If you're thinking of getting Sprint's Samsung Exclaim, the phone now comes with another cool function.
Scanbuy, the company that's been at work putting its ScanLife application on camera cell phones, announced Tuesday that its ScanLife 2D bar code reader application will now be preloaded on the Samsung Exclaim from Sprint.
(Credit:
Scanbuy)
This is the first wireless phone to be shipped in the U.S. with the ScanLife technology. The company expects additional models will ship with the application in the future.
ScanLife is an application that allows you to scan a 2D bar code with a standard camera phone to automatically launch a specific function associated with that bar code. For example, you could launch a mobile Web site or video, or get specific item information like company contacts or pricing. You can also view and share that information through social-networking communities, like Facebook and MySpace, with which the Exclaim easily syncs.
At Scanbuy's Web site, you can also create your own bar code that's associated with information of your choosing.
If your phone is not preloaded with the app, you can always install the application by going to www.getscanlife.com on your mobile browser. The app is available for free. I tried it with my iPhone 3G and it worked well. Note that once a bar code is scanned, the information will be directed to Scanbuy's server to determine the associated function. This means an Internet connection is required for this technology to work.
Nonetheless, this is a very useful and fun feature.
An Android-based smartphone, the G1 from T-Mobile.
(Credit: T-Mobile)After preloading an iPhone app on Sansumg camera phones and expanding to Mexico, Scanbuy announced Tuesday that its ScanLife multi-bar code reader is now compatible for mobile phones running on Google Android.
As in any other mobile device, the ScanLife application allows for scanning a 2D bar code and automatically performing an action or function associated with that code. The action can be displaying a specific Web site, launching a video, dialing a phone number, or anything else a smartphone can do.
This way, bar codes can help eliminate the need to use the phone's tiny keyboard. You can even go to Scanlife's Web site to create your own bar code and associate it with whatever Web page or contact information you want.
The application supports major 2D bar code formats (including Datamatrix, EZcode, and QR) and can be downloaded for free from www.getscanlife.com when you visit the site on the mobile browser.
With the addition of Android, the ScanLife software is now compatible with virtually all popular mobile operating systems including BlackBerry, iPhone, Java, Symbian, and Windows Mobile.
Bar codes have become more popular in the last few years. If you fly now, most airlines allow you to print your own boarding pass that contains several types of bar codes. American Airlines even lets you use your mobile phone that displays a bar code to board their airplanes at selected airports.
Scanbuy, the developer of the 2D EZcode bar codes, announced on Wednesday that it has secured a global agreement with Samsung to preload the ScanLife mobile 2D bar code reader application on Samsung's camera phones.
(Credit:
Scanbuy)
The deal comes into effect as early as next month when Samsung starts selling these phones in Spain, Italy, and Denmark. With this move, Scanbuy hopes to quickly expand the use of EZcodes in other major markets, including Mexico and the United States.
EZcodes allows for instantaneously executing an action that the code is associated with, such as launching a Web site without you having to remember its Web address and typing it on the phone's browser. For example, if you see a product that features an EZcode, you can take a photo of that code using your mobile phone's camera, and the ScanLife software will immediately gives you information related to that product such as its price, functions, specs, or even place a call to its technical support. Aside from EZcodes, the application also reads major 2D bar code formats designed to quickly recognize and process information.
As part of the global agreement, Samsung will preload camera phones with the ScanLife application for each new country that's rolling out Scanbuy's complete solution. Samsung will also use EZcodes to promote and market its extensive portfolio of consumer-related electronics.
Personally, I've tried the ScanLife app on my iPhone 3G a couple of times and thought it was really cool. However, this kind of technology only makes sense if it's implemented ubiquitously, which is exactly what Scanbuy is trying to achieve with this deal.
Facebook's EZcode.
(Credit: ScanLife)Scanbuy announced on Wednesday their free Scanlife barcode reader for iPhone called ScanLife. The software allows for scanning an EZcode using the iPhone's camera then instantaneously executing an individual action that the code is associated to, such as launching a Web site without you having to remember its URL and typing it on the phone's browser.
ScanLife saves you from having to remember and type in the URL for a web page.
(Credit: ScanLife)I tried ScanLife on my new iPhone 3G to launch a few Web sites, and it worked very well most of the time, even when the code is not on the center of the photo. A few times when the photo was blurry or underexposed, I had to take it again.
The software only works with EZcodes, which you can create your own for free after a quick registration. You can even create an EZcode for a specific Web page, for example, to send users directly to an iTunes page to preview and purchase a specific song or to watch a particular video on YouTube.
ScanLife is available for other smartphones, too. You can get it by texting the word "SCAN" to 43588 to receive the download instructions or go to www.getscanlife.com on your mobile browser. ScanLife supports hundreds of other camera cell phones running major mobile operating systems including BREW, Java, Symbian, Palm, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile.
This seems a fun and convenient way to access and process information from your phones, especially when the implementation of EZCodes becomes popular.
There's a catch, though: your memory will atrophy, and soon enough you won't be able to do anything without your phone. This has already happened to me.
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