On Neomedia - Barcodes Shaping the Future of Information Access Beyond Mobile Marketing
I caught up with Carol Glennon, Renu Mobile CEO, to ask her about the tie-in with NeoMedia and her strategy to target a wide range of industry sectors including pharmaceuticals, enterprise and homeland security.
INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS
First, what does the tie-in mean?
According to Carol, it's the only fit that allows her company to get reach without allying itself with a potential competitor. Put simply, NeoMedia's barcode-reading software, NeoReader, comes pre-installed on key devices and platforms. NeoMedia recently announced that NeoSphere was released for the iPhone (News - Alert)3G and 3GS. Its reader software also comes pre-installed on Sony Ericsson devices, and more handset deals are underway.
More importantly, NeoMedia doesn't compete with Renu in managing/executing mobile marketing campaigns. If anything, NeoMedia, through its involvement with Neustar, a company spearheading the creation of a barcode clearinghouse to drive adoption and enable interoperability, is doing its part to ensure mobile marketing delivery. To date, barcode companies like NeoMedia, 3GVision, Mobile Data Systems and Mobile Discover are using the Neustar clearing house.
Connect the dots, and it's about delivering barcode campaigns that are open, interoperable and global.
However, it's also about powering enterprise applications everywhere.
Carol aims to be on top of the game with a slew of clients and services that focus on the public sector, security and pharmaceuticals. It's easy to imagine how scanning a barcode on a bottle of medicine could allow people to access valuable information such as the proper dose, potential side-effects and a mobile website with advice or the location of nearby pharmacies and physicians.
Likewise, barcodes could ensure that authorities such as the police and the fire department, resolve an emergency situation with fewer casualties. Among the scenarios high on Carol's radar are barcodes built into a firefighters' badges which allow doctors to access details about the individual - for instance his profile, health record, and allergies - when that person is unconscious or injured.
"It's about enabling services - and rapid deployment - without authorities having to invest in new equipment or learn a new skillset."
Little wonder the next stop for Carol is MILCOM 2010, a military trade conference focused on the "Next Decade of Military Communications."
Keeping with the security scenario, barcodes could also allow authorities to define and oversee a security area. Barcodes on vehicles, equipment, even people would potentially streamline security checks and wring more value out of limited manpower and resources.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Carol tells me Renu will expand its mobile marketing activities through its partnership with NeoMedia. But Renu will also move full-steam ahead with initials tests of a pharmaceutical application later this summer.
After I interviewed Carol, I saw a tweet from my esteemed colleague and Forrester (News - Alert)analyst Thomas Husson about his latest blog post, a must-read treatise aptly entitled "Liberty, equality and mobility." Having studied barcode reports and white papers in preparation for the posts I was writing, I was struck by some interesting possibilities and parallels.
Thomas' post is an excellent examination of the societal impact of mobile phones and the pivotal role of governments in moving effective communications and media tools a giant step forward. He argues that governments should balance investments and "make the most of mature mobile ecosystems" such as NFC. Thomas provides some examples and reminds us that "innovative research and development clusters that focus on mobile innovation, optimized transport systems, and a tech-savvy image are key to appearing innovative and attractive to firms looking for new locations. This is why the French government and the city of Nice are heavily backing the large-scale live Near Field Communication trials that will take place in Q2 2010 in the South of France."
While NFC differs from barcodes, there is some exciting overlap because they are both interfaces to the digital world of information, content and utilities.
In fact, Neustar joined with Visa at Mobile World Congress (News - Alert)to showcase the potential of barcodes. The pilot was about scanning the barcode on the back of the Visa card to check one's balance. But it's easy to imagine more applications involving financial institutions.
Likewise, it would also be possible to scan a barcode-(as it is to swipe an NFC-enabled device over an NFC tag (News - Alert)- to manage workflow. I am reminded of a white paper I wrote for Nokia years back that argued workers - in this case technicians - could swipe their phones over an NFC tag on a particular piece of equipment to access repair records and streamline trouble-shooting.
Sounds like an application that would fit with barcodes, particularly since these technicians could do this now with ordinary mobile phones. NFC success is somewhat stalled until we have a critical mass of NFC-enabled devices.
And, if we need any help figuring out additional scenarios, I'm sure Carol could think of a few.
The takeaway: Barcode business models and use cases are falling into place, and companies that miss this wave, and the opportunity to add a barcode component to their service offer, risk falling behind.
AI
