Google Mobile Bar Codes..The Catalyst For Mobile Advertising Domination?

Last week Silicon Alley Insider had a report on Google's Hope For Small Bar Codes. I don't think most people realize how big of an opportunity this really is for advertisers, brands and Google.

First of all, it's foolish to think Google and advertisers won't find a way to increase traffic to a website(more revenue opportunities). It's also clear mobile advertising is the next great land rush.

Because the advertiser can change the URL, mobile bar codes can turn a static ad, into a dynamic ones. The ad owner can change the URL to also make a static ad (newspaper, magazine, billboard) into a dynamic advertising situtation.. click on a bar code in a magazine ad and get the latest info.

Google, just as they have done with their Blogger application, allow millions of people to create content for their database. Wouldn't it make sense for Google to introduce an application that allows advertisers, consumers, brands and website owners to create their own 2d mobile bar code?

More links to content means more advertising dollars.

The physical world hyperlink transformation is coming and to think advertisers, Google, handset manuf won't try to utilize the camera on the mobile phone as a mouse, is naive. Hyperlinks are embedded into websites to make it easier to get to a website. The mouse clicks to connect, typing is not even an option in most cases.

The camera will become your physical world "mouse".

Microsoft has found a way to use voice as the "mouse in the car" with their Sync technology. Say a key phrase and the computer in the car acts as the mouse.

Who knows maybe mobile bar codes could save the newspaper industry.

As newspapers are trying to find ways to increase revenues and subscribers, they will now have a tool that makes their static ads and stories dynamic.

This also allows the print industry to "merge" with the online world.

How much easier will it be to click on a bar code, than to type "http://www.nytimes.technology/breakingnews.htm"? And if the newspaper guys are smart they make you register so they can then display relevant ads to your mobile phone.

The millions of bar codes on newspapers or magazines become millions of hyperlinks to a websites. It's a win-win for everyone.

It's just a question of when Google dominates this space too.

Nokia Mobile Codes In Beta....What's Next?

Physical World Connection gets a big boost.

Nokia starts offering the ability to create and read Mobile Codes. Microsoft offers the ability to create your own 2d codes too. Recently the largest consumer good packaging company in the world announced they would be placing them on packaging.

I think the chicken and egg are pretty much covered here. To complete the loop, a social network site should starting offering the ability to create and scan 2d codes too. Let the targeted demographic determine the creative applications for these codes.

The quicker consumers and corporations can create their own 2d codes (physical world hyperlinks) through a universal platform, the quicker PWC gets adopted.

On Nokia's Beta Site , they are offering the ability to create a 2d code (Mobile Code), and several software applications (downloadable), that allow you to scan the Mobile Codes with a Nokia camera phone. If you have a Nokia N93, N93i, N95 or E90, you will find the Nokia barcode reader preinstalled on your device, ready to scan mobile codes around you.


If the carriers that work with the compatible Nokia phones were smart, they would start offering the ability to create Mobile Codes (physical world hyperlinks) on their site.

If I am Nokia, I would be looking for sites that allow individuals to continuously generate content. Know which ones I would target first?

Can you see how Google could incorporate 2d code creating ability into their advertising mix?

What are 2D codes?
'Mobile codes' are in fact 2D codes, two-dimensional codes that can hold much more data than ordinary barcodes - linear 1D codes - due to their matrix structure.


The Mobile Code for The Pondering Primate.


In what format are the mobile codes I have created?
We like open standards: the two currently available open-standard formats for 2D codes are Datamatrix (DM) and Quick Response (QR). Our site uses currently the Datamatrix standard. Some of the readers proposed on this site can read QR codes as well, including the Nokia barcode reader

Learn more about Nokia's Mobile Code project

Microsoft Colorful Barcode Followup And How It Affects Google

Google may be kicking Microsoft's butt in the PC search space, but Mister Softee has unveiled and acquired some interesting applications that could make them a formidable player in the mobile space.

Microsoft, using a mobile phone, is actually starting to link objects in the physical world, to the Internet.

Yesterday Microsoft's colorful 2d barcode (HCCB) announcement will have a profound impact on Physical World Connection (PWC). The multicolor 2d barcode technology was developed by Microsoft Research to assist in the identification of commercial audiovisual works such as motion pictures, video games, broadcasts, digital video recordings and other media.

In the last few months Microsoft has introduced a:
speech recogntion browser
1d barcode scanner
2d barcode scanner
mobile image recognition engine and an
RFID browser

Is Microsoft developing the operating system for the "Internet of Things"?

Having a day to ponder, I see enormous opportunities for Microsoft in the mobile marketing space and makes my prediction even more likely.

After the DoubleClick-Google deal, it is more important than ever that Microsoft try to "own" the mobile marketing space.

Google, while they are dabbling in print and radio, is still pretty much a digital world player. How will Google connect the physical world to the Net? How will they continue to dominate the Internet advertising space if they are only using SMS for mobile marketing?

See why Google should be, or maybe is, looking at these guys and will offer a 2d code creating site/application. This acquisition would allow Google to offer clients the ability to connect almost ANY physical object to the Internet using existing 1d codes or newly created 2d codes. It would also add billions of objects in their database.

What happens if Microsoft buys them first?

A big transformation will come when physical objects/content are/is linked to the Internet and Microsoft is already in the lead there. I don't see that same size change or demand occurring in trying to make digital content physical.

Once the group starts issuing the barcodes, studios and producers will be able to link their Web sites to that database.

Did Microsoft indirectly just land the entire entertainment industry as a mobile marketing client? What is the next big component, that the entertainment industry uses directly for promotions, that Microsoft should go after? Who is producing the next generation barcode for Physical World Connection?

Thoughts, comments?

Microsoft's Lincoln Uses Camera Phone And Images For Mobile Search

Recently Google acquired Neven Vision, and Mobot was acquired in what was called the "marketing wedding of the year". Since then they bought themselves back from acquirer.

Here comes Microsoft with an image recognition search engine application.

Microsoft has their own image recognition application that lets people search the Internet on their cell phones using a camera instead of a keypad.

From Technology Review Microsoft's Lincoln uses images and camera phones for search

Researchers at Microsoft have developed a software prototype called Lincoln that they hope will make Web searches easier. According to Larry Zitnick , a Microsoft researcher who works on the project, phones equipped with the software could, for example, access online movie reviews by snapping pictures of movie posters or DVD covers and get product information from pictures of advertisements in magazines or on buses.

"The main thing we want to do is connect real-world objects with the Web using pictures," says Zitnick. "[Lincoln] is a way of finding information on the Web using images instead of keywords."

Currently, the database contains pictures of DVD covers that link to movie reviews uploaded by Microsoft researchers. However, anyone can contribute his or her pictures and links to the database, and Zitnick hopes that people will fill it with pictures and links to anything from information about graffiti art to scavenger-hunt clues.

The technology is now the basis for the Google Image Labeler , which consists of a game that helps Google serve up more-accurate picture results for keyword searches.

Microsoft now has a speech recognition browser , a barcode scanning device and developing a RFID browser .

Physical World Connection Companies..Connecting A Mobile Phone With A Physical Object

When a display was added to the first mobile phone, a new media was created. Since then, Internet connection and a camera have been added that have created a new way to interact with the physical world.

Soon speech recognition will allow an additional way to browse the physical world too.

Every physical object will have a physical world hyperlink

That means every physical object will allow connection to a designated website and the mobile phone with it's physical world browser will be able to surf the "real world", the physical one.

I think you find THE NEXT GOOGLE in here.

Your ad could be here.

MOBILE BAR CODE COMPANIES

23half and their Thrrum Visual Browser
3GVision
5o9 Inc
Abaxia and their MobileTag
ABBYY
Active Print (Hewlett-Packard)
ActiveSymbols
Aeritas
Airclic
AlpsLab
Applied Digital Solutions and their VeriChip
Aura Interactive
Baracoda
BaToo
BeeTagg
BluePulse
BrandAttention
CamClic
[COD]mmunication
ColorZip Media
ConvergeLabs
CounterFight
DSPV
Daem Interactive
Denim Code
DiMoCo
Digimarc
Domino Solutions
Ecrio
Elcode
Evolution ViPR
Evryx
Exbiblio
G2Tactics
Gavitec
GenTag
GeoVector
GMedia
Google 2D Code
Google Voice
Hitachi
HookCode
Hypertag
Iconlab
Infokall
Innofone
Intelcom
Intellareturn's Append
Intrasonics
JagTag
Jaxo and their BarShow application
Kameleon
KoolTag
L.G. Electronics
Liquid Information
Luna Development
MBarc
M-Bar-Go
Matrix Solutions
MediaSeek
Mobicode
MobileAMA
Mobile Assets Corp
Hewlett Packard'sMobile Bristol
Mobile Discovery
Mobile Tag
Mobile2Win
MobilRelay
MobiMarketing
Mobot
Mobiqa
MyBestPrice
MyClick
MyMobileCast.com
Mytago
MyThum Interactive
NetInformer
Nextcode
Neven Vision
NewFound
NPCTelecom
nThrum
Nuance
Ontela
Kooaba and ooLink
OP3 and ShotCode
Opera
PaperDisk
PixeCode
PriceNoia
Psiloc
QuickMark
QMCODES
RealEyes 3D
Riya
SCANBUY
Scansoft/SpeechWorks
Secure Symbology
Semacode
Semapedia
Sintef
Skuair
SmartPox
SnapTell
Socket
SpyderLynk
SwiftPass
Tagit
TellMe
Trillcode
Tripletail Ventures and their VideoBarcode
Veritec
Tivik
Visual Magic
Vocalocity
VoiceGenie
VoxSurf
w3 Logistics Handyscan
Wappple
WideRay
Xerox
Xobile's Leapscan
XXTreme Measures
ZapCode
ZapLinks

List is not complete due to some companies wishing to remain private about their applications


If your company is not included, please send an email and I will be happy to include in this category.


Wouldn't your ad look good here?