different kinds of situations. I will describe only some of them.

There is no point in describing all of them, as sometimes pictures speak better than words.

1. Mini Windshield Wipers for an iPhone

This accessory is geared for those sick and tired of screen smudges. The accessory works even simpler than you could imagine: you attach the windshield wipers to the touch screen and in a matter of seconds they will wipe off all the fingerprints on the display.

2.Black Shirts Edition Cases for iPhone