Cellphones As Bar Code Scanner

Yes...you read it right! Cellphones can be used as bar scanners. Though this is nothing new to the industry and that we may all know that a cell phone can read a bar code label, what is fascinating is what that bar code label can do. Anyone can place a bar code in any media allowing customer access to any information related to it just by scanning it.

How does this work?

Well, this new innovation is currently available for Smartphones, or Mobile PC phones that run software and in order to read these bar codes they must have a camera attached to scan the bar code.

In Japan for instance, phone companies have started loading code readers on new phones allowing users to scan bar codes and get product information such nutritional information about what they are having at let us say McDonald's!

This morning IT Guy was so enthusiastic about this recent innovation and well his creativity stretch the line further as he plan to take advantage of this concept. His thinking is that he can use any cameras (web cams for that matter!) to scan bar codes and he will run a test on how reliable and stable it can be by implementing it in their Warehouse System. IT Guy heads the IT Department of the City and I'm sure if this works this will give the City an enormous savings and will hasten computerization of most of their applications. He is very excited and so am I.

There are just endless possibilities offered by bar codes and with current advances in technology, I am positive that will see these bar code labels being used in our market in the months to come. I am sure this will open a new sector for advertising and will certainly create a new curve in information technology!

So that's it for Tech Tuesday...and I hope I have made you excited about this news!