Suck at Sudoku? Use Google Goggles 1.3

There’s an update for Google Goggles that takes the version to 1.3 and brings with it a myriad of features. For those in the dark, Google Goggles is an app that brings up relevant search results for things they photograph, via visual recognition.

Let me goggle that for you

For starters, the software now has an improved and speedier barcode scanner which will instantly bring up results for any barcode you scan. So you can be more careful with your purchases from now on, though you’ll look a bit odd flashing your camera at every product you check out at the supermarket.

Secondly, there’s a system in place for Google Goggles to recognize print ads. While it’s a pretty cool feature, it’s limited to print ads in the US that came out August 2010 onwards, so it’s not of much use to us.

Finally, the app also helps you cheat at Sudoku! Take a picture of the puzzle and it’ll solve it lightning quick. That kinda defeats the purpose of a brain teaser though – what’s the point of having a fully solved Sudoku puzzle laid out before you? What about those long train rides where you spent hours trying to solve those darned things? The addition of a hint feature would make a lot of sense though.

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You can download Google Goggles off the Android Market for free. In the meantime, check out the Sudoku demo video below, where the app goes up against the reigning Sudoku champion.