Tag Archives: barcode

Scanning At Your Finger Tips

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The Finger Scanner is a barcode scanner that you can put on your finger and scan stuff at the grocery store. The idea is to reduce the wait time at the checkout line and get billing done more efficiently. Besides the high cool-quotient, I like the progressive nature of this design. Minimal and functional!

Designer: Seokmin Kang

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(Scanning At Your Finger Tips was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Microsoft is About to Terminate its Tag Technology

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The year 2015 has been set as the future time when the Tag barcode service by Microsoft will meet its doom. However, there is hope since all is not lost. It will continue in a different form under...

Microsoft Tag closing on August 19th 2015, reminds us all crappy things must end

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You know how QR Codes still aren't really a thing? Just imagine how popular Microsoft's proprietary alternative to the format has been. In a letter to its users, Redmond has conceded that Microsoft Tag will pass the way of all things on August 19th, 2015. That said, if you can't live without the system, QR Code company Scanbuy will be supporting certain Tag components from September of this year. We've included a suitably redacted version of the company's letter after the break, but be warned -- it contains toe-curling phrases like "digitally engage with brands in their everyday surroundings through smartphones."

[Thanks, Carter]

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Co-inventor of the barcode, Norman Joseph Woodland, dies at 91

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Coinventor of the barcode, Norman Joseph Woodland, dies at 91

Last year saw the death of the man largely responsible for bringing the barcode into the mainstream, Alan Haberman, and this week has unfortunately brought the sad news that one of the men responsible for creating it has also died. As The New York Times reports, Norman Joseph Woodland, who co-invented the optical scanning method with Bernard Silver, passed away on Sunday at the age of 91. While it would take a few decades to catch on, the duo invented the technology sixty years ago, winning the patent for it on October 7th, 1952 -- in that incarnation, though, the barcode was a circular design, and required a massive scanner equipped with a 500 watt lightbulb. Woodland had quite a career beyond that invention, though, including time spent on the Manhattan Project during World War II, and a lengthy tenure at IBM, where he worked from 1957 to 1981. He was also awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1992, and in 2011 was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

[Image credit: IBM / The New York Times]

Continue reading Co-inventor of the barcode, Norman Joseph Woodland, dies at 91

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Source: The New York Times

Acoustic barcodes store data in sound, go on just about anything (video)

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Acoustic barcodes store data in sound, go on just about anything

Technologies like NFC, RFID and QR codes are quickly becoming a normal part of everyday life, and now a group from Carnegie Mellon University has a fresh take on close-quarters data it calls acoustic barcodes. It involves physically etching a barcode-like pattern onto almost any surface, so it produces sound when something's dragged across it -- a fingernail, for example. A computer is then fed that sound through a microphone, recognizes the waveform and executes a command based on it. By altering the space between the grooves, it's possible to create endless unique identifiers that are associated with different actions.

It's easy to see how smartphones could take advantage of this -- not that we recommend dragging your new iPhone over ridged surfaces -- but unlike the technologies mentioned earlier, not all potential applications envisage a personal reading device. Dot barcodes around an area, install the sound processing hardware on site, and you've got yourself an interactive space primed for breaking freshly manicured nails. We're pretty impressed by the simplicity of the concept, and the team does a good job of presenting scenarios for implementing it, which you can see in the video below. And, if you'd like to learn a little more about the idea or delve into the full academic paper, the source links await you.

[Thanks, Julia]

Continue reading Acoustic barcodes store data in sound, go on just about anything (video)

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Acoustic barcodes store data in sound, go on just about anything (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Oct 2012 00:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Hack a Day  |  sourceChris Harrison (1), (2) (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Supermarket launches trial virtual stores in UK airport, readies fresh milk for your return

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Supermarket launches trial virtual store in UK airport, ensures you've got fresh milk after your trip

UK supermarket Tesco has decided to bring its virtual supermarket screens (successfully trialled in South Korea last year) to Gatwick Airport. There's ten touchscreens in total, dotted around the departure lounge, with eager shoppers able to make a preemptive grocery strike with their smartphone. On-screen barcodes for around 80 items can be scanned by compatible -- that is, Android and iOS -- devices and added to your shopping basket. Following online payment, your bounty of food can then be assigned a delivery date up to three weeks in advance. The virtual shelves will stay up for two weeks; the UK retailer hasn't commented on further roll-out or extension plans. However, in an airport, during summer vacation, is probably the last place we'd muse on what we're going to eat on our eventual return. If you're wondering exactly how to shop with a four-foot touchscreen, Tesco walks you through it at the source link below.

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Supermarket launches trial virtual stores in UK airport, readies fresh milk for your return originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Aug 2012 16:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink BBC News  |  sourceTesco  | Email this | Comments

Tokyo bakery’s visual recognition checkout sorts the sandwiches from the croissants (video)

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Tokyo bakery's visual recognition checkout sorts the sandwiches from the croissants (video)

We've seen food recognition tools in the past, but none as slick as this one being trialed at a Tokyo bakery. Co-developed by Brain Corporation and the University of Hyogo, the camera-equipped, automatic checkout is not only quick, but also accurate -- it's even able to distinguish different types of sandwich. And, if it can't tell exactly what's on the tray, it'll give you a list of suggestions and then use your selection to inform later scans. Currently, the system is said to be particularly useful for part-time staff that aren't completely familiar with the bakery's offerings, but it also has potential in all kinds of retail situations, much to the disappointment of the trusty barcode. Combine this system with Bakebot, however, and staff won't be needed at all. If you're hungry to see the checkout in action, head past the break for a visual snack.

Continue reading Tokyo bakery's visual recognition checkout sorts the sandwiches from the croissants (video)

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Tokyo bakery's visual recognition checkout sorts the sandwiches from the croissants (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 04:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PayPal mobile payments hit the UK, filling your closet just went wireless (video)

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PayPal's mobile payments have been on a whirlwind American tour this year, but they haven't had a chance to cross the border so far. Someone must have finally stamped the company's passport, since it's now an option for UK residents to pay using the InStore app for Android or iOS. A trio of fashion outlets -- Coast, Oasis and Warehouse -- can soon scan an on-screen barcode to take payment for that posh new shirt instead of requiring ye olde wallet. As it is in the US, there's no need for any NFC magic or even an Internet connection to clinch the deal, and there's still the same access to discounts and refunds as for paper- and plastic-wielding buyers. A total of 230 shops will take your PayPal credit starting May 31st, although they won't stop your potential fashion mistakes.

Continue reading PayPal mobile payments hit the UK, filling your closet just went wireless (video)

PayPal mobile payments hit the UK, filling your closet just went wireless (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePayPal InStore  | Email this | Comments

CTIA 2012: a look back at our favorite devices

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CTIA 2012 is wrapping up and we thought we'd spend a few minutes reminiscing about some of the more interesting devices we had a chance to see for the first time or that were launched here. Unfortunately for us -- and thereby for you, too -- the show lacked the bite we've seen at previous events, in fact it barely registered a nibble. We did catch up with five products we'd like to highlight so follow on after the break for our recap.

Continue reading CTIA 2012: a look back at our favorite devices

CTIA 2012: a look back at our favorite devices originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 15:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amtrak readies conductors to trade in their hole punchers for iPhones

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Amtrak readies conductors to trade in their hole punchers for iPhones

Pilots aren't the only ones updating their workflows with modern technology. Amtrak conductors have been getting schooled on how to use iPhones to scan passenger tickets on select routes since November -- forcing hole punches to collect dust on a lonely shelf at the station. By the latter part of this summer, 1,700 conductors will be using the aforementioned smartphones on the outfit's trains throughout the US which allows them to track passengers with more ease than manual ticketing. The $7.5 million system affords passengers the choice of printing the tickets or loading a bar code on their smartphone of choice before getting the iPhone's scan. Inside the dedicated app, riders can book and modify reservations easily without having to worry with a refund from an agent first. There's only one small hiccup: currently Amtrak's app is only available for iPhones. But, the government-owned corporation says that an Android release is in the hopper and should see daylight this fall. For now, non-iOS users must load their tickets though a mobile site in order to save a tree or two.

Amtrak readies conductors to trade in their hole punchers for iPhones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 13:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNew York Times  | Email this | Comments