Microsoft Mobile Tag Technology
Posted in Microsoft, Software | By AhTim @ January 15th, 2009
Barcode tag is one of the common tag system in daily products. Don’t believe? Check your keyboard bottom, you should see a barcode tag. Not only electronic products, tag even exist on your shampoo, lotion, drink can, etc.
Normal barcode tag look like image below. I have experiment to scan barcode on screen, but failed. The class II laser light reflect from monitor and unable to decode barcode. Normal barcode tag must print out hard copy (either paper or sticker label) in order for scan.
3 dimension (3D) barcode scanner used in Watson, Guardian store more info and easier to scan. But still lack in data manipulation and cannot use in common device. Since then I keep an eye to see if any better barcode tag system solution.
Microsoft Mobile Tag Technology
The new Microsoft Tag technology invented by Microsoft Research solve problem mention above. Microsoft Tag construct with 4 colors (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) call High Capacity Color Barcodes (HCCBs). It is a mobile tagging. Which mean not only provide basic information, but any mobile content that you store online.
When you scan Microsoft Tag in real life, it bring you information that access from Internet.
How to use? With the Microsoft Tag application, just aim your camera phone at a Tag and instantly access mobile content, videos, music, contact information, maps, social networks, promotions, and more. Nothing to type, no browsers to launch! Download Microsoft Tag, install to your camera phone, Create Tag and snap.
What good and bad? Microsoft Tag don’t need a barcode scanner, a mobile phone with camera and Internet access will do. This square type tag don’t need very precise scanning angle. I’ve tried it get the code within a second just like snap shot. And cool thing, you can scan the tag on screen (computer monitor) without need to print it out.
Of course the bad is you’ll need a color printer to print the tag. It might cost a little bit higher than the 2D barcode tag. Also Microsoft do not provide offline decode. I prefer if they could provide some basic information offline before access for more interactive info online. Sometime we just don’t want to wait for slow Internet connection.
I created a sample tag above. Do you know what info inside? Install Microsoft Tag into your mobile phone, scan it and tell me the answer?
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Tags: barcode, barcode tag, microsoft tag, tag, tagging system