Our phones have eyes to see the world, and the AI smarts to educate us about it. But by the time I open an AI app, take a photo, and ask a question, my curiosity is already on the wane. Over time I forget such visual search features even exist. I expected nothing different from the OSee feature on ColorOS 17. Just another Google Lens facsimile. But in only a few days, it’s already made me more aware of what I eat and the world around me.
What's the OSee Feature in ColorOS 17?
OSee is basically a visual search tool that is part of ColorOS 17, which I recently updated to on my Realme GT 8 Pro. What sets it apart from the likes of Google Lens and Apple’s New Siri mode is how easily it integrates the built-in visual AI capabilities and brings it all under one roof. And it works like a charm.
You open the app and point it at an object. That’s it! You don’t even need to press the camera shutter button most of the time. OSee automatically identifies the object in focus and activates the relevant AI service at the bottom.
There are four such services:
- Object encyclopedia
- Nutritional analysis
- Document and QR code scanning
- Text translation and extraction
Merely tapping on a suggested service opens up a page that describes the object in great detail. You can also choose specific services from the 6-dots icon.
OSee also lets you draw around an object (like Google's Circle to Search feature) and direct its gaze.
Everything is powered by Oppo’s NEXT AI, and internet connection is a must, even for simpler things like document scanning. A slight bummer. But the results have been so good, in fact, that they're changing the way I interact with the world.
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OSee Looked at My Food and Made Me Rethink
I’ll be honest. When it comes to developing good eating habits, I’ve fallen off the waggon. So when I used OSee on a pack of chips I munch on a little too often for my own good, its nutritional value was a rude awakening to me.
It broke down all the major nutritional categories, from carbohydrates and proteins to fats and fibre, until I had to bin the packet and pick up a bowl of fruit.
Next, I tried it on a simple Indian breakfast with some chapatis, potatoes, and beans. And sure enough, it remedied my woeful ignorance about what’s in the food and its nutritional value and even offered health tips about how to make it a complete meal.
Just to be sure if the information wasn’t just some AI nonsense, I consulted a nutritionist friend. She confirmed that the values work fine for someone who wants to track more generally, with the caveat that specific values may change based on the item's preparation and quantity. So I should take it all with a grain of salt (pun intended).
With the warning in mind, I was off to the races. Soon, I was looking up just about every food item I came across. From toasted bread and biscuits to chicken salad and rice with kidney beans, it made me more aware of the nutritional value of what I consume.
I also like that OSee mentions potential allergens in food items so I can avoid eating or serving certain foods to friends who’re allergic to them.
Disclaimer: This OSee feature is meant to only inform you about the nutritional value of your food. It is not your nutritionist. And AI can make mistakes. So don’t trust it blindly.
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OSee Made Me Curious About the World Again
One of the side effects of education is that it brings the world closer and makes it more personal. With OSee, I’m finding that to be the case too.
I started using OSee to find out about everyday things that piqued my interest, just to see how well it does. It easily identified the first few things I threw at it, like my headphones and my music player. But when it came to identifying my iPhone Air, it mistook it for an iPhone SE. A common mistake, especially since both of them have only a single rear camera.
I soon learnt that although OSee can analyse objects correctly even if they aren’t in focus, it helps to have them front and centre for the results to be on point.
It does admirably well when displaying information about books too, something for which I usually turn to Goodreads. This made my trips to bookshops a breeze.
Because it also identifies the text on a book cover, the suggestions can flit between document scanning and object encyclopedia. But if the book is at a comfortable distance, only the latter kicks in.
Now, anytime I’m even mildly curious about something, be it a bird, a flower, a painting, a landmark, or a car on the street, I just open OSee and learn something new.
If my internet connection is wonky, I can simply take a photo and later fetch it from the photo library for OSee to see.
Sure, for in-depth information, I have to invariably resort to Google. Still, to get me interested and feed me enough info that will make me want to follow new avenues and burrow through rabbit holes, OSee does a fine job.
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Convenient Document Scanner but an Unreliable Translator
Even though I’m not in school anymore, I still have to scan documents every now and then for work. Thankfully, I don’t have to have a separate app on my phone anymore because OSee handles scanning as well as any other OCR scanner app out there.
As you’d expect, it can scan and combine multiple pages into a single editable document that you can export as images or PDF.
It also scans QR codes and extracts text from pages, which most scanner apps also do. So there's nothing new there, even if it's handy to have.
On the other hand, the translation service is a mixed bag. If the text is handwritten or painted on a wall (as shown below), the translations just fall off a cliff. The results were sometimes so completely out of whack that I had to double-check if OSee and I were reading the same piece.
It’s not OSee’s fault, though. Translations work best if the text is legible, preferably computer generated. In which case they are mostly on point, and not just literally, but also in spirit.
Just don’t expect the same results when translating words off a whiteboard.
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It Isn’t Perfect, but It’s Close
Integrating all these AI services into a single tool makes OSee an exceptional visual search app. But it also has some limitations.
For instance, OSee doesn’t have Recents or History sections where you can find all the items you’ve previously looked up. This has been an issue for me because I frequently go over things I’ve learned about. It also restricts me from comparing two things when only one of them is before me.
But it’s not a dealbreaker. OSee does have the ability to look through photos, which helps me get around the lack of a history section. As long as I have the good sense of taking a picture of an object I know I’m going to be looking into, I can get information on it later too.
You also don’t see any shopping suggestions for the identified objects, like you do with Google Lens. But it’s not a limitation in my book. Mostly, I just want to learn about things around me without being tricked into buying them.
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OSee Is What AI Visual Search Tools Should’ve Been
Ever since ColorOS 17 launched, my Realme phone has turned into more of an educational tool than a smartphone, thanks to OSee.
It may not be perfect, but it could very well be the best visual search tool out there. Google Lens comes close, despite being nearly a decade old. But it doesn’t scan documents to compile them into a PDF or give insight into the nutritional value of food items.
A good alternative is the revamped Siri AI, especially for nutritional analysis. But it’s still in beta. Besides, Apple's AI has had a chequered history, so I’m not betting on it to reliably outperform OSee yet.
If you have a ColorOS 17 eligible device, I strongly recommend you update as soon as possible and check out the OSee feature. It may not elevate your IQ or be your personal nutritionist. But for learning about the wider world and helping you make informed dietary choices, it could very well be your gateway to a better you.
