Wearing your heart on your sleeve? Try a bar code instead

Stuart Corner
Thursday, 01 November 2007 18:43

Business IT - Technology

Here's an interesting idea: set up your entry on Facebook or MySpace with everything you want to tell the world about yourself, print the URL as a barcode on a T-shirt and anyone with a Telstra mobile could be able to photograph the bar code and immediately have your Facebook page pop up on their phone.

The technology is here now, it's in the Next G network and on some Telstra handsets, and it works a treat. Not that Telstra is offering this service, yet. It is just being suggested as an extension of the service Telstra will launch in 2008.

The technology, Mobile Codes, is initially being used to enhance advertisements either in print or external display. One or more of the barcodes are added to the advertisement and when it is photographed, software in the handset recognises the barcode, translates it into a URL and uses HSDPA and the phone's browser to display that web page on the phone.

Telstra is presently working with KFC, Nike, Pizza Hut andToyota in preparation for a trial of the technology early in 2008, but says that "future applications may include individual users being able to generate mobile barcodes at the Telstra website to share information such as their contact details, blogs or social networking sites."

Telstra group managing director consumer marketing and channels, David Moffatt, suggested: "Consumers could even wear their own barcodes on a t-shirt as a fashion statement which could then be scanned and linked to their personal BigBlog, Facebook or MySpace pages."

 The barcode could, of course, also be printed on the back of a business card to give the recipient access to contact details or other company information.