When typing data in is just too much of a chore, the attraction of an application like Point and Find is obvious. It uses your phone’s camera, internet link and GPS (if you have it) to recognise then hunt down cinema times and shopping bargains, in real time.
The technology behind Point and Find is fearsomely complex but here’s a brief overview. When you fire it up, you’re given a choice between movies and shopping. Whichever you choose, a third of the screen becomes a live viewfinder for your camera, a third shows a text advert, and a third (for the moment) is empty.
Hold your phone in front a film poster or above a product barcode and the app should recognise it, look it up in a database (stored on the phone for speed, not a remote server) and then grab more information online. There’s also a text box for you to manually enter the film title or product name.
Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get this stage to work. Our N81 8GB refused to recognise even the most popular blockbusters (Star Trek, Wolverine) and barcode scanning isn’t supported. Apparently, handsets with better optics (Nokia suggests the E71) should have better luck with this, but even so, online comments suggest that the lighting and positioning are critical.
The rest of the app (after you’ve typed in an entry manually) works more smoothly. Films get an online synopsis, release date, still photos, running time and cast list, with a trailer to watch and local show times. Barcoded products are split into categories and offer a range of online retail options, although the selection of products is not particularly wide.
Point and Find is still in beta and limited (mostly) to S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 handsets. We can’t wait to see it working at full speed on one of the latest mobile devices with a decent autofocus camera and GPS fully integrated. Until then, it’s well worth a try, but don’t plan an evening around it.
Details
Size: 2.2MB
Price: Free
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