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July 7, 2009 11:22 AM PDT

Sprint preloads ScanLife on Samsung Exclaim

by Dong Ngo

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.

Dong Ngo is a CNET editor who covers networking and network storage, and writes about anything else he finds interesting. You can also listen to his podcast at insidecnetlabs.cnet.com. E-mail Dong.
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by externallain July 7, 2009 11:59 AM PDT
I just tried this out on my Centro, with Sprint, and the 1.3MP camera is not good enough. I took pictures close up, mid-range and far and each time Scan Life could not decode the image. It is diffinately the camera though; I can't focus it and the picture at any range are blurred. The software does say the image must be in focus to work properly.
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by MobileRealization July 7, 2009 1:51 PM PDT
From what I understand, ScanLife can only read EZ codes at this point. If you try to scan QR or Data Matrix it will state that it could not decode it. That would then be an app issue and not a lens issue.
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by scanlifesupport July 7, 2009 2:16 PM PDT
ScanLife can read Datamatrix and QR, but in the US it only resolves EZcode and Datamatrix codes created from the ScanLife platform. You can create free codes at www.scanlife.com.
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by Eludium-Q36 July 8, 2009 10:07 AM PDT
1997 Que-cat anyone ?
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