Rating: Is Google going to set the standard again?
There is no shortage of companies willing to supply 2D barcode reading software – particularly those aiming at the Apple iPhone segment where at the last count some 156 apps were barcode related. However, there seems to be a dearth of apps which generate 2D barcodes.
What’s required is a generator that can create 2D coses that can be read by all of the barcode reading apps which claim to be ‘universal’. Quite possibly, Google has managed to muscle in on this requirement with its online generator.
This GoMo News hack accidentally stumbled across Google’s app generator which performs exactly the task that most people are looking for. The Google generator can be found here.
It’s quite impressive because it supports eight common barcode formats: – calendar event; contact; email address; geo location; phone number; SMS; text and URL.
The barcodes Google generates definitely work. Scan the illustration here and it will produce a URL that takes you to the GoMo News web site.
GoMo's URL
However, the way the generator outputs barcodes is a little odd. It appears to offer the choice of a web page or the URL for that code on
chart.apis.google.com. Why doesn’t it offer a straight JPEG (.jpg) file as well? Instead you have to cut and paste to create the .jpg yourself.
GoMo News suspects that the prime motivation here is to pump up the convenience of Android as a smartphone platform. However if you visit the ZXing (Zebra Xing) site, lip service is actually made to other platforms in the true tradition of being ‘Open Source’.
If you want to try the above code out, you might like to visit GoMo News’ definitive list of barcode reading software here.
It mentions all the leading suppliers including i-nigma; Mobile Tag; NeoMedia; and Scanlife.
Those in the Anrdoid community will obviously pooh-pooh this discovery as they’ve known about it for ages. For the rest of us ,it could prove important if everybody references it.
At least it has a searchable name – Zxing. Just try searching for Google Goggles – another Goggle initiative. The literals ‘Googles’ and ‘Google’s’ instead of the intended ‘Goggles’ appear so frequently, they drowns out references to this fascinating approach to image driven searching.
For seamless access for bar codes AND digital watermarks, Mobile Data Systems mobiledatasys.com and it’s clic2c-us Iphone app and all other cell phone operating systems, is head and shoulders above the rest of the reader providers. Watch for major US announcements for adoption….
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Mobile Discovery has a professional QR code generator tool available. It is designed for advertisers, publishers and brands. It has built in code provisioning, management, and tracking. It also has the ability to change the destination of the code in a scheduled or impromptu fashion. Check it out at http://www.mobilediscovery.com there is a free trial version available. Mobile Discovery has attracted clients such as Sprint, Nike, Thompson Reuters and USAToday.
On Android phone, there’s a lot a applications which generate QR code “on the go”.
This is a way to share information between two smartphones.
Vcard exchange works between Google Phone and iPhone for example.
http://www.slideshare.net/JackFischlum/two-easy-tools-for-androd-iphone