Vodafone Showcases Image-driven Search at CeBIT
We’re not exactly sure that this type of service will be the next craze in the search engine world, but it is interesting none the less. One of the new services that Vodafone is showing off at this year’s CeBIT is a new approach to mobile search called Otello; not to be confused with Shakespeare’s tragedy, although it certainly could meet Othello’s fate. The premise of the service is an image search, but not the kind we’re used to. Rather than search for images online, Otello calls for users to utilize an image in order to perform a search. For example, a user can search by sending an image of Brittany Spears to a specified number via MMS and in turn, Otello will return details about her latest hillbilly tirades. Unfortunately, a live demo at the show didn’t exactly go as planned when German Chancellor Angela Merkel attempted to perform a search. Apparently when the Chancellor sent her own image as a query, Otello returned a message that she was not recognized. Whoops! Vodafone will have another crack at it next week when readers of the German tabloid Blid will be able to send photos tied to specific articles in order to receive bonus content on their handsets.
Zach Epstein
Zach Epstein is the Executive Editor of BGR. He has 10 years of industry experience, first in marketing and business development with two private Telcos, then as a writer and editor covering business, technology and telecommunications.
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