Google may have announced lots of new hardware on Wednesday, but the software it demonstrated might actually be cooler.
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Google added a visual search engine called 'Lens' to its new Pixel phones — here's what it can do (GOOG, GOOGL)
Google Lens is a visual search engine that will come loaded on every new Pixel 2 phone.
Among the new offerings: Google Lens, a visual search engine that will come loaded on every new Pixel 2 phone.
first announced the feature back in May, but we got a more comprehensive look at how it works on Wednesday.
Google says that for now, Lens is just a "preview," which may be Google-speak for a beta version. And since it lives in the Pixel 2, most people won't be able to try it out. But Lens is still an exciting peek at what's to come.
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Lens basically works like a "smart" magnifying glass. Using the Pixel's camera, you can look up things like artwork, landmarks, and movies — all you have to do is point your camera at the object and press the Lens button in your camera app. Lens can then identify what it is you're looking at and pull up relevant information for you to peruse.
And Google said it plans on adding features on an ongoing basis, including the ability to use Lens inside Google Assistant. This could mean the Lens feature will eventually arrive on iOS devices, since you can currently use Google Assistant on your iPhone.
Google Lens is similar to a feature Pinterest introduced last February, also called "Lens." But Pinterest Lens has a slightly different focus from Google Lens: inspiration.
Pinterest Lens l
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