CNE 2009 Contest uses ScanLife Lotto Codes

CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) is holding a contest in collaboration with Rogers Wireless that uses the ScanLife Lotto codes. Details of the competition:

"The Contest Period starts at 12.00 on AUGUST 21 2009 and continues until SEPTEMBER 7, 2009 during open hours of the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, Ontario ("CNE"). No purchase necessary. All times herein are Eastern Times."

To enter, visit the Rogers booth at the CNE during the Contest Period and identify yourself with a Rogers representative to receive instructions how to participate in the Contest. Using the demo BlackBerry® Javelin™ 8900 enabled with the Scanlife software, take a picture of the code as instructed and an instant message will appear on the device confirming if you are potential instant winners ("Entry"). Limit of one (1) Entry per person during the Contest Period.

More details on the contest : http://fivemobile.com/cnecontest/rules.html

This is an innovative use of 2D codes in events. I see 2D codes used a lot more in promotions in the events.

Speed Stick Promotion using 2D codes

Came across the Speed Stick promotion at Penn Station NYC last week. Pretty cool to see 2D codes being used in marketing promotions.

Visit the Campaign home page on your PC: http://speedstick.augme.com:81/

Visit the Campaign wap page from your phone: http://aug.me/Fi99gw

The campaign also uses a short code to get the user to the download page for a 2D code reader. I tried the SMS flow and the Wap site detected my N95 and then redirected me to a Nokia EULA page, wasnt able to get beyond that.

EZcode® Specifications Publicly Available to be a Global Standard

Scanbuy announced today that it intends to make the specifications for the EZcode 2D symbology globally available to the public.  Over the coming weeks, Scanbuy will publish the specifications for EZcode encoding and decoding to give software developers, campaign managers and code publishers worldwide the ability to utilize EZcodes which have quickly become one of the dominant mobile barcode formats worldwide.

Originally developed by ETH Zurich, Scanbuy holds the exclusive rights to the EZcode technology.  It was developed specifically for use with mobile devices and is being widely deployed in Europe, North America, Latin America and some Asian markets.  Hundreds of millions of EZcodes have been published because the mobile optimized code format can be read at a smaller physical size, provides the best performance under challenging conditions and can be decoded by the most camera phones on the market today.  These factors typically make the EZcode the preferred choice for marketers, media providers, mobile operators, and handset manufacturers.  

"Because EZcodes have quickly become a major force in the growth of mobile marketing, we believe it is now time to make this technology an open standard that everyone can use and benefit from," said Jonathan Bulkeley, Chief Executive Officer of Scanbuy.  "Scanbuy has always worked to grow and develop the worldwide 2D barcode ecosystem and today’s announcement shows our commitment to creating a vibrant and open global marketplace"

Scanbuy’s mobile barcode solutions also support Datamatrix, QR codes, and 1D formats (UPC, EAN, etc.).  Scanbuy has partnerships with major wireless operators including America Movil, Sprint, Telefonica, Telecom Italia, Telenor, and Vodafone, and with most handset manufacturers including LG and Samsung.  The ScanLife handset application has already been pre-loaded on millions of phones around the world.

I strongly believe having the EZcode open would explode the number of handsets that support barcode scanning especially since they can be scanned so easily from lower resolution handsets that still make up a major chunk of the market.  

Get the Press Release here.

Use QR Codes to talk back with the Author

Collin Edward is launching his new book: Where Am I.  In the book,  the author (also a psychologist) helps in answering the simple questions like "How do I get there? and where is there?".  I guess, everything you wanted to ask about "Space" were afraid to ask. Should make an interesting read...

The author has placed a QR code on the jacket of book so as to allow his readers to talk back to him through their cell phones. Collin mentions that he has been fascinated by the role technology has played in the shifting our relationship with place and space.  In the video below he explains the 2D barcode technology to his readers.

Read the authors take on why he is using QR Codes here.

I like the idea of 2D barcodes on book covers as a way to reach out to the author of the book. It opens up an instant channel of communication.  I just hope the URL that the code points to : (http://twitter.com/whereaminow) stays the same for a pretty long time ( I think it will).  However, I do believe that the indirect 2d barcode model could offer a more viable and effective solution for authors who would like to interact with their readers in a organized manner. Just another thing in the TO DO list for MeesaMo.

P.S> wanna a free singed copy of the book ? just scan the code on his blog and crack the code.

National Post in Canada uses ScanLife

The National Post, a daily Canadian newspaper, will start using ScanLife EZCodes starting today linking to editorial content from their mobile site (m.nationalpost.com).

The paper contains a total of 5 barcodes ( 1 on the cover and 4 in section A).

For more details click here or visit www.nationalpost.com/scanlife.

Check out the video:

Continous Mode 2d barcode reader for Iphone

The QuickMark reader (v 3.8) was release early in march. Among support for the other major platforms, this version has a build for the Iphone (availabe on App Store). 

2 things stand out:

Conitnous Scanning mode for Iphone ... wow, I was under the impression that the Iphone camera worked in the snapshot mode similar to J2ME but apparantly not. Cannot wait to get my hands on the app and try it out. The user experience will knock the other 2D barcode readers on the Iphone out.

Support for 1D barcodes with configurable server url. This is good news for third party developers offering product comparison services. I am not sure of the actual support though, I bet the HTC Dream ( G1) would have the 1D support but not sure if the Iphone supports 1 D scanning. The QuickMark site mentions that the 1D scanning is supported only on auto focus and macro focus based camera phones.

Links:

QuickMark   Release.

Via:

Jump Mobile

2D Barcodes to assist mobile content download

The 2D barcode model by its very nature works well in facilitating the download of content ( wall papers, ringtones, games etc) on the mobile device. I have been a strong supporter of the use of the barcodes in helping download content and I believe that digital content rather than mobile advertising would make the 2D barcode scanning adoption wider.

The use of 2D Barcodes (QR Codes) began in Japan and we had all sorts of applications coming out including the use of barcodes to deliver content.

 

The first time I saw barcodes being used for downloads close to home was back in 2006 when GetJar was using the GOD application to allow users to scan ShotCodes . The model was simple, the scanner worked on most camera phones, the Shotcode was easy to scan even with the quality of images from most cell phone cameras at that time, the scanner would shoot the code and launch the WAP browser that pointed to the download page for the application. The barcodes were published on the website under the Camera download section.  For some reason, I guess GetJar stopped using the 2D barcode system on their site, I do not find it anymore.

I recently came across Cellufun using the same download model using ScanLife EzCodes to facilitate downloads.  They have placed a barcode with all their content, the barcode is displayed in a "GET IT NOW" web widget displayed on either the left or right of all content pages. The barcode currently points to the main cellufun wap site rather than to the individual content page. I was hoping for a similar flow as the Camera Download on GetJar earlier but was disappointed. Its promising to see barcodes pop up on content download sites nevertheless. 

Competing with SMS

The short code SMS technology has long been used in downloading content and rightly so, it works !!!. I believe the mobile 2D barcode technology will work even better in some cases. The way I see it, usability plays a big role:  Launch the scanner app ( hopefully through a shortcut key), wave it over the barcode and voila information is captured and sent as opposed to opening up the compose box and texting in the characters and pressing the send button.

 SMS technology will still remain superior when it comes to pushing downloads on radio or television ( I really don't see people scanning the barcodes of their TV screens ... not yet at least) but its the pushing of content downloads from printed material and regular web sites where the 2D barcode technology can make a significant impact.This being said, the industry behind the 2D barcode technology needs to get its act together and tackle the issues:

1. Standardization: The industry is going through its own "browser wars" phase with everyone coming out with their own proprietery 2d symbology.  The industry must agree on certain formats, I do not think just the one format would be the clear winner as every symbology has its advantages in its own space. 

2. Interoperability: Lets face it, there are plenty of Scanner applications out there and as many resolution systems. The systems need to learn to talk the same language to interoperate. The GSMA and OMA standards for mobile barcodes looks like a step in the right direction.

3. Preloads Preloads Preloads: Burn the scanner app within the native camera module. The end user doesnt need a scanner app, he already has the camera. The 2D system that does this on a larger scale wins...

Peek into the Future

The 2D barcode technology has a Ace up its sleeve, "download content directly from the barcode" , No data connection required(take that SMS).  Imagine downloading a game or wallpaper without a data connection.

Applix and Mediaseek had announced that would work together on a camera based content management system (using CamReader) back in february. The CamReader app in Japan has already been use to download Jpegs and videos directly off QR codes.

The Mobile Multi Color Composite 2D codes (MMCC)created a buzz when they were announced and show a lot of promise in delivering content.  Cant wait till they get adopted in the main stream.

The V-Code (video 2D code) is another technology that could completely revamp the content download space. The only drawback is that since its a video code, it cannot be used on printed material but delivering content from websites would be a breeze especially in markets like India where data service on mobile phones is just picking up and there is a big demand for graphic content.

Barcodes, Barcodes and more Barcodes....

Qr Code started off as de facto standard in Japan but never really caught on in the rest of the world in the early years as the phone cameras were incapable of handling the density, this seems to be changing now as there is a wider adoption of smart phones. Datamatrix, more prevelant in Europe did get a good start with the Imode specification in France but I am now not sure as to its international appeal. Proprietery technologies (EzCode, Qode, BeeTagg, Microsoft Tag ... ) have had success in the recent years in several mobile phone based campaigns due to the ease of scanning that they offer.

I do believe that the 2D barcode industry should actively focus on the digital content market and provide solutions that make it easier for content providers to push content to the end user through the 2d codes. Content embedding barcodes show promise but until they become a reality the 2d barcode technology can rely on the on the in-direct model of taking the end user to the wap page with the link to download the content. 

Menu Collector uses BeeTagg to attract Mobile Customers

Menu Collector is UK based website that provides users with take away menu's of resturants.  The website is currently being developed and at present has only the small area South Wales covered with a limited amount of menu's. 

The thing that attracted me to the website is that they have decided use BeeTagg(image on left) to promote the site to mobile users.  Nice to see the spread of 2D barcodes.

The code currently points to a RSS feed that is not viewable on mobile devices. This is where I believe the Feed2Mobile technology from Kaywa will come in handy. 

QR Code Art

Came across this the Craft Blog. Learn how to make your very own QR Code scarf :). 

CRAFT Video: Machine-Knitted QR Code Scarf from make magazine on Vimeo.

Original Blogpost: http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/03/craft_video_machineknitted_qr.html

ScanLife: Multiple Action Codes aka Menu Codes

Checked out the Menu Codes on ScanLife yet?

If not then you should definitely give it a try. ScanLife allows publishers to associate multiple actions with the same barcode. The actions are displayed to the end user in a menu, the end user selects the action he wants to execute.

- From Scanlife Website:

"These codes come in handy when you have a lot to offer. They're also incredibily useful when you want the user to choose what's right for them. They can check out a movie preview, find the closest theater or maybe even buy tickets - all in one code!"

At present 7 different actions can be embedded into a Menu code in any order: Web (for web sites), SMS ( snd txt), CALL ( phone call), MMS (snd mms),  CONTACT (vcf), EMAIL and NOTE (txt note).

The possibilities of this code are endless, these are ideal for Voting Campaigns (allow users to vote by Web or SMS for the options), Product Mktg campaigns (allow the user to choose the promo material he wants to see specs, wall papers, more info).

I used the menu code to publish my personal information (img on right). The menu code can easily replace the barcode on the back of my business card as it gives the end user the option of what information he would like to use rather than having to download the entire info and then having to sort through it.

You can scan the my barcode  (img on the left) to get my personal menu on your phone. To download the scanlife reader visit http://getscanlife.com on your mobile phone.  At present the menu code is supported by Windows, palm, symbian, Iphone and the Android platforms. There is limited support for this feature in the Java based readers.

To create your very own Menu code, login to your account on scanlife.com and select the Menu icon () from the create code section on the left.  If you do not already have a account, you can register for a personal ( free) or Commercial account. 

JAGTAG, "Request 2 Get" flows with barcodes

JAGTAG is a proprietery 2D barcode symbology that offers pretty much the same functionality as the other 2D symbologies. The main selling point emphasized here is that you do not need a scanner ( or reader) application installed on your phone. The system works through the MMS ( email for Iphone) model where the end user simply has to snap a picture and MMS it to 524824. Iphone users can email their code image to iphone@jagtag.net.  This is similar to the model used by Mobot and some other companies.

I tried the service out with Shabbir's Iphone and it was pretty good. Took a picture of the JAGTAG in low lighting and sent out the email, I had the response back via email (image on the side)  in under 2 minutes. The only peeve about the service, I got back the email with a Quicktime video file that I couldnt play on the Iphone. Not a very good user experience but I guess that just depends on the content provider and is not necessarily a reflection of the service. 

Some issues that JAGTAG would have to solve if they want to really make it a viable solution (if they havent already solved them):

1. Latency issues, MMS and the subsequesnt SMS back can run into latency issues. I bet the actual time that the JAGTAG server takes to decode the image and act on it is in milliseconds but the time taken to send an MMS can lead to a bad user experience
   
2. Success Ratio: The end user needs some training in how to take the image so that the complete barcode is in the picture and size of the barcode modules ( black dots) is large enough for the server algorithm to decipher.

I am currently not sure how a regular user will be able to create JAGTAG codes, would definitely love to add one to the side bar. 

ScanLife EZCodes in Brazil

Saw this on the 2d-code blog.

Citroën a car company in Brazil launched a campaign to promote its C4 Hatchback model. The campaign uses Ezcodes to allow users to view specifications, download wallpapers etc right on their mobile handset. 

UpcodeWorld : Virtual Competition

UpCode is offering a chance to win 100 Euros, all you have to do is download the UpCode reader (available here), on your phone (supported list) and scan a UpCode. 

The idea behind the competition is that you scan a upcode and then embed another picture onto the scanned code image (mashup) and upload this mash to the site. The number of votes on a picture will decide who wins the prize on May 1st 2009.

Its a neat idea to get the people to download more readers, but there are just too many manual steps.  You can get the details of the competetion on the UpcodeWorld site. 

UpCode is a 2 D barcode designed to be scanned from mobile phones like the Ezcode and BeeTagg codes.  The UpcodeWorld site is the place you go to create your own Upcode.  I guess the system is still under development as of now. 

SplashURL uses QR codes (SplashQRCode Bookmarklet)

Found this on Tony Hirst's blog.

The Splash Url service seems similar to the tiny url service. It shortens the longer URLS into smaller versions. This can be of help during presentations etc. One feature that Christopher Gutteridge has added is the ability to generate QR codes from these smaller links.

Pretty neat idea. I installed the SplashQRCode bookmarklet on my firefox and it works well. I regularly use the Mobile Barcoder plugin in firefox for all my converting urls to QR codes needs and one problem I always found was that the QR codes for longer urls ( e.g. the urls of blog posts) can get ery long and this leads to a big ass barcode.  Scanning these barcodes is a pain.  Using the Splash URL plugin you get QR codes with decent sizes.

I am currently not sure whether the small urls are stored somewhere on the server and will be available if I scan the QR code say later in the evening. 

One thing I picked up from Tony's blog post was concern over how to monetize the transaction. One idea is, when the user scans the QRCODE, show him a wap page with some branding and adverts. The user can skip this page and go to the final page by clickin the link.  If an institution does not adverts to be shown before its pages, let it pay a fee of say 1 cent a scan. The goal is no money to be charged to the end user  (person who scans the QR code). 

A list of barcode readers

Simone O'Callaghan has put up a pretty comprehensive list of barcode readers on her blog.

Check it out: Current graphical tag readers for mobile phones

Cardstar : Scan 1 D codes from your phone and save

Picked this up on barcode.com.

The CardStar iPhone application allows users to store their rewards and membership cards on their IPhone from where most merchants can scan them directly from the IPhone screen using the regular laser scanners.This is neat ! think about the clutter it will remove from people's key chains. My key chain currently has (apart from keys) the little barcoded tags of Pathmark, Shoprite, Stop n Shop, NYSC....(the list goes longer each time I visit a new store).

Whats taken such a app to come out for so long?
Previously, 1D barcodes, which are used at most stores, could not be scanned directly from the LCD screen by Laser scanners (used in almost all retail stores at point of sale). Working with the Symbol CS 1504 scanners in my early years taught me this lesson the very painful way.

The CardStar people however, have figured a way out. Scanning a barcode from the screen is difficult as the screen is really made up of red, green, and blue lines, which interfere with a laser scanner. The folks at CardStar were able to get around this by re-configuring the way the barcode/image is rendered on the LCD in portrait mode. Nice !!!!

The success of the application lies in the high successful scanning percentage and the technology offered by CardStar has shown pretty high numbers in controlled environments and general environments. I believe more tests would be conducted before there is a push for adoption. I for one am a big supporter of this technology as it really does not impact the retailers as much and hopefully the application on the phone will be free for the end user in the near future :) (Its currently priced at $0.99).

More info on the App: http://www.mycardstar.com

QR codes used to Tag monuments in Dutch city of Utrecht

The Utrecht Monuments Fund is celebrating 65 years. The foundation is responsible maintainence of historical buildings in the city of Utrecht. The foundation, working in partnership with One Shoe has placed QR codes on the buildings to allow people to get more information on the buildings. 

Visitors can use their mobile phone to scan the barcode and visit a mobile website that contains the historical facts of the particular building , including photographs of the interior and exterior. This allows the visitors to have a interactive experience while they tour the old heritage buildings.This is believed to be the first time QR codes are being used for tagging monuments.

I am amazed with the traction that the QR codes are getting in Europe. I would have imagined that the 2 D symbology of choice in the european market would have been Datamatrix. 

I was trying to find a mention of the scanner that the foundation is recommending but couldnt find any. I guess any QR code scanner would do since the codes are all direct codes and have the url of the mobile site encoded in them. 

More Information:

http://www.utrechtsmonumentenfonds.nl/nieuws/qr-code-op-monument

http://www.oneshoe.mobi/node/21

Shopping by cellphone has a few kinks

Found this interesting review of cell phone shopping services by ANDREW D. SMITH
on Kings5.com. Read the original post here. Services compared include Frucall, Scanbuy Shopper, Mobsaver, Froogle and Pronto. I cannot agree more with Andrew on the status of mobile shopping sites. Here is an excerpt from his post:

" Barcode-based services such as Frucall Inc. always return the right product – except when they don't return anything, which is often. Enter the barcode from a wine bottle or a cocktail dress, and they'll probably fail."

Barcode based search can be extremely affective for certain types of products like Books, Media (CD's, DVD's etc) and also consumer electronics like cameras, printers etc... but it ends there. Most of the mobile services are mashups and rely on existing shopping engines like Amazon for their data. The type of products mentioned above are tagged in these engines using the UPC values or ISBN numbers and that makes it easy to locate them and provide exact information to the user. There aren't a lot of API's out there that provide access to info on Cocktail dresses... specially since the UPC values for clothes are recycled ever so often. This is where services like LIKE.com could come into the picture. Like a dress at Macy's, snap a pic from your phone and the phone will show u similar dresses in the Marshalls across the street. Another issue plaguing the barcode is the absence of boxes on the store shelves, all u see is the Code 128 barcode on the label identifying the SKU not the UPC of the product. The UPC is almost always missing.

So... will mobile shopping eventually make it big... it will.. but there is still a long way to go. The final result would be a combination of barocde, text (keywords) and picture search that would not only provide the user price comparison but complete piece of mind in terms of reviews, specs etc. Another advantage that the mobile shopping service will leverage is location based shopping...

Scan Commerce: K- Merce

Check out the adverts on You tube about barcode scanning technology in use in Korea. The barcodes being used by KTF in Korea are the intercodes provided by Iconlab.

Scanbuy and Nokia

SCANBUY Signs Global Partnership Agreement with Nokia to Provide Mobile Marketing Software on Handsets.

"The Scanbuy technology will allow users of the Nokia S60 and S40 handsets to recognize and decode barcodes on products, media and advertising and to link directly to content and services from their handsets."

We are so getting close to the "My Barcode Scanner" application on mobile phones every where and not only in Japan.