Current state and future of 2D barcodes
Uh. Two people whose opinions I deeply respect, Niko Nyman and Joel Spolsky, say that 2D barcodes don’t work.
In 2006, in my earlier job, I tried to push the concept inside Nokia, publicly manisested by the the pompous blog posts 2D barcodes will rule the earth and 2D Barcode Manifesto. Taking a honest look at the current state, hovever, I realize that things have not proceeded as quickly as I assumed. Yes, we (=Nokia) have put a free barcode generator available. Yes, we have put a pre-installed barcode reader in the hands of millions. Yes, we have promoted open standards, and the consensus in the industry seems to be that this is the only sane way foward. And lots of other companies and individuals are doing similar stuff.
But still, I don’t see barcodes around me. I don’t use them in real life. I haven’t seen anyone (Japan being an exception) using them in real life, except for technical curiosity. Still, I am planning to add barcodes-linking-to-application-downloads under Beta Labs website, due to numerous requiests from Beta Labs users. I still very much want to give 2D barcodes a fighting chance.
As Joel concludes:
Sometimes when the elders say to the youngsters, “don’t do that, we tried that, it failed,” it’s just because they’re failing to notice that the world has changed. But sometimes the elders are right, and the youngsters really are too young to know the history of the idea they think that they’ve just invented.
I guess we’ll get to watch to see whether the oldsters or the youngsters will win this one.
Pick your side:
Interestingly, I just read an article:
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/01/qr_codes_from_google_the.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
So it looks like the Big G may be getting on the 2D Barcode wagon…
At their current state, 2D barcodes are almost useless. It is usually quicker and less of a hassle to manually type a web address on a laptop, than to use a handheld device to take a picture of the barcode. At least with my (now old) N80, the camera has to be aimed just right and I had to try several times to get anywhere. No thanks.
I have no idea why they have yet to take off, but I blame advertises not being creative enough with the medium. The fact that they can be printed on anything anywhere is something that still hasn’t sunk in to their heads.
Anyway Nokia employees can have them on their namecards since beginning of this year, so I guess that’s going to either help or fail and proove that it’s not going to be adopted anytime soon.
I’ve seen my first non-Nokia namecard with a 2D barcode last week, and I liked it. Couldn’t find the application to use it, tough, since there was no indication of what/how to do with it (even searching the web didn’t help).
Today I tried using a barcode for the first time (for getting a cloverfield theme for my phone). But I realized I have no barcode reader on my phone (N73) and finding one isn’t that easy.
still haven’t found one. anyone got any ideas ???
Hi Raymond, NeoReader supports N73. NeoReader can read 2D codes (Data Matrix, QR, Aztec), 1D codes (EAN, UPC, Code 128). NeoReader will soon be able to read more 1D codes.
http://www.neoreader.com/download.html
Like you, Tommi, I really like the concept of 2D barcodes. I also do not see them much and I think it is a matter of pushing the technology more.
Some time ago I posted some links on my blog with 2D barcodes where upon I received comments asking me what those funny looking images were. I think many »users« are unaware of 2D barcodes so adding them to links on places like Nokia Beta Labs is definetely the way to go.
Sorry for posting yet another comment, but I was just thinking:
I use mosh.nokia.com to host downloads for my blog (to the extent it is possible) and I think it would be great if a site like Mosh started to automagically generate barcodes for uploads. Not only would it make the content on Mosh more accessible to users (”download this directly to your phone”), it would also make it easier for me to provide barcode links in blog posts etc. I would not have to generate the barcodes myself - I could just include the barcodes already generated by Mosh.
QR codes are only just appearing outside of Japan - in Japan they have been ubiquitous for years, almost like SMS, every phone in Japan can use them. But its not just that, key is the actual user experience. With the Japanese phones I tested you don’t press any buttons on the phone to capture the code, you just slowly move your phone (in camera mode) across the code and it detects it, captures it and prompts you for the next course of action. Its also much quicker and has a greater margin for error in capturing. So its inbuilt and super easy to use - thats the key.
The concept of QR codes is flawless thats for sure.
Ciao,
I agree with Christopher, MOSH should use them in a big way.
Alessandro
QR codes are only just appearing outside of Japan - in Japan they have been ubiquitous for years, almost like SMS, every phone in Japan can use them. But its not just that, key is the actual user experience. With the Japanese phones I tested you don’t press any buttons on the phone to capture the code, you just slowly move your phone (in camera mode) across the code and it detects it, captures it and prompts you for the next course of action. Its also much quicker and has a greater margin for error in capturing. So its inbuilt and super easy to use - thats the key.
The concept of QR codes is flawless thats for sure.
seems like reinventing the wheel to me. just like og said on top of this thread - at their current state things are just too complicated in order to bring any notable added value (older readers might remember vcr recorders that had barcode scanners in order to facilitate the chore of programming them)…
but yes, given time the technology might mature enough to become useful - how cynical of me
Quite funny to read some of the comments here, in Japan _everyone_ uses them. Let’s be creative with them and spread the word exactly like Tommi is planning to do.
I do agree with Niko that the feature needs to be integrated within the camera application. Maybe Nokia’s Point and Find system could also use barcodes?
@lauri: I do not see how barcodes are like reinventing the wheel, nor do I understand Og’s comment about typing URL’s on a laptop?
To me, the whole point of 2D barcodes is to do stuff directly on the phone, with as little typing as possible.
One thing I hope that Nokia will implement into their phones is a feature that would recognize barcodes on screen as well.
For example when I’m browsing the net on my phone… it would only help, especially for phones without QWERTY where typing takes long and if you can see a 2D barcode why not just pick it.
Tell someone to do this if you can.
I use the Scanbuy application with my Sprint phone. I think I donwloaded it from:
http://www.getscanlife.com
Are different readers better or worse? Should I try Neoreader as well?
I have found the Scanlife application to work very well.
- mosh
I have been including qr codes in screen shots for my applications on mosh. Difficult to know if antone has used then though. I suggested their use as a feature ages ago.
- firefox
There is a qr code plugin for firefox. It automatically generates a qr code for the current page and displays it. I recently had cause to use it. I was surfing around on my pc and found an app I wanted to install, but there was no link. I wondered if it would automatically sense an s60 browser and so wanted to open the page on my e90. Problem was that the url was long. The qr code plugin meant I could just scan the url in with only a few clicks.
I think it will take a little effort to make them useful in the tech world, but it’ll take a lot more effort in the normal world.
I wonder if it’s possible to make them look less geeky by embedding them in other images; like steganography sort of. …or make the qr code all green/etc kind of like those tests for colour blindness.
Max.
This image, for example, has to be pretty easy for s/w to process :
http://reality.sgiweb.org/maxw/tmp/s60/max_emily_c3d.jpg
BTW, I recommend the Kaywa reader - it’s way faster and more sensitive than any other reader I’ve tried. However, urls are directed through one of their servers, so if privacy is an issue, perhaps you want to use one of the others.
Max.
I guess if nokia did release the barcode scanner application for “older” phones and would not only bundle it with the latest phones, I would definitely use it. (e70 user here)
my 2 € - ct
For me the codes are not as useful as they could be. For example, if the code is for a business card application I need to get all the business card details directly from the code into contacts in one easy step. There is currently no way to do that. I still have to type in some of the detail. What seems to me missing is a some kind of “contact meta-data tags” that the contact application can use to make the codes more useful. Having said that, I posit, that such metadata exists since we are able to exchange business cards with other users.
Here’s another one :
http://reality.sgiweb.org/maxw/tmp/s60/max_emily_c3d_2.jpg
It just has the bar code on the blue channel, so a simple filter should be able to decode it relatively easily, and I suspect it’d minimise printing problems wrt colour.
On reflection, steganography probably won’t work since the data is hidden inside the digital form of an image and it would be difficult for that information to survive the transition through the analog parts of the process (printing and visual). I guess some of the principles might be applicable though.
The current applications (disregarding mine, naturally
really do require too good conditions to work and they’re slow. But that’s not the fault of the barcode technology itself, just the SW makers.
We’ll see what happens in the future. Maybe I can take over the world with functional solutions or maybe people are already decided that it’s not gonna work since the current solutions are not good…
re readers needing optimal conditions, have you tired the kaywa reader? I’m amazed how it instantly gets any code in camera view.
Since creating the Firefox extension it’s amazing to see how many people have found it useful. I’m very interested in the transparent integration of barcodes into daily life.
They’re not all that pretty, so we shouldn’t necessarily put them everywhere, and there are some places where they are just not necessary, but for people who are aware there should be ways (like my extension) to integrate into their lives.
My wishlist for the extension (although I’m finding it hard to find the time to add them) is to have it scan the page and figure out whether there are links that would be appropriate for mobiles, such as links to JAD, SIS and SISX files, and even links to RSS feeds and ‘m.’ address detection. The barcode could then be shown on hover or in a sidebar. This would save the additional space that would be taken on a normal page to display a nice large barcode for easy scanning.
@Symbiatch, where I might find your application? Like you said many people are fast to jump into conclusions since today’s apps and services don’t work like they should.
@quickie: I definitely agree, but having tried the Nokia application on E70 etc. it doesn’t work good enough to be useful so no point in releasing it. You will be good with for example i-nigma which is freely available for download right now.
The problem with the Nokia Barcode reader (on the N95 at least) is that it’s hidden in the menus and, when you do find it, you have to click twice to get it to scan. Hardly very usable.
Put it directly in the camera so when it senses a code, it decodes it and gives you the data.
Let the scanner recognise Vcards and other useful metadata.
Finally - get Nokia to plaster its adverts with QR codes! If there’s a poster for the N96 with a special N96 mobile site - stick a big QR code on the poster and encourage people to use the technology.
Incidentally, I’ve created a QR generator which you can use on your phone.
http://shkspr.mobi/qr.php
+1 to the poster suggestion above. If Nokia themselves aren’t using them on their ads, is it any surprise no-one else is?
+1 to the poster suggestion above. If Nokia themselves aren’t using them on their ads, is it any surprise no-one else is?
We have integrated the 2d barcodes in our symbian freeware web site at symbian-freeware.com
all the download links are also available thru 2D bar code and i can say that this way saves alot of time and effort of many of our users.
Thats way i’m more than sure the barcodes will get more and more popular, its really just a matter of time !
Pingback http://cubeover.blogspot.com/2008/03/mobile-tags.html
The Royal Mail have been using 2D barcodes on their SmartStamp system for quite some time.
I only recently discovered barcodes and I think they have amazing potential. The real problem is the software name I think. When I heard my new phone had a “barcode reader” I was unimpressed, what was I going to be doing, scanning a tin of peas? Only now do I realise what barcodes actually are. Maybe the mistake was not calling it a “QR Code reader”.
The firefox extension is great too, kudos to the author. I agree that Nokia should use barcodes everywhere there is links likely to be read on screen and passed to a mobile.
Thanks Roy, glad you like the extension. I hope you’ll also enjoy the latest update which will hopefully filter it’s way onto the Firefox site soon.
The name of the barcode application has also stumped many people I know, and I’ve had to explain it’s purpose each time. I’m considering making a ‘what’s a mobile barcode’ site (similar amount of content to that of five.sentenc.es) that simply describes what they are… does this sound useful to anyone, or does it already exist? Any suggestions for the domain name for it? barco.de and mobilebarco.de was already taken :o)
I just had to type in the URL to get Nokia podcast player from nokia.com. Why can’t I see any barcodes on the site?
Reading codes from flatscreen works very well with my e51.
How much resolution does the camera need for working reading of barcodes? I have a E50 at hand currently and it seems to grab a decent photo of an onscreen 2D barcode I just created. I wonder if any of the 3rd party java based readers would work on E50?
feedback for future readers: I installed the Symbian native Upcode reader to my E50, and it had no trouble reading the mobile code from screen.
I agree with Christopher, MOSH should use them in a big way.
How cool this technology is, if
- While 3rd party software makers are able to do it, Nokia doesn’t seem to be able to supply barcode reader for it’s “older” phones. I have E65, but I have to dig through pile of 3rd party readers that are not free.
- One of the links at page http://mobilecodes.nokia.com/scan.htm, more precisely pagesemacode.org, is actually a site whose domain has expired.
The NeoReader, mentioned in the comments of this blog seems to be promising, especially I like that it does not focus only on QR symbology. Realizing that there are host of other symbologies around, especially those 1D codes we are so used to, is very essential in order to build an empowered community with barcode scanners in their pockets.
The UpCode reader is free and works fine in E50, so probably also in your E65
http://www.upc.fi/en/upcode/instructions/download/
I think the best reader available is BeeTagg.com
http://www.beetagg.com
it supports all codes available QR code, Datamatrix and Beetagg codes, runs on most recent devices including iPhone and N96
I use the Scanbuy application with my Sprint phone.
2d Bar codes are like blu ray disc or HD DVD just waiting to conquer the world of conventional DVD’s.It wont be long before 2D Bar Codes a standard in the industry.I thought it will take a decade or so for me to see a 2D bar code on an Indian product but to my surprise I saw one already on a Face Wash manufactured in India.If it has already started to appear on consumer products here in India,it shouldn’t take long to be a market standard.I am using the in-built Nokia Bar Code reader for a while now and it works really well for me.
I totally see barcodes taking off. Adobe is even adding them to thier software, so developers can design ads with 2d barcodes.
This barcode blog has some cool topics on 2d barcodes. Looking at what others are saying has made 2d barcodes a hot topic in marketing
Re readers needing optimal conditions, have you tired the kaywa reader? I’m amazed how it instantly gets any code in camera view.
We’ll see what happens in the future. Maybe I can take over the world with functional solutions or maybe people are already decided that it’s not gonna work since the current solutions are not good…
I love Nokia’s QR code reader, it’s fast and accurate in my experience (although it didn’t seem to handle the japanese characters so well xD).
When my father bought a new phone I was so hyped about it having a QR Code reading already installed!
I really hope QR Codes will become more popular outside Japan, specially now that better cellphones are becoming more common around the world at a cheaper price than before.
Maybe we should start printing QR codes and putting them everywhere in town? Haha, maybe people will get curious and hopefully…fall in love with it