There are several ways this is different than the :CueCat.
1) I don't have to install an unsightly hardware component
That's right. I already have my chic phone tucked snugly at my hip. It's already with me wherever I go. The only thing I install is an applet that 'grabs' photos that meet certain requirements. And I don't know about you, but my phone cam is 1 click away (2 to actually get the picture taken).
2) The information can be immediately useful.
So there's a new restaurant in town. I want to check it out...but what's on the menu? And I -could- take 4 minutes to type it into my phone, but why? Snap, and I have an address I to which I can tell Google Maps to direct me. That's -far- more than typing in a 7-letter word.
3) Note taking
If I'm at home (where my :CueCat is), there's no motivation to do much more than walk over to my computer and type in a URL. But I've often seen products on the road or where I can't easily access my computer. Maybe I'm the only person, but by the time I get home, I forget some things from my day. If I could take a snapshot and browse at my leisure, I could be forgetful without stress.
4) Proprietary?
I don't know if the system is proprietary, but if it's not, there's no chicken-egg problem. You're already printing in print. You already have fine print. Why not put a little square that means something to a substantial chunk of people?
5) Controversy?
The :CueCat lost out on a lot of techheads because of privacy concerns. While the same concerns -could- apply here, they're not nearly as problematic. Plus, the techheads are ALREADY using the device, albeit overseas.
There are instances where it is in widespread use. Japanese print ads have 2D barcodes on them. Even blogs and webpages have 2D barcodes, so you can access URL from your phone. (You can use the 2Dbarcode to forward the blog to your friends, which your phone already has a list of them)
There are a couple things different there. Most Japanese peoples' access to the internet has been through their cell phones, rather than through their computers. Landlines are much more expensive than having a cell phone. In addition, the majority of Japanese are in urban areas where they use public transportation. That gives them a lot of down time to play with their phones. The print ads in the train have the 2D bar codes on them, so people can check out the ad while they're riding the train. Given that unless you have a full keypad (real or virtual), it's still harder typing in a phone, than using a 2D barcode.
That said, I don't think Americans (Don't know about europe) will find as much use for 2D barcodes for print ads, as we drive everywhere.
However, if I'm walking around the city, I'd find it very handy to be able to check out how many tickets are left for a show and being able to buy tickets for the show from the URL in a 2D barcode on the print ad for a show across town for some impromptu entertainment.
It would also be useful if sewn onto tags of pillows, clothing, other products, etc, so that would provide product information, or at least a URL that has the manual, or specs. That way, if some piece were broken, it'd be an easy way to order replacement parts.
Yes typing a short URL is relatively easy in current phones.
But 2D bar codes allow you to make each URL very long and contain a ton of other information. Which can be immensely useful for tracking the effectiveness of each print ad and each campaign.
It seems like this could be useful on product tags. Lets say you walk into a clothing store, find something, but they don't have it in your size. You image the barcode on the tag, find your size and order it online without ever leaving the store. Or, it could be used to display items that go well together...just a thought.
If you have to send a picture message or email in order to get a url back you might as well send a blank message. The most popular technique in the UK seems to be sending a keyword to a shortcode, eg "EAT to 2580"
That would be very cool... I've read that scanning regular barcodes with a cameraphone is difficult, but I believe there are some people making headway with it.
If it were music, I'd rather just make a call to a number, have it listen to whatever song is in the background, and then download it for me.
The app isn't by google. I don't think Google processes the barcodes for you on their server. Their announcement is just saying that their print advertising program for large companies will now include 2D barcodes.
That means you, as a consumer, need to process the 2D barcodes on you client (the phone), and take the decoded URL and pass it on to the phone's web browser.
It's a good indication that the chicken-and-egg problem isn't such a problem in this case.
I see a lot of potential for interesting things to do with this. There was always a lot of future-looking hot air when I was in school about how location-aware content delivery was the thing to do. It really was a lot of hot air because nobody really wants the kind of content you'd put on such a stream. But say you're standing in line for a Sox game (Red, White, doesn't matter which) and they've got a list of upcoming home games posted. Snap the barcode next to a game time/date to go to the ticket sales site for that day. On your way out, when you're at the bus stop, snap the barcode to get an estimate of when the next bus will arrive. Simple.
If I were a band, and I knew that cell phone calendar/event managers supported iCal event files, I'd put barcodes that directed people to the file on my website, so my next show would show up on their calendars.
1) I don't have to install an unsightly hardware component
That's right. I already have my chic phone tucked snugly at my hip. It's already with me wherever I go. The only thing I install is an applet that 'grabs' photos that meet certain requirements. And I don't know about you, but my phone cam is 1 click away (2 to actually get the picture taken).
2) The information can be immediately useful.
So there's a new restaurant in town. I want to check it out...but what's on the menu? And I -could- take 4 minutes to type it into my phone, but why? Snap, and I have an address I to which I can tell Google Maps to direct me. That's -far- more than typing in a 7-letter word.
3) Note taking
If I'm at home (where my :CueCat is), there's no motivation to do much more than walk over to my computer and type in a URL. But I've often seen products on the road or where I can't easily access my computer. Maybe I'm the only person, but by the time I get home, I forget some things from my day. If I could take a snapshot and browse at my leisure, I could be forgetful without stress.
4) Proprietary?
I don't know if the system is proprietary, but if it's not, there's no chicken-egg problem. You're already printing in print. You already have fine print. Why not put a little square that means something to a substantial chunk of people?
5) Controversy?
The :CueCat lost out on a lot of techheads because of privacy concerns. While the same concerns -could- apply here, they're not nearly as problematic. Plus, the techheads are ALREADY using the device, albeit overseas.