Custom Designed Barcodes Arrive Stateside: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Already prominent in Japan, custom designed barcodes take advantage of what is essentially the last unbranded piece of packaging 'real estate.' Design barcodes deliver a competitive advantage by providing a unique opportunity to further brand their products at the customer touch point. Major consumer product companies in Japan, such as Suntory, Calbee, and Wacoal, have begun using custom barcodes with great success. Design barcodes take the shape of anything from animals and people to objects and national landmarks.
'We are seeing a remarkable change in how barcodes are being used,' said Pacarc co-founder James Allard. 'That trend along with the growing prevalence of self-scan technology leads us to believe there will be a growing interest in the brandability of the barcode itself.'
Last year, Design Barcode, Inc. received the Good Design Award in Japan, causing the company to be recognized by marketers, advertisers and press in that country and around the world."

SCANBUY on CBS2 - Los Angeles - Comparison Shop With Your Camera Phone

(CBS 2) Imagine having the ability to buy an item while knowing for certain you are getting the best deal. New technology may give consumers the upper hand over retailers by letting them scan prices and check for lower ones right on their mobile phones.Using the camera in your mobile phone to scan barcodes while you're shopping, the technology connects to the Internet to see if you are getting the best deal. That price could be online or it could be in a store."Without any question, this will revolutionize the way that we shop," said Phil Lempert of Consumer Insights. "Retailers are going to hate this technology. There's no question."CBS 5 asked major retailers to help us test this new technology and they all refused.So in our own test, we used Scanbuy, free software available online which works on a limited number of mobile phones.What did we find?One cordless phone was $34.99 at the store, and when we scanned it, Amazon.com had it for $42.28.A DVD was $22.99 at the store. Online it was $17.99.



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Barcoding life on Earth - Natural History Museum

Plans are under way this week to launch a project to genetically identify, essentially barcode, all plants and animals on Earth.
Barcode of Life - the British Flora is part of this global scientific project and the aim is to barcode all British plants, estimated to be between 10,000 and 20,000.
Primula veris, cowslipDifferences between species of plants are usually found by looking at the appearance of leaves, stems, flowers and seeds. For example, some plants can only be identified by their flowers, which is not much help if the plant is not in flower.
Less well-known plants can sometimes only be identified by specialist botanists, so having a global catalogue of plant species will make it much easier for non-specialists, as well as specialists, to access this important information."

Data Matrix And 2D Barcode Labels For Long-Term Durability

Designed to meet the growing demand for long-term traceability, range of data matrix and 2D barcode labels from CILS offers a convenient and reliable way of including highly durable information on samples and specimens. Able to withstand temperatures from cryogenic storage to autoclave sterilization, the new range of labels have a special surface coating that offers superior print quality for first-time reading, allied with enhanced resistance to chemicals, solvents and handling. Using Thermal Transfer printing and ECC200 coding, a 4 x 4 mm Data Matrix symbol can hold up to 15 characters worth of information and, due to the design of the encoding, can still be read with up to 60% physical damage. "

SCANBUY in Wall Street Journal

The Bar Code Gets a Hip New Life
Cellphone Services Read Codes On Ads, Products, Buildings And Link to Details Online
By JESSICA E. VASCELLARO May 24, 2006;

While shopping at a Whole Foods store in Los Angeles, Richard Jefferson spotted a curious sticker with tiny black squares on a package of Yum Tum raw vegan pizza. Intrigued, he sent a text message to a number listed on the package and received a link prompting him to download software to his Sony Ericsson cellphone to decipher what turned out to be a bar code. The software allowed him to snap a picture of the bar code to be connected to a Web page with recipes and health tips from Yum Tum, a raw-foods brand in Los Angeles. "This could be huge," he says.
[...]


Scanbuy Inc.'s. Scanbuy Shopper, expected to be live in the next few weeks, grabs Shopping.com prices and reviews, for example, from a Universal Product Code, or UPC.
[...]
Scanbuy, for instance, works with standard bar codes
[...]
Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. already offer mobile versions of shopping Web sites or text-messaging services that pull up a few lines of abbreviated text per query. Scanbuy Shopper promises to deliver more information like reviews and comparison statistics through miniature Web pages. The new service, which will allow users without the appropriate camera phone or lens to key in the bar-code number manually, has also been updated to read codes in dim light and at odd angles.

SCANBUY on CBS13 - Sacramento - Comparison Shop With Your Camera Phone

(CBS 13) Imagine having the ability to buy an item while knowing for certain you are getting the best deal. New technology may give consumers the upper hand over retailers by letting them scan prices and check for lower ones right on their mobile phones.Using the camera in your mobile phone to scan barcodes while you're shopping, the technology connects to the Internet to see if you are getting the best deal. That price could be online or it could be in a store."Without any question, this will revolutionize the way that we shop," said Phil Lempert of Consumer Insights. "Retailers are going to hate this technology. There's no question."CBS 5 asked major retailers to help us test this new technology and they all refused.So in our own test, we used Scanbuy, free software available online which works on a limited number of mobile phones.What did we find?One cordless phone was $34.99 at the store, and when we scanned it, Amazon.com had it for $42.28.A DVD was $22.99 at the store. Online it was $17.99.

Telefónica Móviles enseña a los teléfonos a leer códigos de barras - CincoDias.com

Telefónica Móviles enseña a los teléfonos a leer códigos de barras

Telefónica Móviles lanzará tras el verano un servicio basado en la nueva tecnología de códigos de barras en dos dimensiones (2D). Éstos podrán ser leídos por teléfonos móviles y desencadenar múltiples servicios, desde comprar un billete de autobús o una entrada de cine a acceder a información o a una promoción."

More here

SCANBUY on Fox News: The Next Big Thing - July 03, 2005

Do you like to make a buy and know walk away with a good deal?
Bargain owners have a new ally, it is your cell phone.

SCANBUY on CBS 4 Denver : Cell Phones Can Be Bargain Hunting Tools

(CBS4) DENVER Do you like to make a purchase and know you've walked away with the best deal?

Well, bargain hunters have a new ally – the cell phone. People can now turn their phones into shrewd shopping devices with the latest technology offered by a company called ScanBuy.

"It could help you save money and help you get the better product," said a tester named Bailey.

Here's how it works: You take a picture of the bar code on a product, it freezes, and within seconds you're connected to the Internet.

"You finally become a totally educated consumer. Maybe sometimes you won't find a better price on the Internet, but at least you know," said ScanBuy CEO Olivier Attia.

Orignal video here.

Standard Barcode Reader on Nokia N93

On Tommi's S60 applications blog, I found a very interesting news related to the Nokia N93.
According to the User Manual on Page 109, there is a BarCode reader function.

From a CameraPhone to a BarcodePhone, it is happening!

SMS barcode info to determine if product is Danish

From Textually.org

In the boycott against Danish products, muslims in Saudi Arabia - and possibly other countries - have launched a viral anti-marketing campaign using SMS, reports Guerilla-Innovation.

"The SMS contains information on how to determine whether a product is Danish by looking at the first two digits of its barcode (the country code for Denmark is 57).

In response to the boycott, member of the Danish parliament, Louise Frevert tried to catalyze a counter SMS campaign, which encouraged Danes to boycott muslim owned stores. The campaign was a total failure and has been ridiculed by all sides in Denmark - including her own right-wing party."

SCANBUY on Fox 5 News - New York

Lisa,
Thank you so much for letting me know that our product was presented on Fox 5 News Thursday evening.

SCANBUY on CBS4 - Denver

'You finally become a totally educated consumer. Maybe sometimes you won’t find a better price on the Internet, but at least you know,” said ScanBuy CEO Olivier Attia.

(CBS4) DENVER Do you like to make a purchase and know you've walked away with the best deal?

Well, bargain hunters have a new ally – the cell phone. People can now turn their phones into shrewd shopping devices with the latest technology offered by a company called ScanBuy.



Same interview on CBS 2 Chicago

アマゾン、携帯でバーコードをスキャンして商品購入可能に

アマゾン、携帯でバーコードをスキャンして商品購入可能に

I don't read Japanese either. Just go to this page to understand what is going on in Japan these days:

http://slashdot.org/articles/04/11/24/0545244.shtml

eMarketer.com - Will the Mobile Phone Become the Dominant Internet Platform?

eMarketer.com - Will the Mobile Phone Become the Dominant Internet Platform?: "Will the Mobile Phone Become the Dominant Internet Platform?

APRIL 21, 2006

It could happen…

The personal computer remains the dominant platform for accessing the Internet around the world. However, in many countries Internet access via the mobile phone is actually outpacing wireless access from a notebook PC. After all, there is a massive installed base of mobile phones globally, and wireless networks are expanding every day.
According to A.T.Kearney, while in 2004 only 36% of mobile phone users browsed the Internet or downloaded e-mail, that figure rose to 56%. In Japan 92% of users went online via their mobiles. "

Greenfield Online Announces New Ciao Comparison Shopping Platform: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Greenfield Online Announces New Ciao Comparison Shopping Platform: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance: "Greenfield Online Announces New Ciao Comparison Shopping Platform

New Search Capability Offers Users Better Access to Millions of Products and Merchant Offers, Faster Response Times, Better Scalability.
Ciao.de Ranked as Most Visited Shopping Guide Website in Germany
WILTON, Conn. and MUNICH, Germany, May 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Greenfield Online, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRVY - News), a leading provider of Internet survey solutions to marketing research and consulting companies, today announced the launch of a new backend technology platform for search on the Ciao Comparison Shopping Portals in France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom."

WSJ.com - The Next Tech Battle: Internet Searches on Cellphones

WSJ.com - The Next Tech Battle: Internet Searches on Cellphones: "The Next Tech Battle:
Internet Searches on Cellphones
By CASSELL BRYAN-LOW and KEVIN J. DELANEY
May 8, 2006; Page B1

The push by the world's biggest Internet search firms to dominate what customers see when they turn on their cellphones has accelerated in recent months with Google Inc., Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. all striking deals with service providers and others in the cellphone industry.
The tech giants want their search engines and logos to pop up on cellphone screens, enabling people to also use their phones for other services the companies provide, such as downloading maps, or sending email and instant messaging, just as they do on their computers.
The companies contend that even though only a small number of people currently use their phones to search for information online, there is a huge potential market with twice as many cellphones in use globally as PCs. And, as search engines become better at tailoring results to a user's location, mobile searching will become more attractive, they say. 'The leading edge battleground between us and Google in local search really will come on the phone,' predicts Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer."

Mac Listing Tool for eBay Sellers Provides Barcode Scanning Capability

Mac Listing Tool for eBay Sellers Provides Barcode Scanning Capability

Mac Listing Tool for eBay Sellers Provides Barcode Scanning Capability

iwascoding has released GarageSale 2.2, an update to its eBay listing tool for Mac users. The update is available at no additional charge to customers. The update gives eBay sellers the ability to scan product barcodes using an Apple iSight camera (http://www.apple.com/isight), and search for the item in eBay's product catalog.

What a Codec!

First, the story starts with a device. This time it is not a barcodephone but a camcorder. Shinco Model DVC-818.
Now the device creates ASF files. In order to post them online I need to convert them to AVI. This is how using vpod.tv I can upload them online.

How to see the ASF file?
You need the codec for ASF file. I use Windows Media Player 10. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/AllDownloads.aspx?displang=en&qstechnology=
But it is a missing a codec to see ASF file, you can download it from:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/format/codecdownload.aspx

Then you need the converter
http://www.boilsoft.com/download.html

After that you are all set.

Enjoy!

MVNO shakeout at hand

This year is supposed to be the Year of the Launch for the new generation of mobile virtual network operators, the time when these MVNOs get on their feet and begin to gain traction in the wireless race. With several high-profile MVNOs already launched, others well on their way and still more promising to get in the game soon, the marketplace is becoming increasingly crowded-even as Sprint Nextel Corp., arguably the most MVNO-friendly of carriers, says it doesn't intend to add many more companies to its roster. Analysts expect fallout in the much-hyped MVNO space, and so the question becomes whether MVNOs are dashing headlong toward a gold rush-or off a cliff. With various MVNOs targeting ethnic markets and different age demographics, the skepticism often seems to be rooted in the fact that the majority of the fledgling players seem to be targeting a similar demographic: the young, cool, tech-savvy and content-hungry audience of 18-to-35-year-olds, presumably with money to burn on wireless services.....

Shopping Search API’s on Yahoo Tech

Search Engine Journal » Shopping Search API’s on Yahoo Tech: "Shopping Search API’s on Yahoo Tech


Shopping Search API’s on Yahoo Tech
Just got this from the Yahoo PR team; the new Yahoo Tech Channel is powered by the same shopping web services available to anyone through the Yahoo! Developer Network. More information from the Yahoo Shopping API site:
“The Yahoo! Shopping APIs enable you to use Yahoo! comparison shopping data to power your site or application. Using our APIs, you can search our database of millions of product offers from thousands of merchants to create applications that provide comparison shopping and product search functionality, as well as display user reviews. Best of all, our paid syndication beta allows you to generate additional revenue directly from your site!”"