Camera Phone Scanning World

Simple Act is now offering free software called QuickMark for WebCam which will enable your PC webcam to read QR Codes and Datamatrix Codes.   Simply download and install the software on your PC and you can scan QR and Datamatrix Codes.   The QuickMark press release indicates that it is integrated with Windows Live Barcode, but the Live Barcode site has been down for the last few days, so I have not been able to test it.

I did download and install the QuickMark for WebCam software and tested it in conjunction with my Logitech QuickCam Fusion webcam.  

With the software installed, I launched the QuickMark WebCam application.  A small window opened showing my webcam screen.   I held a QR Code with a URL link embedded about 3 inches from the camera and after 3-5 seconds the webcam captured the code, opened my web browser and took me directly to that link.  It does work as advertised, but it is certainly much slower than the laser at the grocery store reads my frozen pizza UPC code.

Next I tested QuickMark ability to integrate with Microsoft Outlook.  I created a contact information QR code here, aimed my webcam at the code that I generated right on my monitor, and automagically QuickMark created an entry in my Outlook contacts.  Now that is impressive!

This free product and QuickMark’s code reading cell phone software get the job done, but there appears to be no documentation for any of its products in English (although there is an English version of QuickMark’s site).  The documentation is all in Chinese.  Until more North American and European products come to market, QuickMark is offering some impressive (and free) solutions in the consumer code reading space.  Give it a try!

The Windows Live Barcode site has been down for several days now.  Does anyone know what happened?

In a move that may bring a much needed jump start to Quick Response Code (QR Code) two-dimensional barcodes beyond Japan, Microsoft has launched Windows Live Barcode Beta.   

Here is their introduction to the technology and the service:

What is Windows Live Barcode
Windows Live Barcode is a set of services that transfer information between various media (PCs, billboards, magazines etc.) and handsets via Quick Response Code (QR Code), a two-dimensional barcode. It provides a new method for people to exchange information and enjoy various online services on handsets. Windows Live Barcode aims to enhance handset utility and provide you with more convenience and flexibility.

What is QR Code
The QR Code is a two-dimensional barcode. It contains a considerably greater volume of information in both vertical and horizontal directions than typical barcode in one dimension.

Windows Live Barcode provides an online tool to make your own QR Code barcode.  The simple tool allows you to make your own free-text or business card barcode.   Unfortunately, Windows Live Barcode does not provide the software require to install on Windows Mobile devices to capture and decode the barcodes.   In a note on Aditya Bansod’s Blog, he indicates that Microsoft will be providing a phone client on Windows Live Barcode for Windows Mobile soon.

I did find client software that works on the on my HTC TyTN (also known as Hermes, Cingular 8525, Vodafone VPA Compact III, Vodafone 1605, and the T-Mobile MDA Vario II). 

SimpleAct has the free required software for Windows Mobile and a number of other devices on their English language QuickMark download page.   The downloads are CAB files, no installers, and there does not seem to be any English language supporting documentation.

For my TyTN, I downloaded the CHT 9000 file, transferred the CAB file to my device, double clicked, and it installed the QuickMark application.  With this application running, take a picture of any QR Code two-dimensional barcode on paper, on a screen, anywhere, and the contents of the barcode are instantly displayed on your Windows Mobile screen.  Pretty cool stuff, and the possibilities are endless.   Here is one of the barcodes that I made on Windows Live Barcode.  You will have to get yourself setup to capture and read it to learn what is encoded in the barcode.