ScanLife 2D Barcode reader comes to iPhone

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.

[markntravis]

:CueCat was first.

Metronaut was even earlier...

[mistercow.pnoy]

what if they take the picture sidewards, will it direct to someone else' page?

[NeoReader]

I had my friend download the ScanLife application to his iPhone so I could give it a test drive.

For starters, the application can only read and decipher proprietary EZcodes. Unfortunately the ScanLife application offers no support for 1D UPC/EAN barcodes, or Data Matrix, Aztec, or QR codes. This is the major downfall of the application, since it only supports one proprietary 2D symbology. As a result, ScanLife is not a true universal code reader.

For those wanting a much more intuitive mobile code reading experience, I highly recommend the NeoReader application from NeoMedia Technologies. The NeoReader is able to read and decipher all common non-proprietary 2D codes (Data Matrix, QR, Aztec) as well as URL embedded 2D codes and all 1D UPC/EAN/Code 128 open source codes. The NeoReader supports direct and indirect code linking, which guarantees maximum interoperability with already existing platforms like 2D Data Matrix Semacodes, and Japanese QR links. This allows the user to click on a variety of barcodes with a single application installed on their mobile device.

Download the NeoReader and instantly transform your iPhone into a universal code reader.

[kswa1987]

I went to the website looking for more info... couldn't find much about what these codes are other than something that "makes mobile phones spring into action". I don't get it... so you see something on a webpage that's on your computer, take a picture of the code on it, and then your iPhone navigates to that page? Am I missing something? Are there ads out in the wild with codes like these on them that navigate you to their webpage? Any help on this is appreciated. Maybe I just missed something.