Random Useless Observations About ZXing

Just noticed how similar the logo of Google's ZXing project is to the logo of Sourforge's Zebra Barcode Reader. I think both are cool logo ideas. If somebody is trying to come up with a logo for a similar project in the future, I would suggest trying animals such as the cheetah, leopard, or giraffe (I think they all have dots), it should be a lot of fun.

The other random observation is that I spotted a link to the ZXing project in the Google's Sponsored Links area while performing searchs for the phrases "2D barcode reader" and "1D barcode reader". I am not sure what Google's algorithm is for displaying those links, perhaps my personal search history is part of the equation or maybe they do this for every Google project? But if I am not mistaken, companies pay Google on a per click basis for those ads. So I guess it at least shows that they are very supportive of their own projects.

Billboard Promotes QR Food Traceability

The billboard pictured above was spotted last month at the Nan-Jing East Road Station of Taipei's Metro Rapid Transport. The purpose of the QR Codes are for food traceability, as mentioned in an earlier post. The sole entrance/exit of this station is just to the left of the billboard, so it is in a perfect spot to attract eyeballs. Unfortunately, due to the limited space, the billboard only tells the viewer that there is a new certification label for agricultural products. Meaning that those foreign to 2D barcodes will still not understand what those squarely dots stand for. Nonetheless, more people are paying attention to this and I also found the following video from the Taiwan Public Television about the importance of food traceability:




(Link to the article accompanying the video)

QR-Kill Game

Just read about the QR-Kill game and it really sounds like fun! I think I would enjoy running around chasing people with my QuickMark decoder.

The basic rules are as follows:

1. A QR with your name and phone (SMS format) will be printed in a 20cm minimum width sheet of white paper. It will be reinforced by a hard cardboard and stuck to the back using american tape.

2. The QR must be visible at all times. It cannot be covered by any means, wall, floor, etc…

3. Once you receive the deathly SMS you must leave the scenario right away.

4. When team playing, members can only communicate by using same phone they use as a weapon.

5. Disguising is allowed as along as the QR is visible.

6. Unless playing “sniper mode” no extra devices can be used to capture the QR-Codes (E.g. zoom photo cameras, videocams, etc…)

7. If there is a conflict deciding who killed first, SMS time will decide (we recommend synchronizing watches before the game starts)

8. No one can assist you to kill the enemy with your phone. However you can hire spies, etc…

Reading Small 2D Barcodes

For a lot of mobile barcode users, reading small barcodes is a quite a problem because most phone cameras are without macro mode or auto-focus. Apparently, such problems bother some Japanese users as well (especially if they are using non-Japanese phones) and they have a pretty good looking solution: attachable lens. For about 1000 yen, you can get a nicely designed lens for your barcode reading pleasure. Check out this Japanese blog for a demonstration (using X02HT and QuickMark) or head straight to an online store to get one.

Capture Birds With Your Mobile Barcode Reader

A group of Taiwanese college students from Tatung University recently added a new element to their already live system for bird ecological information: playing cards with QR Codes. At first glance this might seem like a pretty simple m-learning application as it allows the user to look up various information about the birds in Taiwan via QR Codes. However, these students are smarter than that. They are actually making money out of this. How? By leveraging their rich bird database that they've worked so hard to collect: they turn the birds' photos and recordings into mobile phone wallpapers and ring-tones (they also charge for searches on their database). Their WAP download service has somehow won them first place in a student competition sponsored by CHT a while ago, and the service is still running on CHT's emome site. Their usage of QR Codes may not be particularly innovative (perhaps all mobile content services should provide 2D barcodes for easy access), therefore the key must be that their content and search system are really compelling/interesting for bird lovers. For those interested, you can visit their WAP site here.

New Survey Results On Japanese QR Code Usage

What Japan Thinks has a recent great post on the latest survey findings on QR Code usage in Japan. The survey was conducted over a 5 day period earlier this month (10/1 ~ 10/5/2007) with responses from 17091 MyVoice internet community members. The survey is slightly female biased (54% vs 46%) with 58% of the samples from people who are under age 40 (which is usually the main age group that uses mobile value added services) so it should be of good reference value to other areas of the world that are looking to promote the use of 2D barcodes.

For details, please refer to the original survey result. The following is the translated results by What Japan Thinks, and I recommend visiting their website as it provides great insight to the Japanese market.

Q1: Who is your current mobile phone service provider? If you have more than one, choose the one you use the most. (Sample size=17,091)
DoCoMo 43.0%
au 28.9%
Softbank 20.3%
WILLCOM 2.3%
Other 0.4%
Don’t have a mobile phone (to end of survey) 5.2%

5.2% don't have a mobile phone?!

Q2: Do you use your mobile phone’s QR code or bar code reader? (Sample size=mobile phone users)
Often use 4.9%
Sometimes use 42.2%
Have used it before 14.6%
Know what QR codes are, but don’t use them 27.7%
Just heard the name 2.9%
Not even heard of them 7.6%
No answer 0.1%

I'm not sure what is the difference between "often use" and "sometimes use", but it's still only at 47.1% total. Is it half glass empty or half glass full? I think there is still room for growth, even in Japan.

Q3: How do you start your QR code reader? If there is more than one, select the method you use the most. (Sample size=QR code users)
From camera 55.2%
From main menu 22.9%
From application 20.1%
Other 1.0%
No answer 0.7%

This only tells us how lucky Japanese mobile users are as I believe both "From camera" and "From main menu" both mean that their mobile phone comes preloaded with a mobile barcode reader.

Q4: From where do you scan QR codes? (Sample size=QR code users, multiple answer)
Magazine columns and advertisements 71.3%
Maps 14.5%
Food items 12.9%
Posters, leaflets in stations 12.3%
Business cards 4.5%
Other 28.7%
No answer 0.4%

A lot of the answers are well publicized so I'm more curious about the Other 28.7%.

Q5: What do you do with the scanned QR code data? (Sample size=QR code users, multiple answer)
Connect to web site 90.0%
Register bookmark 13.2%
Send mail 10.6%
Display text 4.5%
Register in address book 4.3%
Playback or save music, display or save graphic 3.9%
Pass to application 2.4%
Make telephone call 2.4%
Copy to mail 1.9%
Other 3.8%
No answer 0.3%

No doubt that connecting to the web is a great application for QR Codes, but since the majority of the average mobile users outside Japan are usually quite stingy when it comes to mobile data usage, URL links alone will probably not be enough to attract the end users.

Q6: Do you know about colour QR codes? (Sample size=QR code aware people)
Yes, and often use 0.7%
Yes, and sometimes use 2.9%
Yes, and have used them before 1.6%
Know what they are, but not used them 14.0%
Just heard the name 9.8%
Not even heard of them 66.3%
No answer 4.6%

They are probably referring to ColorZip from Korea. They claim to support quite a few devices from their list, but I'm guessing that they are not as widely pre-installed as the QR Code readers, thus affecting its visibility and popularity among end users.