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ScanLife: Proprietary vs. Open in the world of 2-D barcodes

Posted by Jay Donovan on 07/8/08 in barcodes

Saw this story at MobileCrunch regarding the ScanLife EZCode format and reader. You may have seen this type of code in Sprint advertisements lately.

In the grand tradition of UPC codes and CueCat, ScanBuy/ScanLife is attempting to barcode the world. Their mission: to allow companies and individuals to place small barcodes on their publications that are readable by over 70 phone models including an upcoming application for the iPhone.

The 2d barcodes - meaning that unlike standard barcodes they are read in both the X and Y axis - can trigger menu events, download content, lead you to a website, or create a contact or calendar entry in your phone. They currently appear in outdoor ads, some magazines, as well as transit schedules in Europe. The program is actually compatible with multiple types of codes, ensuring international compatibility.

 

I installed this little app and scanned a few EZCodes out there and found that it works nicely (although it doesn’t seem to recognize my default mobile browser–Opera Mobile– and instead launches P.I.E. Dang!). After a little more experimentation however I noticed that it was not reading some other 2-D barcodes I had made in the past. (I have been using the i-nigma reader for a while to read QR and Data Matrix codes). I dug a little more and it seems that ScanLife uses a proprietary coding system that does not work with other "open" 2-D bar code standards.

Why? What is the difference? Why would there be multiple code types?

This article at mobilestance.com explains the angles pretty well.

What do I think? I agree with mobilestance that Android’s promise for spreading "open-ness" and pre-installation may prove to hold the ultimate check-mate. But it is really a matter of timing and the real winner, if this becomes a battle for standards, will be the company and code that creates the easiest scenario for the non-technically inclined person to use. After all, this technology is suppose to make things easier for us. The first company to simplify the entire procedure may not even have to show up to the chess game for standards (ugh, do you believe I posted such a cliche:)

Lastly, I did notice that codes created at mippin.com (which still resemble "open" QR codes) seem to work with both styles of code reader. Interesting.

Here are 3 examples to see the difference:

The first is a code created at mippin.com. The second is a QR code created at i-nigma.com and the third is a ScanLife EZCode. You can see the differences and similarities.

img-784995   img-1-771666 techcrunch-mobile

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Written by Jay Donovan · Filed Under barcodes 
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  • Allen
    This litany is a little bit tiresome. I think the purpose of this discussion is to identify the difference between the managed vs. unmanaged code. My general feeling is that the key to the Shop Savvy solution on the GPhone is that someone can take a published code and direct it somewhere without reference to the entity that published the code. The Scanbuy/scanlife solution says: "Okay code publisher, what do YOU want this code to do?"
  • For starters, ScanLife 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.
  • Elin aka hiijacker ... Don't you know it's not right to purposefully mislead the public with false information?

    NeoMedia has many patents and only ONE is under re-examination by the USPTO.

    http://streetstylz.blogspot.com/2008/07/neomedi...

    "This is a standard patent process and we simply have to let it run its course. We have successfully defended this type of allegation in the past; it's the challenge NeoMedia faces for being an innovator. Our focus is on enabling interoperability and a viable ecosystem of players needed to support a vibrant and growing mobile barcode scanning business," states Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia."

    "NeoMedia has a strong and valuable patent portfolio in the arena of connecting barcodes to content over networks that has been successfully defended in the past. This re-examination was limited to only one of NeoMedia's many patents, and none of its other patents are affected by the re-examination."
  • Elin
    Neomedia lost its patents according to the USPTO.
  • It should be noted that:

    Scanbuy’s indirect resolution process, which they use for their proprietary EZcode, is infringing on NeoMedia Technologies’ core patents.

    Indirect encoding (patented by NeoMedia) is the process of linking the target information to an index (364528 for example) and putting that unique identifier into a 1D UPC/EAN or 2D barcode. The code reader on the mobile phone reads the barcode and sends the code data over the Internet to a central resolution server that will tell the mobile phone what action is associated with the index, i.e. access a URL, download media, initiate a phone call, ect.

    NeoMedia Technologies has a suite of twelve issued patents covering the core concepts behind linking the physical world to the electronic world dating back to 1995. These patents cover various linkage methods including: Barcodes, RFID, Mag Stripe, Voice, and Other machine readable and keyed entry identifiers.

    http://neom.com/13.html

    NeoMedia brought suit against Scanbuy for patent infringement. Litigation has been ongoing.
  • Jay Donovan
    Ah sorry for being unclear Roger, the point I was trying to make is that ScanLife's reader will read the QR code created at Mippen.com (the 1st on the left), but will not read the QR code created at i-nigma.com (in the middle), which I find interesting, since they are both based on the same standard. And the EZCode is proprietary, and only readable with the ScanLife Reader.
  • Hi,
    From left to right, the first two ones are both QR Codes - one containing more data, the other less.
    Both are readable with any QR Code Reader.


    The EZ code on the other hand is proprietory as you mentioned and only readable by Scanlife.
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