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In an effort to bridge the gap between print and digital, NeoReader has announced that their 2D barcode scanning software is available on BlackBerry. The app allows camera-toting BlackBerrys to read Data Matrix, QR code, Aztec code, EAN, UPC and Code 128 with their mobile, which can do a lot of things depending on the code. Their example pulls up a mobile web page for a bus stop, which lets you check bus times and purchace tickets by way of SMS delivering another code which is then read on the bus. BeeTagg’s trying to do something similar, which isn’t suprising since there are so few mobiles out there that don’t have some kind of camera on it, but it’s a tricky getting folks to adopt.
Even when the app is free to end-users, service providers have to invest both in printing the codes as well as educating their target audience about the technology. Getting ordinary folks to actually load the software on is a pretty big hurdle. It seems like for something like this to really take off, it should be build right in with the camera software so end-users can enjoy the benefits right away and enterprises can focus on using the barcodes in innovative ways.
[via WebWire]
About The Author
Simon Sage
Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
