Scan Favorite Places On Google

[Ed Hansberry]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/explore-whole-new-way-to-window-shop.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/MKuf+(Official+Google+Blog)' target='_blank'>http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009...al+Google+Blog)</a><br /><br /></div><p>Google is sending out decals to thousands of businesses that have a QR barcode on it. The idea is you can scan the barcode with your phone using special software and get information about the place you are about to enter, reviews and even instant coupons. If this catches on, it will be nice when walking up to a restaurant and immediately getting third party reviews to help you make a decision on whether or not to enter it.</p><p>If you <a href="http://www.google.com/help/maps/favoriteplaces/business/barcode.html" target="_blank">go to the FAQ</a>, you can find links to a number of different software packages that read the codes, many of which work on Windows Mobile. After all of the hype about Microsoft Tag, i never really got how it would get into the mainstream. Looks like Google figured out a way, but they used a two dimensional code <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code" target="_blank">over fifteen years old</a>.</p>

[BevHoward]

>> 15 years old <<

That's pretty new in barcode years ;-)

My guess would be that they have the rights and determined that the rather coarse format would be best for mobile phone use.

imho, consumer use of barcodes beyond the self checkout lanes is a non starter beyond fads that these projects generally are... (watch... google will likely prove me wrong ;-)

Beverly Howard

[gandi]

My not-really-into-business-yet business got promoted to a "Favorite Place" with merely 300 hits during those three month scanned by google... Makes you wonder what their definition of Favorite might be. ;)

[Fritzly]

I have not seen these small "boxes" here yet but in Europe they are really popular: you see them on newspapers, on the tag of many items shown in store windows, on monuments, billboards etc. You take a shot with the cellular and either you see web pages related to the article or you could see detailed information about it: each "square" can contain up to 4,296 text characters.

[Sven Johannsen]

Brilliant, innovative, it's like the Google guys were visited by aliens with superior technology. Why couldn't MS come up with something like that?

TAG http://www.microsoft.com/tag/content/overview/

Guess you have to market it...or not be MS.

[Fritzly]

Actually the technology was invented by a Japanese company, sorry I do not remember the name; I also remember the MS ones, they were even colored, but I do not know how popular they are.
All the ones I saw in Europe are based on the original Japanese technology.
Google seems to be riding the wave which is indeed a smart move.....

[frankenbike]

I have Quickmark on my WM phone that lets me scan those things. I got it because http://www.freewarepocketpc.net uses it to point you to sites to directly download freeware to your phone.

Without irony, you can get the Quickmark reader that works with your Windows Mobile/Phone camera here: http://www.freewarepocketpc.net/ppc-download-quickmark-v3-3-barcode-reader.html

[Phillip Dyson]

All of the readers linked to on Google's site seem to only mention supporting Professional devices.

Has anyone found on that works on Standard? Like the Samsung Jack?

[tcurran]

The Google decals won't work on Windows Mobile phones, because (so far, at least), no Windows Mobile web browser supports the mobile version of Google Favorite Places page. If you scan a decal, you just get taken to the mobile version of the Google home page.

Sigh. Windows Mobile users get no respect. (Windows Mobile? What's that?)