Gazopa similar image search app comes to iPhone

I really like the idea of Hitachi's Gazopa, especially now that it's been released as an iPhone application. I just wish it worked a little better, that's all.

Here's what's supposed to happen. First, you choose a source image - you can choose to take a new photo, pick from photos you have saved, or even sketch something quickly right on your screen.

Gazopa then scours the net to find similar images for you, and that's where it fell short for me.

I'll be the first to admit that my attempt to draw Homer Simpson's head was a bit ham-handed, but the shape and color would certainly have given it away to any human. Gazopa, however, matched it up with pictures of Leatherman tools and sterling silver pendants, neither of which even had any yellow in them.

I won't place all the blame on Gazopa for failing on this attempt. The iPhone/iPod isn't the most fantastic drawing tool in the world, and an accurate original is probably pretty important to an image-matching service.

I tried again using an image of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash, and again Gazopa didn't turn up any solid matches.

One more try with a more iconic image yielded better results. Using the Detroit Red Wings emblem as my source, Gazopa scored a ton of direct hits. Success at last!

Once the technology can work as well with more complex images, Gazopa will definitely be a handy tool. For now, it's still got some hurdles to overcome.

Tags: gazopa, image-matching, search, similar-images