A new marketing technology dubbed "mobile visual search" by some startups (based on image-recognition security tech being tested by law enforcement and military agencies) allows camera phone users to snap pics of an ad display, send the image to a database and in return receive a perk or information related to the item in the ad, writes CNET. A photo match can trigger various actions, including promotions, ring tones, pricing, maps and search results.

The new tech is attracting marketers' interest because users don't have to type on a keypad to use wireless internet-based search.

For example, users who take a picture of a movie billboard and send the image to a database would receive a film trailer, locations of theaters showing the movie and the option of buying tickets to the movie. Object recognition could also be used to connect travelers with information on local restaurants, stores or museums.

However, widespread adoption is likely a ways off. Some three years will pass before 90 percent of U.S. mobile phones will have a camera feature, according to some researchers. Cell phone carriers would need to adopt the technology - and consumers would have to learn how to use it.