Google [1] (NASDAQ: GOOG) bought visual art search engine Plink [2] this week. The idea is to enhance the previously released Google Goggles [3], which reportedly has had uneven results. The user would open Google Goggles/Plink--Plink specializes in visual art--take a picture of a photograph or work of art and the program analyzes and returns information about the piece. There's lots of potential here to enhance visual search by applying this approach to other items such as books, CDs, DVDs, brands and so forth. Plink's blog post [4]
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercecontentmanagement.com/tags/google
[2] http://www.plinkart.com/
[3] http://searchengineland.com/google-mobile-announcements-voice-languages-whats-nearby-goggles-31374
[4] http://www.plinkart.com/blog/?p=77