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Next up on mobile ad acquisitions
The Daily Deal - ?20 hours ago?
OB) and dominates the mobile barcode space? NeoMedia currently has 30 active patents spanning 13 countries, with 29 additional patents pending. ...
OTC:NEOME - GOOG
http://www.thedeal.com/corporatedealmaker/2009/11/next_up_on_mobile_ad_acquisiti.php
nice streets
Can New Bing Features Unseat Google?
CIO Today - Richard Koman - 4 hours ago
... voice and bar codes. "I do see possibilities there and I don't think Google has a lock on the mobile search market," Sterling sa
http://www.cio-today.com/news/Can-New-Bing-Features-Best-Google-/story.xhtml?story_id=02300243OHA8
Is Google Untouchable?
So what would it take for Microsoft to break Google's stranglehold on search? "Something very radical," Sterling said. In fact, Google's hold on PC-based search may be so established that the odds of Microsoft taking a serious bite are quite limited. If Microsoft is to make headway, Sterling noted, "They need an an area that really pops, that really grabs the imagination, and they need to execute well across the board." (continued...)
But even here, Sterling said, Google is "pushing so aggressively in the mobile space and moving so fast" -- especially with the acquisition last week of mobile advertising network Relevant Products/Services AdMob for $750 million -- "it's hard to imagine unseating them even there in the absence of a new paradigm."
THERE IS THAT WORD AGAIN, THEN THIS STATEMENT FOLLOWS IN THE ARTILCE
Still, new paradigms are possible, such as searching via camera, voice and bar codes. "I do see possibilities there and I don't think Google has a lock on the mobile search market," Sterling said.
New IBM Software Uses Sensors to Speed the Movement of Shipping Containers
The FINANCIAL - 19 hours ago
Through the use of both standing and mobile devices that read the tags, all relevant data is captured, including place and date of manufacture, ...
http://finchannel.com/Main_News/Tech/51575_New_IBM_Software_Uses_Sensors_to_Speed_the_Movement_of_Shipping_Containers/
New IBM Software Uses Sensors to Speed the Movement of Shipping Containers
MY COMMENT, READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AND THEN GO TO THE INFOSPACE SECTION AT THE BOTTOM.
11/11/2009 10:22 (19:59 minutes ago)
The FINANCIAL -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) on November 10 unveiled new software that will enable businesses and governments to extract new business information from sensors to determine the whereabouts and conditions of millions of returnable shipping containers used to transport goods around the world.
Using the software, massive amounts of sensor data can be gathered in real-time, providing supply chain transparency and reducing inventory costs by as much as 40 percent.
The new software is one of many technologies IBM offers to bring a new level of intelligence to the way in which people, businesses, organizations, governments and systems interact
Sensors are quickly becoming a part of our everyday lives. They are being used to monitor and manage water flow rates, highway traffic, seismic activity, air quality, the flow of energy across power grids, and much more. By 2010, approximately six billion of these tags will be in circulation.
Today, IBM is announcing it has enhanced IBM InfoSphere Traceability Server with a new capability called Returnable Container Management, which was specifically designed for governments, businesses, automotive manufacturers, parts suppliers and other businesses to track the exact location of containers and other reusable assets used to move parts and products.
This technology is aimed at improving the performance of the millions of shipping containers that form the foundation of international shipping and trade. Containers, which move millions of parts and products every day, represent a major investment for clients in many industries. For example, many automotive original equipment manufacturers maintain container inventories in excess of $100 million. The containers are shipped by manufacturers to suppliers, who fill the containers and send them back with components and sub-assemblies to the manufacturer.
Even in this age of heightened security concerns, returnable containers in every industry are often lost or misplaced, creating shipping delays and increased costs. IBM's new Returnable Container Management offering allows container owners to use sensor data to protect their investments in shipping containers and other mobile assets. By affixing a sensor with a unique serial number to each container, manufacturers and their trading partners can use a Web browser to track the exact location of a particular container as they move along the supply chain.
IBM Software Now Tracks Both Small Items and Reusable Containers
IBM's software was designed to enable government organizations and businesses in a wide range of industries to track and authenticate items as they move through the supply chain, from farms and manufacturing floors to factories, distributors, retailers, and governments. In the public sector, it is being used in a pilot project launched by the Vietnamese State Agency for Technological Innovation and the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers to track the country's seafood exports -- a market worth more than $4.25 billion in 2008.
In the healthcare arena, the software is now being used to make it easier for hospitals, doctors, and patients to keep track of the medical devices implanted in individual patients. Implanet, which sells medical implants such as hips and knees, affixes RFID tags to the packaging of medical devices so that before a surgical procedure takes place, a hospital can scan the tag and store information on the implant with the patient's records so the information on the implant can be retrieved if needed in the future.
Clients using IBM's Returnable Container Management capability affix sensors such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to each of their reusable containers. Through the use of both standing and mobile devices that read the tags, all relevant data is captured, including place and date of manufacture, serial number, and other necessary details. IBM's software, based on industry standards, allows clients and their trading partners to use a Web browser to determine where each container is at any given point. If a container reaches the wrong location, the system will alert management.
For example, an automobile manufacturer using the software can track containers filled with parts from suppliers to their manufacturing plants and ultimately back to container storage facilities. In doing so, they can expect to improve container turnaround time by as much as 20 percent; reduce container loss by between 5 and 15 percent, reduce container inventory by 10 percent; realize a 30 percent savings in container carrying costs; and reduce the need for one time packaging and expedited shipping costs by 80 percent.
The new offering provides companies with a complete platform for tracking and analyzing the movement of these valuable mobile assets. Through the previously unavailable insight provided by this application, container owners can optimize business processes, asset inventories and in turn, gain a competitive advantage. In particular, clients can expect to eliminate as much as 40 percent of their container inventory by minimizing losses, optimizing utilization rates, and detecting and preventing unauthorized diversions.
IBM's Returnable Container Management offering was developed through expertise IBM gained by creating similar systems with major automobile manufacturers. The product was developed in IBM's Silicon Valley Lab, drawing on the analytics capabilities of IBM Cognos.
InfoSphere Traceability Server is the only product available that is standards based, includes enterprise serial number management and embedded enterprise grade reporting and analysis tools. The software works seamlessly with IBM's WebSphere Sensor Events software. InfoSphere Traceability Server is fully compliant with industry standards such as GS1 EPCglobal's Electronic Product Code Information Sharing (EPCIS), standard, which allows trading partners to share information captured using sensor and other serialization technologies such as barcodes.
Among the other IBM software products that enable the Internet of things are WebSphere Sensor Events, Cognos 8 BI, WebSphere Business Events and Business Process Management, ILOG software for supply chain management, Tivoli Netcool and Maximo Asset Management.
Nokia announces barcode scanning smartphone
Top 10 Mobile Phones - Matt Dixon - 14 hours ago
When the Point and Find application is released in 2010 it is intended to raise the profile of mobile software on Nokia's handsets. ...
http://www.top10.co.uk/mobilephones/news/2009/11/nokia_announces_barcode_scanning_smartphone/
announces barcode scanning smartphone
11th November 2009 by Matt Dixon
luigi user icon
Nokia will be releasing a new software application for its next-generation smartphones that will allow users to scan barcodes by taking a picture with the phone's camera.
Working in conjunction with price comparison sites online, the application will allow the user to discover more information about the product and find the cheapest prices.
Barcode scanning has already been implemented by third-party developers on the iPhone, but experts and users have criticised the apps for their lack of accuracy and functionality.
A Nokia spokesperson claimed that the company would be circumventing such issues because its new handsets would feature better quality cameras with autofocus.
It is also hoping the service will benefit from the official partnerships with price comparison websites.
Nokia's Point and Find software will be able to scan older 1D barcodes, as well as the increasingly prevalent 2D codes which contain more information and afford quicker scanning times.
It is also expected that the Point and Find software will extend its functionality into previously uncharted territories.
Using the software in conjunction with the built-in GPS will allow users to take a photograph of a property that they see is for sale.
The application will then be able to pinpoint their location and provide the user with information about the property, as well as offering the user a chance to book a viewing and contact the estate agents.
When the Point and Find application is released in 2010 it is intended to raise the profile of mobile software on Nokia's handsets.
At the moment Apple's dominance in the West with its App Store has all but consigned Nokia's own Ovi download service to obscurity.
A Nokia spokesperson stated that although it had been somewhat sidelined by the popularity of the iPhone, it is now developing its own mobile apps software and a retail platform to make it attractive to developers.
Toyota uses mobile barcodes to reach American football fans
GoMo News - 2 hours ago
Toyota is using mobile barcodes as an integral part of it's most recent marketing campaign in the Giants Stadium. The home of the New York Giants can seat ...
JAGTAG and Toyota Score With New Mobil
http://www.gomonews.com/toyota-uses-mobile-barcodes-to-reach-american-football-fans/
I second your opinion.
Maple Pictures lures sci-fi fans further into The Fourth Kind
Media In Canada - Katie Bailey - 8 hours ago
"QR codes are geared towards males 18 to 34 and teens, they are among the biggest users of text, mobile phones, and we thought this was a way we can make it ...
http://www.mediaincanada.com/articles/mic/20091109/maple_fourth.html?__b=yes;
View all stories from Nov 9, 2009
News Briefs
Maple Pictures lures sci-fi fans further into The Fourth Kind
by Katie Bailey
Related Content:
Digital, Cinema, Web, mobile, Campaign
If there was ever a film audience Maple Pictures thought would be receptive to QR codes embedded in its advertising, it's that of Maple's latest film, sci-fi thriller The Fourth Kind.
Every poster for the Nov. 6-released film includes a 2D QR code for users to capture on their smart phones, a technology presented to them by their MAOR, Initiative Media, in tandem with media solutions provider Crucial Interactive. When the photo is taken, the user's mobile browser is activated and they are directed to a film-branded landing page and a "continue" link. If "yes" is selected, the browser is directed to the film's mobile trailer.
"The media strategy here is to create instant engagement at the time that the poster is first seen and viewed by a user," says Petar Bozinovski, president, Crucial Interactive. "Skuyou [QR code technology] is an innovative bridge media tool that brings multi-platform media campaigns to life by providing the integration of out of home and print or direct mail, offering full convergence."
This fall marks the second time Maple has integrated QR codes into its advertising - the first was with the Oct. 30 film More Than a Game - and its inclusion gives their film's marketing a unique Canadian spin, according to Joanna Miles, director, marketing, Maple Pictures.
"This title was perfect," Miles said of The Fourth Kind. "QR codes are geared towards males 18 to 34 and teens, they are among the biggest users of text, mobile phones, and we thought this was a way we can make it more interesting for them to see the trailer. It's a sci-fi, alien-abduction film, and that's perfect for that age group and it really lends itself to that technology."
Now that the technology is in place, the distributor hopes to increase its brand partnership opportunities through QR code-activated contests, in which users could scan the code to enter, with sponsorship of the code-activated landing page.
www.maplepictures.com
Q&A: Sienne Veit on Marks & Spencer's social media strategy
Econsultancy (blog) - Aliya Zaidi - 7 hours ago
... 2D barcodes on our freshly squeezed juices as a way of getting additional information about provenance and the product to customer using their mobile. ...
http://econsultancy.com/blog/4929-q-a-sienne-veit-on-marks-and-spencers-social-media-strategy
Nice photo. Sorry ladies
Date Posted: Monday, November 9, 2009 - 04:10
RFID Enabled iPhone a Boon to Mobile Marketing?
The future of monetizing mobile marketing campaigns will be greatly simplified in tandem with the advent of newer, more convenient payment tools for consumers.
As a result, the mobile marketing community is buzzing this week over the recent speculation by Einar Rosenberg, Chief Technology Officer of Narian Technologies, Apple is currently tinkering with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip for possible inclusion in the next generation iPhone.
Apple’s impetus for seeking an RFID enabled iPhone is obvious. For Apple, turning the device into a handy payment tool makes the iPhone a far more convenient device than it already is. For mobile marketers, however, a group that has not yet had widespread opportunities to piggy-pack on such technology, the benefits could be equally bountiful.
Some mobile marketers have been gearing up for this eventuality just as aggressively as the tech world has.
In June, for example, Dairy Queen began testing an RFID-based customer loyalty program in Indiana. Customers who signed up for the program subsequently received coupons on their mobile phones via text message. The coupons were redeemable using RFID labels attached to the phones.
Apple’s potential foray into this arena could conceivably change the landscape of mobile technology forever in the US. And the impact on mobile marketing could be just as significant.
Read The Whole Story
http://www.mobilemarketingwatch.com/rfid-enabled-iphone-a-boon-to-mobile-marketing-4411/
RFID Enabled iphone a Boon to Mobile Marketing?
Mobile-Financial.com - 8 hours ago
The future of monetizing mobile marketing campaigns will be greatly simplified in tandem with the advent of newer, more convenient payment tools for ...
iphone RFID Prototypes being build by Apple Phones Review
Techie Breakie: LG Android sequel, Doom 3 for iphone ElectricPig.tv
iPhone 4G LetsGoMobile (press release)
all 4 news articles »Email this story
http://www.mobile-financial.com/node/3147/RFID-Enabled-iPhone-a-Boon-to-Mobile-Marketing
One for Dr.Myke
USPS Mobile blackberry App Coming in December
BerryReview.com - Ronen Halevy - 9 hours ago
... be really cool is if these companies had mobile apps that used the camera akin to their own handheld scanners (like edocrab does with product barcodes). ...
USPS Mobile BlackBerry App Coming in December
by Ronen Halevy on Nov 4th, 2009 at 9:25 am EST
3 Comments »
USPS-mobileWe mentioned the new USPS mobile website last month which was pretty useful. What’s even better is that a USPS employee let us know that they are coming out with a BlackBerry app in December!
I am always shocked that there is no good app for tracking packages on your BlackBerry. You would think it would be a no brainer but nobody has really done it right. Viigo used to do it using SimpleTracking but it stopped working for me awhile ago.
The upcoming USPS BlackBerry app will have:
* Finding shipping status on packages and other mail
* Looking up ZIP Codes via GPS
* Finding Post Offices and Collection boxes via GPS.
Future updates will include:
* Sending real postcards through the mail
* Calculating rates
* Scheduling pickups
* Holding your mail when you go on vacation.
I am pretty impressed with USPS for being on the leading edge in this regard. Hopefully UPS and FedEx are taking note.
http://www.berryreview.com/2009/11/04/usps-mobile-blackberry-app-coming-in-december/
Mobile Barcode Scans: Pushed By E-Commerce, But Only Helping In-Store?
StorefrontBacktalk - Evan Schuman - 1 hour ago
The mobile barcode scan (the iphone's redlaser app is one of the better options) is apparently helping in-store sales, to the extent that it's having any ...
http://www.storefrontbacktalk.com/e-commerce/mobile-barcode-scans-pushed-by-e-commerce-but-only-helping-in-store/
AP, Nokia Partner On Mobile Security
InformationWeek - Mary Hayes Weier - 20 hours ago
With the joint venture's technology, prescription drugs, software, and other goods could be tagged with smart barcodes to protect them from counterfeiting. ...
http://www.informationweek.com/news/mobility/security/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=220900734
MUST BE THAT INDIRECT TECHNOLOGY OR UM WHAT WAS THE WORD USED IN THE PAST, SECURITY
NICE TO HEAR THAT THIS CAME FROM NOKIA
If I my memory serves me NEOM was working with them in the past.
I wonder if they already had.
Almost annoying, huh.
LOL
Anyone else find this wording interesting?
IBM Debuts Food Traceability iPhone App
Today at the IBM Information on Demand event, IBM will demo a new app that will bring the Internet of Things to the iPhone. The as yet unreleased iPhone app is called Breadcrumbs and it will give consumers access to information about grocery food items. The app will be able to scan barcodes and deliver a summary of the ingredients in a food item, along with when it was manufactured. That data is usually on the food label, but Breadcrumbs goes a step further - it can provide extra information such as product recall data. If a product has been recalled in the past, this app will tell the consumer all of the relevant details.
Breadcrumbs is able to scan barcodes using the iPhone's camera. The consumer simply points their iPhone at a food item and gets back relevant data. Other than product recall details, the information returned to the user is mostly the same as what's on food labels - only it is pulled from the Web.
IBM told ReadWriteWeb that when 4G becomes common place in mobile phones, then apps such as Breadcrumbs will become more powerful and be readily used on-the-fly by consumers when grocery shopping.
The larger trend here is the convergence of smart phones with the Internet of Things (i.e. Internet-connected real world objects). Devices such as the iPhone essentially become sensor and RFID readers, which allow consumers to interact with real world objects in a much more detailed manner.
Breadcrumbs is a glimpse of what we'll see in the near future, when information will literally - finally - be at the consumer's fingertips when they're shopping for groceries or any other goods where data is plentiful. Up till now, data such as product recall information has largely been inaccessible to consumers - at least when at the grocery store.
In the long term expect to see apps like Breadcrumbs provide data on where and when food items get consumed, together with how long they were on the shelf before being consumed. Apps like Breadcrumbs may even be able to tell who consumed the items (privacy advocates, start your engines!). These apps will also be useful in determining counterfeit items, for example when buying an expensive luxury good.
The date that Breadcrumbs will be launched on iPhone has not yet been announced by IBM.
Amazon iPhone app looks up prices based on photos
Mobile Computer - 7 hours ago
Unfortunately, it seems completely useless at recognising barcodes, but then there are lots of other apps for that. Where it excels, however, ...
http://www.mobilecomputermag.co.uk/200910261527/amazon-iphone-app-looks-up-prices-based-on-photos.html
In my environment almost everything is upside down. Which I am sure is the case with many.
It is like BC stated, the writing may be on the walls, FINALLY.
Now with SB done, I really want to be on board IF MSFT and GOOG walk in the door. IMO, they need to pony up.
Always kicking myself for what I should have done.
Who knew? Don't all answer at once.
in4it
I will b finally green!
Not sure what YJ has to say.
JP n BC,
I like your crystal balls, LOL.
Still waiting.
in4it
Google improves mobile search, broadening market for SEO
Wednesday, 14 Oct 2009 15:10
ALL OF US HERE, INCLUDING IAIN, AND NEOM MGMT SHOULD NOT FORGET ABOUT ALL OF THE OTHER OBJECTS THAT CAN BE CLICKED ON TO GET RESULTS FROM THE CAMERA PHONE. REMEMBER VOICE CLICKS TO CONTENT.
In the past two weeks, Google has released several updates for its mobile search service, adding localization and making searches easier - as well as adding extra dimensions for search engine optimization (SEO) professionals to consider.
Google has supported localized search on iPhones through that device's Safari browser for several months now, but recently broadened its support to include Windows Mobile phones. Google's local app categorizes search results based on the current location of the device doing the search, making it easy for users to search for the nearest ATM or restaurant.
Additionally, Google's Android mobile operating system contains these features plus several more, with barcode scanning - simplifying price comparisons for shoppers - in operation since May. The company also says that it is "constantly improving" its voice recognition software, which is available on Blackberry, iPhone and Android devices.
Further broadening the potential market for search engine optimization (SEO) is an updated version of Google's statistical and factual search engine, Google Squared. The company has made the results page - or "square" - more robust, providing more information to searchers.ADNFCR-1513-ID-19408693-ADNFCR
http://www.brafton.com/industry-news/google-improves-mobile-search-broadening-market-seo-$1334107.htm
Neomedia hooked up with BEMS, Telefonica, etc.
"HURRY UP AND PRINT SOMETHING, ANYTHING!!!!!!"
Frito Lay Uses 2D Barcode Technology from Scanbuy, Inc. to Make Sabritas ...
PR Web (press release) - 18 hours ago
New York (PRWEB) October 14, 2009 -- Scanbuy, Inc., the global leader in mobile barcode solutions, announced today that the Sabritas brand in Mexico is now ...
2d barcodes come to Fritos with Scanbuy GoMo News
Vangard offers a software development kit, which OEM partners, such as Intermec and Motorola.
Working with any mobile Windows operating system — a version for Java-based applications is planned for rollout this year — the toolkit includes a speech engine from Nuance Communications and locally stored grammar sets. Vangard’s voice-directed user templates are mapped to the action of the application and can be tuned to a user’s voice.
I WONDER IF VANGUARDS WORK COULD BE IMPLEMENTED TO WORK FOR VOICE CLICKS TO CONTENT?
The gloves are off: Windows Mobile vs Android
Business Mirror - Rob Pegoraro - 14 hours ago
Many are as crafty as anything in the ShopSavvy far larger App Store; for example, shopsavvy uses a phone's camera to scan an item's bar code and look up ...
While the research shows increased activity in RFID as new applications for the technology is found overseas, here is Australia, when it comes to specific sectors such as the traditional supply chain, the uptake is more sedate.
However while the global economic crisis might be inhibiting mass take up of the technology because of the capital cost of infrastructure, it is also serving as a motivator for some companies to keep track of assets and implement more enhanced supply chain technologies.
Sue Schmidt, GM - Standards Development at GS1 Australia, says while companies tend to be looking at RFID as an internal 'four walls' application, she expects it will open up as people become more familiar with the technology.
"While Electronic Product Code/Radio Frequency Identification (EPC/RFID) technology isn't new, we are finding more companies are playing around with it and are finding new applications for EPC/RFID particularly in the supply chain, where they can see the potential efficiency gains," Schmidt told Manufacturers' Monthly.
She says while it is good companies are engaging with the technology, there is a risk that if companies fail to adhere to standards, it could become a problem once businesses try to use the technology in an open environment. "This is why we continue to develop and enhance EPC/RFID standards and we are amalgamating our standards development process to globally integrate the GS1, (global standards management process) and EPC (EPC standards development process) to have one standard," she said.
In the meantime, Schmidt advises companies to investigate the technology further, particularly in relation to supply chain management.
"The message I would want to get across is for companies to ask themselves what they are doing with the technology they are already using, be it barcodes or RFID?
http://www.manmonthly.com.au/Article/Real-time-RFID-tracking-well/502041.aspx
At Carnegie Mellon, the scientists who’ve pioneered the discipline work not in a lab but upstairs in a wing that looks no different from most universities’ English or history departments. Look closer, though, and you’ll see signs that this is no ordinary place. The doors are all marked with 2-D bar codes; a professor enters his office by snapping a photo with his cell phone. Click! goes the phone; thunk! slides the bolt. It’s more secure than a physical key, which can be stolen and copied, and no less handy.
http://www.ethioplanet.com/news/2009/10/13/building-a-better-password/
From farm to fork
Posted by Truth About Trade & Technology
Monday, 12 October 2009
The Economist
October 9, 2009 The Economist
October 9, 2009
DOWN
www.economist.com
Bar codes that let shoppers trace their food back to the field
DESPITE its preoccupation with hygiene, America’s dirty secret is that it is one of the most dangerous places in the developed world to eat. Every year 76m Americans become ill because they have consumed contaminated food—a staggering 26,000 cases per 100,000 population. In Britain, where people consume far fewer hamburgers, generally eat out less often and buy nowhere near as many ready-meals, there are 3,400 cases of food poisoning per 100,000 population annually. France is safer still, with only 1,200 annual instances per 100,000 people.
Most cases of food poisoning are mild, with victims recovering in a day or two. Sometimes, however, foodborne illnesses kill or cause permanent health problems. In the United States around 5,000 people die and a further 325,000 wind up in hospital each year as a result of food poisoning. The annual cost to the country, in medical treatment and lost productivity, is more than $35 billion.
AP
The wave of food scares that has swept America over the past few years has caused a crisis in the country’s $1 trillion food industry. One of the most notorious outbreaks, caused by the virulent Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacterium, happened in 1993. Four children died, dozens of people went to hospital with kidney failure and hundreds more became seriously ill after eating undercooked hamburgers from the Jack-in-the-Box chain of restaurants. Since then, the regulations governing the sale of ground beef have been tightened considerably.
The deadliest foods to be found on the stalls in street markets and the shelves of supermarkets, though, are not meat or poultry but leafy vegetables and fruit. That is because unlike ground beef, which is cooked at a temperatures which destroy bugs, fruit and leafy vegetables tend to be eaten raw. The outbreak of O157 in 2006, which killed five people and made a further 205 ill, was tied to raw spinach. Meanwhile, America’s largest epidemic of foodborne disease in over a decade—last year’s Salmonella infection that claimed two lives, hospitalised 250 people and affected more than 1,300 others—was traced back through the supply chain initially to tomatoes and then to jalapeño peppers. Now there are doubts whether either was really to blame.
Tracking down the source of a foodborne infection is notoriously difficult. The vast majority of incidents are transitory in nature—a leaky toilet, a wandering animal, a momentary lapse of hygiene in the field or factory. But mounting concern about this lack of traceability has prompted the food industry itself, as well as the American government, to take action.
In October 2007 producers in the United States and Canada joined forces to launch a plan called the Produce Traceability Initiative. This uses bar-codes to track fruit and vegetables through the distribution system. Although participation in this particular plan is voluntary, it may soon become compulsory to provide traceability of some sort.
That is because lawmakers on Capitol Hill want to give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sweeping new powers to oversee food production. A bill introduced in the House of Representatives by John Dingell, a Democratic congressmen from Michigan, was passed in July, though it has yet to be taken up by the Senate. But with the White House, the food industry and the FDA behind it, the bill could be law before the end of the year. If it is, then companies selling food in America will have to adopt a tracking system that can identify the farmer, the field, the picker, the packer, the shipper, the wholesaler and the shop—all within two business days of a case of food poisoning being reported.
MAYBE A STATE REP HEARD ME????
The technology for doing so is readily available. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags used for tracking items like shipping containers and pallets of goods have been around for years. The attraction of these tiny passive chips, which emit a stream of digital data only when energised by a radio beam, is that it is not necessary to see a tag to read it.
Unfortunately, though simple RFIDs cost less than 30 cents apiece, they are still way too expensive for tagging a bag of cut lettuce or a bunch of grapes. By contrast, the bar-codes printed on supermarket products cost less than half a cent each. Their disadvantage is that they have to be scanned physically by a line-of-sight reading device. It is also tricky to capture the data in the field and stick the bar-code labels on the produce as it is picked and packed. Managing the supply-chain database is no trivial matter either.
The Consumers Union, which campaigns on behalf of individual customers, wants Congress to require food producers to use an electronic tracking system like the one Federal Express employs for parcels. But tracking produce is not that simple. A parcel delivered by Federal Express, or any other courier service, stays under one firm’s control all the way. By contrast, a bunch of grapes travels from the farm to a packer, to a shipping centre, to a warehouse, to a shop and finally to a consumer’s fridge. Each stage is handled by a different organisation with a different way of doing things.
That has created opportunities for new firms like YottaMark of Redwood City, California, and FoodLogiq of Durham, North Carolina. Both have developed sophisticated software for tracing the origin and freshness of food. If their technology is deployed, the next time a big food scare occurs, the damage done to consumers and producers alike should be far more easily contained.
But apart from safety, the new traceability software should also allow packers and shippers to combine their tracking functions with marketing exercises. Both YottaMark and FoodLogiq offer systems that let shoppers type a text code into a mobile phone or home computer, or scan a bar-code using a phone’s built-in camera, to find out when the tomatoes on the shelf were picked and which field they came from.
That can be an attractive proposition for producers. YottaMark’s traceability label (“HarvestMark”) has been attached to almost a billion food items so far. What the food industry has learned in the process is that it not only gives consumers the confidence to buy, but also builds customer loyalty and trust in a particular brand, a region and even an individual producer. Some 85% of consumers polled by YottaMark said that, all things being equal, they would choose a traceable item over an untraceable one.
Bringing the farmer electronically into the kitchen this way can make the experience of buying produce as personal as shopping in a local farmer’s market—but with a far wider range of products to choose from. As Elliott Grant of YottaMark observes, marketing foodstuffs these days is becoming more a matter of “locale” and less about being merely “local”.
http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14627082
http://www.truthabouttrade.org/content/view/14960/54/
Tried it.
Save yourselves the trip.
Ralph Lauren Looks to Innovate Beyond Mobile Comfort Zones
AdAge.com - Natalie Zmuda - 37 minutes ago
Quick response (QR) codes, which are bar codes that can be scanned with cellphones to get content associated with the product, for example, might not yet be ...
http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=139336
I am very sorry to hear this terrible news.
RIP. My condolences to Dr. Myke's family.
It was a pleasure to interact with you my friend. May God Bless.
in4it
Coke Promo: Scan Soda Can, Get Mobile Content
MediaPost Publications - Amy Corr - 4 hours ago
Consumers interested in accessing free content must first download software to their mobile device that reads and translates the barcodes. ...
go to the link to check out the photos
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=113950
Coke Promo: Scan Soda Can, Get Mobile Content
by Amy Corr, 4 hours ago
DEAN COLLINS ALREADY POSTED HERE
We've seen bar codes placed in print ads that drive viewers to a microsite housing additional brand information.
Coca-Cola launched an ad campaign in Singapore offering free downloadable content to consumers who scan its cans.
Beginning in June and concluding this month, Singaporeans were offered an array of mobile content from ringtones, wallpapers and Electronic Arts video games such as Tetris, SIM City, FIFA 09 and Trivial Pursuit.
Millions of cans of Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero and Sprite were emblazoned with barcodes that resemble a sideways smiley face. Consumers interested in accessing free content must first download software to their mobile device that reads and translates the barcodes.
ColorZip owns and developed ColorCam, the free, downloadable software. Similar to other scanning software, the technology transforms a user's mobile phone into a scanner that reads the barcode.
Text, images and videos can be linked to barcodes through a Web address that transfers content back to the user.
Since the launch of ZapCode, the moniker given to this digital marketing platform, 400 mobile phone models, equaling one million phones, became compatible with ColorCam software.
There was no limit set for the number of downloads available per phone, but there was a limit on the content available. For example, there might be 50,000 Tetris downloads available and once that number is reached, it's no longer offered to consumers.
The technology can also identify repeat downloads and push fresh content towards the consumer.
This commentary is insightful. I recommend it to others.
Convention puts McCarran technology on display
International Air Transport Association show ends three-day run in Las Vegas
Maybe Gavitec's reader is at this location, WAG
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/sep/19/convention-puts-mccarran-technology-display/
By Kyle Hansen (contact)
Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.
Sun Coverage
McCarran International Airport this week showed off some of the new technology used to make air travel easier for customers at an international convention in Las Vegas this week.
Some of the technology already is being used in Las Vegas and some of it is on the way.
Sponsored by McCarran and the International Air Transport Association, the three-day Check-In Conference at Mandalay Bay ended Friday afternoon.
Some came from other countries to attend the workshops targeted at representatives from airlines, airports and vendors, many of whom also had exhibition booths to show their newest products.
But the show wasn’t just in Las Vegas because of the city’s conference-friendly facilities, said Samuel Ingalls, McCarran’s information systems director.
“It’s held in Las Vegas for the simple reason that McCarran Airport has a worldwide reputation for deploying innovative technologies that support the passenger process,” he said. “It gives us an opportunity to showcase some of the things that we’re working on with the industry and to show how those have helped us in terms of our process here at McCarran.”
Jared Miller, Continental Airlines’ senior director of customer self-service, supported Ingalls’ claims about the airport.
“McCarran Airport is seen certainly throughout the United States, as well as throughout the world, as a leader in trialing new technologies and solutions for their customers, which are the airlines’ customers,” Miller said.
And many of the new ideas tried at McCarran move on to other airports.
Ingalls said the show was moved to Orlando, Fla., last year after being in Las Vegas, but returned to Nevada at the request of the attendees. It also will be in Las Vegas next year.
Travelers leaving McCarran already get the benefit of some of the newest technology in the industry.
With some airlines at McCarran it is possible to check in to a flight, go through security and board a plane without needing paper – no tickets and no boarding passes required.
“Mobile boarding,” which requires a Web-enabled phone or handheld device, is available for flights with Continental, American, Delta and Northwest that use the D gates, and three more airlines are set to begin using the system early next year, Ingalls said.
After checking in, the traveler’s mobile device displays a bar code, which can be scanned at the airport to check bags, go through security and board the plane.
Mobile boarding was used at other airports before coming to McCarran, but it is unique here because the same system is used with all airlines, Ingalls said.
Unlike most other U.S. airports, McCarran is a common-use airport, meaning that the airport provides the computers and infrastructure instead of the airlines providing it themselves.
And since there is not a separate terminal for each major airline, the mobile boarding system had to be compatible with all of the airlines instead of just one, Ingalls said.
Continental was the first airline in the nation to offer paperless boarding, Miller said. It now offers the service at 27 airports and almost 1 million customers have used a mobile device to board a flight with the airline, he said.
About 70 percent of Continental passengers check in before they reach the airport.
“All of the carriers, large or small, domestic or international, are moving as quickly as they can toward mobile, and one of the main reasons is because the customer demanded it,” Ingalls said.
The mobile-device bar codes also will be important in one of the new features at McCarran’s Terminal 3, which is under construction.
The terminal will be the first in the nation to include new automatic boarding gates that will scan the passenger’s boarding pass – or mobile device – to allow access to the plane.
The gates are similar to those used in most subway systems and are used in other airports around the world, but have yet to be installed in a new terminal in the United States, said Herve Muller, the general manager of IER, the company that builds the machines.
Terminal 3 gives McCarran officials a chance to start fresh and include new technology, Ingalls said, and the facility has been designed to be flexible to include new technology in the future.
“What we do today in the check-in environment is probably not going to be what we’re doing five years from now, almost certainly not what we’ll be doing in 10 years,” Ingalls said. “We’ve tried to build as much flexibility into that facility as we possibly could without being locked into a particular mode of doing business or a mode of operating.”
Ingalls said some technology adopted at McCarran has helped to develop industry-wide standards. An example is the use of RFID chips in baggage tags.
McCarran worked with industry organizations and the Transportation Security Administration to determine how the chips, which send out a radio signal to identify the bags, would be used.
The technology has been in use at McCarran since 2005, and as a result more than 99 percent of the bags have accurate readings when scanned by machines that sort them for loading and unloading planes.
“That’s far, far in excess of what the normal system would be with a bar-coded bag tag,” Ingalls said.
In the future, customers can expect to have even more control of the boarding of their flights, including tagging their own luggage and possibly even dropping it off in a common area rather than having to find a particular airline.
“The air carriers and others in the industry kind of rolled into self-service gently and slowly, they stuck their toe in the water to see how the customers would respond, and the customer response was overwhelmingly positive,” Ingalls said.
“The customer said ‘Yes, I want to be in charge of the process, because I’m going to do it as quickly and efficiently as possible. I don’t want to be waiting on someone else to help me.’ ”
Could Tag Technology Replace Google Search?
Inventorspot - Ron Callari - 11 hours ago
Mobile barcode technology appears to be the key for tagging to take precedence over "traditional" search. This may be Microsoft's golden opportunity to beat ...
http://inventorspot.com/articles/could_tag_technology_replace_google_search_32672
Funny this article is an exact copy from 9/9:
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=41411285
in which Swampthing commented on what MSFT should do to get the ball rolling.
LICENSE!
Now the re-post on 9/18?
He must not have had the response he wanted or to too much response.
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2009/sep09/09-16tag.mspx
Microsoft Tag Gives Consumers a New Way to Gain Information, Take Action from Mobile Phones
Microsoft Tag technology is an updated mobile bar code that turns phones into marketing devices for publishers, retailers, consumer goods makers, and the hospitality industry.
The 2010 Ford Taurus’s advanced features range from radar-based cruise control to EcoBoost green-friendly acceleration to a Blind Spot Information System. In all, the Taurus has 10 class-exclusive, consumer-oriented technologies.
This presented Steve Ling, Car Marketing Manager for Ford, with an unusual challenge: How do you explain these complex features without giving consumers information overload?
Companies can use these colorful, two-dimensional Tags to turn cell phones into “sell” phones that assist in the promotion and sale of products. By transforming traditional marketing media into live links, they can provide detailed information, promotional offers, and entertainment online.
Companies can use these colorful, two-dimensional Tags to turn cell phones into “sell” phones that assist in the promotion and sale of products. By transforming traditional marketing media into live links, they can provide detailed information, promotional offers, and entertainment online.
Click for larger version.
The solution: Microsoft Tag, Microsoft’s new “bar code-on-steroids” that unlocks a whole new way to give consumers useful, relevant information. It provides animated tours of the Taurus’ slick technologies on a mobile phone wherever and whenever consumers want to see them—all by just hovering their phones over a colorful symbol provided on marketing brochures, ads, catalogs, or in-store displays.
Ford is not alone. Companies ranging from publishers, retailers, hotels, restaurants, consumer goods manufacturers, and entertainment companies, such as Best Buy, Procter & Gamble, and LionsGate Entertainment—even Kobe Bryant—have signed up to use Microsoft Tags since the technology was unofficially introduced in January.
Kevin Kerr, Industry Technology Strategist at Microsoft, says Microsoft Tag has the potential to build closer ties between consumers and advertisers. Tag also can help turn consumer interest into consumer action, and it can help identify which parts of an advertising campaign are generating income and which are not.
The power of Microsoft Tag
A Microsoft Tag is a new type of bar code, optimized for reading on mobile phones, with symbols that can form trillions of combinations. And that’s what gives Tag its power. When a consumer downloads the Microsoft Tag application and then snaps a picture of a Tag, the application performs an action, such as opening a Web browser and taking the consumer to a URL or dialing a phone number. Consumers can receive multimedia information, discount coupons, purchase options—virtually any consumer marketing or sales activity. Consumers can also make their own Tags, linking them to their Facebook pages or simply sharing their contact information in a new and fun way.
The Tags can be small enough— as small as the size of a dime—to be used nearly anywhere in an ad or other marketing material. And because their colorful appearance can include a company logo, Tags can fit into posters, billboards, brochures, display ads, point-of-purchase displays, catalogs, and more.
Microsoft Tag connects Ford customers to video animation content, showcasing many of the innovations featured on the 2010 Ford Taurus including its new EcoBoost technology, featured here.
Microsoft Tag connects Ford customers to video animation content, showcasing many of the innovations featured on the 2010 Ford Taurus including its new EcoBoost technology, featured here.
Click for larger version.
Embedded bar codes that provide a consumer with more information aren’t entirely new. But the high-capacity bar codes created by Microsoft Research feature several innovations. Microsoft Tags are the first to use color to make the Tags both more efficient and more attractive. They can include logos, photos, branding, or other marketing content directly in the Tag. They work with the relatively limited, fixed-focus cameras on many mobile phones, so the snaps of them can be blurry or at an angle—expert photography isn’t required. Lastly, Microsoft makes the process of creating and using Tags easy for companies and consumers alike.
To deploy Tags, marketers need only fill out a form on the Microsoft Web site, including the URLs or phone numbers they want their Tags to contact. Microsoft automation produces the Tag in a form that can be inserted into promotional materials. Tags can be in color or black and white, to accommodate a broad range of marketing uses. Consumers simply go to gettag.mobi to download the Tag application, and then they’re ready to snap away.
A new way to market
In the case of the Ford Taurus launch, Microsoft Tags direct users to videos less than a minute long that demonstrate the power and operation of features such as EcoBoost, which uses direct-injection technology for up to 20 percent better fuel economy, 15 percent fewer CO2 emissions, and superior driving performance versus larger-displacement engines; Collision Warning with Brake Support, which uses radar technology to monitor traffic ahead and alerts the driver with a visual “heads-up” display on the windshield and an audible warning tone that mutes the audio system; and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), which warns drivers of vehicles approaching their “blind zone” by illuminating an indicator located in the exterior mirrors. BLIS works in conjunction with Cross Traffic Alert, which warns the driver of approaching vehicles when the car is in reverse.
* The target customers for this car are ‘substance seekers’ who want as much information as possible—and (Microsoft Tag) technology gives it to them the way they want it: on their own terms. *
Steve Ling
Car Marketing Manager
Ford Motor Co.
Marketers, including those at Ford, see Microsoft Tags as helping them to reach key audiences in ways not possible before. “The target customers for this car are ‘substance seekers’ who want as much information as possible—and this technology gives it to them the way they want it: on their own terms,” says Ford’s Ling. “This is an absolute breakthrough in the technology of marketing a car, and helps us in our mission to completely reposition the Taurus as the most technologically advanced vehicle not only at the price—but at twice the price.”
In the past, Ling says, Ford might have devised a traditional launch that included print ads with a lot of information on the car’s new technology. “But it wouldn’t be interesting or customer-driven—customers wouldn’t be able to focus on the additional information they wanted, when they wanted it. Now, they can.”
“We’re also impressed by how the consumer interacts with the Microsoft Tag technology,” says Lew Echlin, Car Communications Manager for Ford. “The download is quick; there’s no need to reboot—it’s a low-impact app. And it’s visually exciting. When the consumer snaps a Tag, the phone literally traces the outline of the Tag and turns green when it identifies it—it’s like an F-16 locking in on a target before firing.”
Analytical capabilities built into the Microsoft Tag system mean that, as Ford’s use continues, it will be able to generate information not only about which of its videos are viewed the most, but also which marketing media—such as in-store posters or newspaper display ads—are the most popular points of origin. This will help Ford to refine its advertising budget for maximum effectiveness.
Meantime, other major companies are using or plan to use Microsoft Tag technology:
•
The Amsterdam transit system puts Tags at bus stops. Riders snap the Tags to get up-to-date bus schedule information.
•
The Hardee’s restaurant chain used Tags to distribute food coupons that offer free fries and soft drinks with a purchase of the company’s “Thickburgers.”
•
LionsGate Entertainment used Tags to promote its current release, “The Gamer.” The company has distributed tattoos incorporating Tags that people can wear. When the Tags are snapped, the consumer is taken to more information about the movie.
•
Procter & Gamble in June launched a “Snap and Get Rid of Dandruff” campaign in Turkey, in which consumers could snap Tags on the company’s Web site to win prizes and to be taken to Web sites for more information on hair care.
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Kobe Bryant uses Tags to connect with his audiences in new ways and to promote his upcoming 2K10 game-off with Carmelo Anthony.
•
Practicing what it preaches, Microsoft is itself using the technology to promote sales of its video game Halo Wars™ for the Xbox® video game system. Snapping the Tag takes consumers to the Amazon.com site, where they can order the game. Microsoft Tags will also appear in most of the 10 Xbox titles the company plans to release this fall.
Says Aaron Getz, Product Unit Manager at Microsoft, “Microsoft Tag technology is important because the consumer’s life is more mobile today than ever before, and this technology extends the traditional marketing relationship to the mobile environment. It lets people interact with the world around them and take advantage of their existing mobile phones in a new way.”
“We’re seeing companies making highly innovative use of the technology today—and we’re only at the dawn of this technology,” says Kerr.
Ford’s Echlin agrees: “We’re using the most technologically advanced marketing tool to promote the most technologically advanced Ford available. It’s a match made in advertising heaven.”
Could Microsoft Tag augment Windows Mobile reality?
By Joe Wilcox | Published September 18, 2009, 5:28 PM
MY GUESS IS THIS IS THE REASON FOR THE PPS MOVE. RESIDUAL INTERESTS. CHEAP STOCK PRICE. JMO, FWIW.
Microsoft is promoting its Tag barcode system over at its PressPass this week. The PR is a big marketing pitch showcasing brands like Ford and Proctor & Gamble; it's a sensible approach for the technology. But I see another: Making augmented reality more real, and in so doing recover Microsoft's botched handset strategy. AR isn't new, but it's all the geek rage now that iPhone has a compass: BBC, CNET News, Robert Scoble and Telegraph UK, among many others.
A quick AR primer: Augmented reality is essentially the overlay of additional visual information onto something real. American football is great example, where during TV broadcasts yellow lines and other information overlay the field of play. What? You thought those lines were really there? You experienced augmented reality.
AR's future potential on mobile devices is huge, and it's one of the many applications that has me asserting once more that mobile phones will supplant PCs in the not so distant future. Pew Internet says 2020, but I predict 2015 (I really think sooner, but who would believe it?).
A handset with accelerometer, camera, compass and GPS can orientate its position relative to objects as well as geographic location. This orientation, and through the camera ability to identify specific objects, makes it possible for software or service providers to augment reality, perhaps with educational or marketing information.
Informational example: Jack Consumer takes his kids to Washington, DC. Perhaps he uses the phone's GPS to navigate from a Metro station to the National Mall. Along the way, the mapping program offers additional information about historic sites -- even videos or, gasp, special events going on in the area right then. All this overlays the GPS map on the screen. Jack points the phone's camera at the Washington Monument and sees overlay of information about when each portion of the structure was completed, its height and what the heck those flashing lights mean (Jack slept through American history class).
http://www.betanews.com/joewilcox/article/Could-Microsoft-Tag-augment-Windows-Mobile-reality/1253307492
Don't put words in my mouth. EOM
I think that it would be best to pay up now. But, IF I WERE MSFT, why now? Why not wait and see what I can develop. I am sure that they are already working on it.
Common-use Wireless for Techs
Aviation Week - Henry Canaday - 9 hours ago
Wireless handheld devices for mechanics would include RFID and barcode scanners. SITA is working with two software vendors, Mxi and Swiss's AMOS, ...
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=om&id=news/om909it.xml