Google's latest version of Google Goggles is apparently powerful enough to beat a Sudoku champ at her own game. Today Google announced Goggles 1.3 client for Android, featuring instant barcode scanning and print ad recognition. And as an added bonus, Goggles 1.3 can also help you cheat on Sudoku. First released on Android phones in December 2009 and on iOS in October 2010, Google Goggles is a visual recognition app that allows users to photograph objects and receive relevant Google search results. It also works with Google Translation. The barcode scanner lets shoppers research products offline with a couple taps. To start, open Goggles on your Android phone and let the camera hover over a barcode. Within seconds, and without having to press any buttons, your phone will present Google search results about the product.

Goggles 1.3 also expands upon a marketing experiment launched in November. The app can now recognize photos of print ads and return search results, rather than just the brand's mobile website. To demonstrate the breadth of its new barcode-scanning technology, Google pit Goggles 1.3 against a Sudoku master. In the video below, a Goggles-equipped Google software engineer competed against reigning Sudoku champ, Tammy McLeod. The phone won.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdftOloAH9Q&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Source at PC Mag