Chinese search giant Baidu has added object recognition to its translation app, a nifty feature that lets you take a photo of something and lists its Chinese name, as well as the English translation of it.

However, it remains to be seen whether the feature is merely a cool gimmick or a genuinely useful new addition that will become indispensable to users. Google already has this feature in its standalone Android app Google Goggles, and it’s also built into Google Translate for Android, where you can “take a picture to translate.”

The object recognition feature was added to Baidu’s iOS app via an update over the weekend, having been added to the Android app last month. All you have to do is select ‘Photo’ then ‘Object,’ snap a picture, circle it with your finger, and hit the check mark — the app will attempt to identify the object and give you the Chinese term and English translation for it. More.

See: TNW

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