MappingTheWeb //

Visual search start-up Riya has just launched a revolutionary new service at Like.com. This new offering can only be described as visual search meets shopping.

Like.com leverages Riya’s core recognition technology and combines it with a shopping experience. The result is not only is it super cool, but also very useful.

Using this image search technology, users can search with text or image queries - a new concept on the web. The algorithm breaks images down using 10,000 variables to find similar images. Pretty amazing stuff.

Search using text, browse by item, or click on a celebrity photo to begin your search. Then, narrow down your choices by using the slide bars to determine your desired color, shape, pattern, and even price. In addition, you can browse by brand, site, type, style, and size. Here is a link to some trendy white shoes I was looking at. I started with a pair of brown dress shoes, then narrowed down my search by color and type.

The search box also provides intelligent results. If you type in ‘men’s casual’, a page full of men’s casual shoes will be returned, and so on.

I strongly suggest everyone try out this service - even if you do not plan on using it.

A couple of interesting notes:

• Revenue is generated via affiliate programs.
• Currently, only jewelry, watches, shoes, and clothing are available for purchase. Others items will be added in the future.
• An image uploader will be launched soon. This will allow users to upload their own images or any web image to find similar results and items.
• As a promotion, the company is offering free shipping for the first 10,000 customers.

Expect big things from Like.com and Riya. Their exceptional recognition technology will pave the way for some cool applications and practical uses. Very rarely does super cool meet super useful, but I think Like.com meets this criteria.