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.
Vodafone Showcases Image-driven Search at CeBIT
Updated Dec 19th, 2018 5:57PM EST
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Zach Epstein has been the Executive Editor at BGR for more than 15 years. He manages BGR’s editorial team and ensures that best practices are adhered to. He also oversees the Ecommerce team and directs the daily flow of all content. Zach first joined BGR in 2007 as a Staff Writer covering business, technology, and entertainment.
His work has been quoted by countless top news organizations, and he was recently named one of the world's top 10 “power mobile influencers” by Forbes. Prior to BGR, Zach worked as an executive in marketing and business development with two private telcos.
