well the internet and mobile advertising summit is over (august 13 to august 15 2008) and what a ride!  although we did learn a lot about how to advertise better and what medium to use and how each medium can compliment each other, i can't help but be bothered by something.  qr codes were treated with such a fresh outlook that i can't help but think where everybody has been!  i've been using qr codes and readers for the last three years now!  but it's good that it was re-introduced i guess.  funny thing is i got to talk to someone who didn't want to be there.  kat, wherever you are, i hope you are having a lot more fun than what went down at IMMAP:p  to everyone else who was there, what a geek-fest it was; minus the gadgets.

Why wouldn't a company as procaimed as Ralph Lauren not opt for a more universal method such as image recognition?

[Via PSFK]

Para desifrar ese tipo de códigos se utiliza un lector de códigos QR (Quick Response) o un celular equipado con el software apropiado para leer estos códigos de barras. El funcionamiento del software es simple: con la cámara del celular se hace una captura del código, comienza a revisar pixel por pixel (es un proceso que tarda segundos) y muestra los resultados obtenidos, ya sea dirección de internet, texto, etc.

Para hacer que tu celular pueda leer QR codes puedes bajar el kaywa reader de esta dirección, es gratis: http://reader.kaywa.com/

En la pagina de kaywa también puedes realizar tus propios QR Codes y probarlos en tu celular: http://qrcode.kaywa.com/

Si no encuentras el modelo de tu celular en la pagina de kaywa reader, puedes intentarlo de todas formas bajar la version Java del lector, ya que la mayoria de los celulares en la actualidad pueden leer las aplicaciones .jad y .jar (ejectuables del lenguaje de programación Java).

Estoy escuchando: L'Arc~en~Ciel - New World

Сегодня ночью произошло примечательное событие - был запущен сайт компании Evocode.

Его в очень скором времени ждет множество обновлений, но на данный момент он играет роль как информационной платформы для нас, так и полезной утилиты для поиска QR Code сканера для вашего телефона.

O mercado japonês está tão habituado a esta tecnologia que segundo pesquisa divulgada em março de 2008 pela empresa Net Asia, aproximadamente 84% da população do país, com idade entre 15 a 39 anos, utilizam o QR Code para acessar dados pelo telefone celular.

Trata-se de um mercado impossível de ser ignorado nos dias de hoje. Tanto que o mercado publicitário brasileiro começa a experimentar a novidade e já tivemos algumas campanhas da Fast Shop com QR Codes - O código do amor by Fast Shop.

Via: Made in Japan - Confira mais fotos.

O Marketing Móvel é um setor bem atrativo pela abrangência do mercado móvel, com as elevadas taxas de penetração que o caracterizam atualmente e com características como: acessibilidade; interatividade; personalização; inovação, permitindo a utilização de formatos e abordagens variadas.

O Mobile Marketing tem se apresentado como uma excelente alternativa aos meios tradicionais de comunicação e ou sendo um excelente complemento a campanhas nos veículos tradicionais, por facilitar a criação de um relacionamento direto com o cliente final que nenhum outro meio consegue alcançar. O poder do Marketing Móvel surge como o primeiro meio de comunicação totalmente pessoal, possibilitando uma relação one-to-one (24 horas do dia), sendo um meio que abre um mundo infindável de possibilidades.

O celular é um meio privilegiado para a divulgação de publicidade, com capacidades que mais nenhuma ferramenta apresenta: um grande número de utilizadores, logo, um elevado número de potenciais destinatários. É um meio pessoal que permite facilmente controlar a frequência de visualização , analisar dados estatísticos e segmentar as campanhas com melhor precisão.

E apara fechar bato na mesma tecla, é fundamental criar ações para bases opt-in (solicitação de autorização por parte do cliente), que tragam algum tipo de benefício ao mesmo e que ofereça algo relevante ao cliente, que pode estar disposto a receber mensagens no celular avisando sobre a promoção da sua loja de roupas predileta, mas talvez não esteja nem um pouco interessado em checar a montanha de correspondências que entopem sua caixa do correio, onde consta uma série de promoções de marcas que não fazem parte do seu dia-a-dia.

Our software allows web-enabled camera cell phones to scan QR-Code barcodes which will link the user to web content on there mobile web browser.

We offer full barcode reading solutions with both the cell phone software and the back-end web services to support the requests.

We currently support many makes of phones with our Java and Symbian based software.

For more information email us at "info@allmanint.com".

Allman International Limited of Hong Kong
Suite 2007-2009 Jardine House
1 Connaught Place, Central, Hong Kong

14752 Beach Blvd. #123
La Mirada, CA 90638 U.S.A.
1.714.521.9492
info@allmanint.com

www.allmanint.com

Recently i doing my research on making simple Flash game. It is named 'junken' or 'oh som' in Malay. So far i've done half of the process which is the main algorithm of the game. Just want to add some kick-ass features such BGM and wii-game-like graphics (or not so lah :D). Hang in there, i will upload on ProgLib site as i complete it.

In the same time, aloso a simple thing, i've made a very simple web page for keitai (handphone) for viewing prayer time. It is very useful if you are in travel somewhere in Japan. Without any hassle of bringing your light laptop anyway, just use your keitai.

As usual, for keitai site there should be a QR code for easy access. May God bless you all for take care of perfoming solah.

• QR Codes in Wikipedia
• QR Codes in Budde.com news and views (where I first heard about them!)
• QRCode.com (from Denso Wave, creators of the QR Code)
• QR Codes in Pet Shop Boys video "Integral" (background info)

Do some more hunting on the web (particularly YouTube) for more examples and explanations!

(I generated this code using a free generator on the web - if anyone can read it let me know!)

...I wonder how soon we will have library applications!

UPDATE - thanks to those who let me know they could read the code!  And thanks to Roger who sent me a link to the online magazine he edits with lots more information on and examples of the many  uses of QR codes:

• 2D Code : QR code and two dimensional bar codes news, views and analysis.

É possível de forma rápida e simples instalar o kaywa reader em seu celular e a partir dele receber diversos tipos de conteúdos (links, telefones, textos) em seu celular através da identificação do código 2D. Sua vantagem? A enorme capacidade de armazenar informações.

As opções para instalação são diversas: envio de SMS, download através do PC, download via celular (web).

E é claro, eu criei o meu... rs

QR codes are an everyday occurrence in other parts of the world, especially Japan. You will find them on everything-- magazines, business cards, id badges, magazines, flyers, posters, newspapers, stickers, food products, web sites , billboards, CDs, vending machines, coffee cups, advertisements, movie tickets, and even gravestones.

Imagine your sitting in Starbucks reading the morning paper. You notice this strange black square at the bottom of a Barnes & Noble ad promising 50% off the next James Patterson book. All that you need is your cell phone. Take a picture of the QR code and show it to the clerk on your next visit. Instant savings!  Perhaps you’ve been waiting at the bus stop for awhile and want to know when the next one will arrive. You take a snapshot of the QR code on the corner of the bus stop sign and your redirected to an updated bus schedule. Or let's say you you’re at the airport. Just simply display your QR code on your cell phone screen. No paperwork to carry!

So the question is: will there be QR codes splashed everywhere, like Japan, in the near future? It’s quite possible. Apple is already rolling out QR ready iPhones. Google already has a plan to make QR codes an advertising revenue and is also championing an open-source J2ME reader project dubbed ZXing. Mobilstance.com boldly states "the reason all of this is so interesting is because of the perfect intersection between technology and lifestyle. Start with the iPhone user base...then add what we can assume to be first Android buyers...and you’ve got the perfect launching pad for a QR movement"

If you're curious about the different trends happening around the world with this little black mark, check out this blog that highlights different products from around the world that are displaying QR codes.

Today I accomplished something I've been wanting to do for a while: create my own domain. I'm still working on the site for it, because, frankly, I don't want a server dedicated 100% to my blog. You know, since I do photography, I'll be putting my portfolio up on it as well. I'm sure I could babbel on and on about what I'm planning for that darn server of mine. I'm giving it a break for today though.

Okay, some of you may be thinking "what's up with the barcode?" Well, I'm glad you asked. It's part of my new advertising idea. Not only that, but I've always had this wierd passion for barcodes and the like. What does that particular code say? Well, you could always just go see the title of the picture, cause being as organized as I am, I named it what it says, or you could go hit up Semapedia for readers for your phone. On the iPhone, I use 2D Sense (found in the App Store). Needles to say, I'm enjoying codes again due to the app.

I'll let all you know when I'm done with more of the site.

If you have an iPhone, you can download the 2d Sense App, and begin your entry in to the world of 2d barcode reading. Your iPhone camera can take a pic of the image above, or any 2d barcode (QR Code), and then it shows you whats encoded in the image, such as a web URL, text, phone number, etc.

Its all very cool, and will be very common soon. As it is in Japan. I <3 Japan.

It is with a great deal of excitement that I offer at the bottom of this entry a database of 2D barcodes that describe all 60 Brooklyn Public Library locations and services.

A 2D barcode is an image that corresponds to a web address (the www.website.com is actually coded in the barcode image). Since each of the Brooklyn Public Library branches has a unique web address, I was able to use kaywa.com to generate barcodes for each of the branches web spaces.

How do you read this crazy looking barcode? With your cellphone of course. Many Nokia phones as well as the iPhone offer 2D barcode decoders. If your phone has a camera and is web-enabled you can probably do this, so don’t be intimidated. It is as easy as taking a picture! The decoder uses your phone’s camera to translate a picture of the barcode into the coded web address and then links you to that page on your mobile web browser.

I got interested in this idea after hearing that this technology is fully blown up in Japan and that CitySearch San Francisco has been using 2Dbarcodes to identify restaurants. Why not create stickers for library branches? Why not add these images to our print flyers, thus enriching an old-fashioned paper format with readily accessible web information?  Update: check out this online zine promoting 2D barcode projects and all of the exciting possibilities.

Below you will find 4 different links for each of our Brooklyn Public Library buildings. I’ve presented the barcodes in 2 different formats, datamatrix and QR. The first two links are PNG image files that can be copied and pasted into Microsoft Word docs, Photoshop, or Illustrator. Just copy and paste the barcode and you add a web page and all that interactivity to your flyer! The second two links are to PDF files of label templates. Each sheet has 6 stickers, and can be printed on Avery matte white labels size 8254, available from Staples here. Stick information about your local library anywhere! In addition I’ve added a link to PDF files of “ex libris” bookplate stickers that offer a barcode image linking you to the Brooklyn Public Library homepage. That should keep you busy and make your books look cool.

In the future, with the success of the OpenLibrary project’s goal to give every book its own web page, 2D barcodes could prove useful in offering online information about any given book. The possibilities are endless. This, my friends, is our first easily accessible, consumer-driven attempt at linking the physical world to the digital world. Well, actually that’s debatable, but I’m pretty damn psyched about this particular step. PLEASE people, USE the barcodes I’ve generated and made easy for you to distribute and stick anywhere and everywhere appropriate for the dispersal of the encoded information. You can always generate your own stickers for any site at blank.com, but I’ve made it particularly easy for you to spread hype about your local library. You’ll note that these stickers still promote the library without a fancypants barcode reader: they still say the name of your local branch on them. Promote your library yourself! Go to town with it!

Download bookplates here.

Please report any errors you may find in the database below.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arlington

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Bay Ridge

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Bedford

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Borough Park

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Brighton Beach

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Brooklyn Heights

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Brower Park

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Brownsville

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Bushwick

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Business Library

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Canarsie

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Carroll Gardens

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Central Library

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Clarendon

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Clinton Hill

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Coney Island

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Cortelyou image

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Crown Heights

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Cypress Hills

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Dekalb

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Dyker

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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East Flatbush

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Eastern Parkway

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Flatbush

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Flatlands

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Fort Hamilton

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Gerritsen Beach

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Gravesend

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Greenpoint

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Highlawn

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Homecrest

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Jamaica Bay

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Kensington

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Kings Bay

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Kings Highway

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Leonard

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Macon

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Mapleton

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Marcy

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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McKinley Park

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Midwood

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Mill Basin

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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New Lots

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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New Utrecht

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Pacific

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Paerdegat

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Park Slope

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Red Hook

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Rugby

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Ryder

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Saratoga

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Sheepshead Bay

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Spring Creek

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Stone Avenue

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Sunset Park

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Ulmer Park

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Walt Whitman

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Washington Irving

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Williamsburgh

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Windsor Terrace

image for flyer (DM) image for flyer (QR) 6 stickers (DM) 6 stickers (QR)

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Confira o anúncio publicado em pdf.

Fonte: Mobile Kaywa

It’s huge in Japan but what’s the commercial impact? I found an interesting case study from the US which I believe highlights how keeping it simple and integrated works. People like technology but what’s new and exciting to one target audience isn’t necessarily the newest or most most exciting. E.g. it would work great for a Big Brother fan heading out and scanning the barcode on their KFC, but automotive..?) Heres the outline of it:

SUBARU MOBILE CASE STUDY

TARGET: Subaru aimed, with its 2008 redesigned WRX, to target young men 20 to 35

PROCESS: Web presence developed to count down to the unveiling of the car.

AD SUPPORT: TV, print and 5 million mobile media impressions on Sprint.

OUTCOME:

Mobile site drew 77% of sweepstakes entries & four times than the print ad.

After mobile ads ran, entrants quadrupled, opt-ins nearly doubled & WAP impressions increased over 1,000%

The campaign drew millions of impressions with a click-through rate of 2.7%.

Some 30,000 videos, ringtones and wallpapers were downloaded to cellphones

LESSONS LEARNED: “Integration is a key element of communications”

WHAT DIDN’T WORK: The QR code wasn’t as effective as the campaign’s other elements, partly because few people have equipped devices. In terms of downloadable content, the simple wallpaper of the car worked best!

 Excerts edited from _________________________________

By: Cuneo, Alice Z., Advertising Age, 00018899, 3/17/2008, Vol. 79, Issue 11

Section: DIGITAL ISSUE: MOBILE

MARKETER: SUBARU OF AMERICA FOR THE SUBARU WRX

The 2D bar code or QR Code at left was created by the folks over at Wikipedia.  The welcome note to the left of the code is contained within the matrix of the design.  According to some folks I met last weekend at FooCamp up to 1/2 page of information can be stored within a QR Code.  For example, the entire contents of one shipment could be consolidated into the image above.  The information contained in the image can then be extracted by using a simple software app in a mobile phone with a built in camera.  ScanLife currently enables people to extract data from similar EZCodes that are now appearing outside many eateries in downtown San Francisco.  You can walk up, snap a pic of the EZCode posted next to the establishment's front door and ScanLife will give you all the news and reviews available on the web.  (Here is an SFGate.com article about the trend.)   I was also told that in Japan almost every business card comes embossed with a QR Code.  When you meet someone, and after accepting their card, you snap a pic of their code and all of the other person's contact information is immediately entered into your phone.

The light bulb went off for me when I read John Biggs' post about ScanBuy and ScanLife over at TechCrunch.  Here's the catchy little YouTube video that ScanLife created and that accompanies John's post:

With the ScanLife application running on the new iPhone 3G (or any of the Nokia Nseries) I could theoretically scan an invoice in the bush, even if the packing slip had been lost en route, and the contents of the shipment would then appear in my phone after being resolved against the server over my slow but useful WiFi network plugged into my VSAT or BGAN.  I could then compare the count against what is listed and determine if any loss had occurred.  I could also update HQ giving them the location, date and time that the shipment was received as well as any other relevant data.  From what I understand EZCodes can be generated at your work station using a standard printer and a shipment can be scanned into the system using a webcam.

The power that this puts into the hands of your avergae logistics officer is astounding.  Now, perhaps logistics officers have already started using this technology in their supply chains but I haven't heard of any.  If you have, please let me know.  Please comment this one death as I'd like to learn a lot more!

UPDATE:  Read all the comments following the TechCrunch post as there are a lot of great links to numerous other options.