"It's the hyperlink in the physical world" says a Microsoft PR man, giving us the most succinct definition of what Redmond's
Tag initiative is all about. Having announced its alternative take on the barcode at CES 2009, Microsoft has been working behind the scenes on proliferating the use of these multicolored Tags, which are designed to be snapped by nearby cameraphones. Once the pattern is recognized, you can obtain digital content directly on your phone -- whether it be a website link, YouTube video, or whatever -- and the uses are pretty much limitless: business cards, product packaging, magazines, anything that can benefit from supplemental online content and has a flat surface is a candidate to be Tagged. Such is the theory anyhow, and Microsoft's doing all it can to make it happen, with software for most mobile platforms, including the iPhone. Video demonstration after the break.
posted February 1st 2010 8:17AM
@TheCow5 : It sounds almost cool, except unless you go to a bookstore that has a digital bookstore presence on your eReader, I have a feeling most bookstores won't be pleased to have a person just 'browsing' their selection, and buying it online, right in their own store, from some other company. Better yet, why not browse at your public library if possible?
I also find it hard to imagine the practicality of adding a camera to an eReader; these devices are rather bulky or large, and using it as a camera doesn't seem realistic. Maybe a cellphone camera, that will sync it to your eReader.
Should this take off, it would be rather awesome.
@Rem DX
This type of thing is all over the place in Japan.
Sure beats having to type stuff in.
@Rem DX
1. Modify a barcode with a marker pen
2. Figure our which URL the modified barcode points to
3. Host some malware at that address
These things scare me for the same reason that URL shortening services scare me: I don't know what I'm clicking on until it's too late.
@jgpuff Actually it would be fairly hard to do that, even with a black and white barcode. They have forward error correction which means even if you change a significant number (say 20%) of the bits it will still decode correctly.
@LAY: Not really, you're thinking of QR Codes which is a similar but incompatible system.
@jgpuff: There are about a thousand ways to obscure a URL, so whatever sense of security you get from clicking on a non-shortened URL is completely false.
No Android App yet?
@jgpuff
I agree with you about security. Imagine if the code was plastered at bus stops for a legitimate reason... then a person could slap a sticker over the code with their own malicious one. I think the issue could be solved, but would require a method of redirection that is resolved at a central host.
@tonicboy
Enlighten me please, tonicboy!
@LAY Definitely way better than typing in stuff! Also a "greener" way to pass out information. For instance ... I have one business card. I get others to snap the tag on the card - and POOF they have my info on their phone! They won't lose the card and I save printing cost!
They call it high capacity, but what is the difference in storage between this and a regular barcode?
@spade http://www.microsoft.com/tag/content/overview/
@JudgeDredd ^^ Warning: Silverlight site.
@spade I think capacity and marketing are the only real keys to success here. I had a QR reader on my old HTC Wizard years ago, but no one knew what the heck it was.
@Andir lol
@spade Well Tags speak with servers. The information is not embedded in the code. The advantage of this is that users are able to change the destination of the Tag at any point.
Other advantages include:
1- Analytics
2- Scalability
3- Customization (color, bw, logos, pictures0
A variation of this is already functional in Singapore. Not sure if it's the Microsoft one or a competing tech.
@Herr Synnberg It's the open spec that's proliferated everywhere...this is Microsoft trying to collect data about what you scan. The 2D barcodes you see today: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code have the data (url, contact, etc.) encoded in the barcode so you don't need a third party or internet connection to obtain the info.
The Microsoft barcodes need to connect to a Microsoft run server to get the data. The Microsoft barcodes are only "data identifiers" like tinyurl links.
Ah, microsoft reinventing qrcodes so no one else can use them for the win. Last generation "technology" doesn't need reinvented when it works fine. Let's move on to holographic tags please:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/28/mits-bokode-tech-calls-out-zebra-stripes-qr-codes-for-battle-o/
Bokode for the win!
@oGMo I'm so happy someone else say this. Quoting what I just tweeted: "Microsoft's TAG campaign promoting 2D barcodes for expanding content is classic MS. We already have QRcodes. But MS MUST brand EVERYTHING!"
Now where did I put my Cuecat?
Cue the Cuecat jokes. Ah, those were the days, we were all going to be rich and retired by now. They say nostalgia goes in 20 year cycles, won't be long now before we're all reliving the '90s.
@Famous Grouse
CueCats were attached to PC and were really for people too lazy to type a website.
This is supposed to be for cameras on phones, that are sometimes a pain to type with.
qr barcodes already do this and have been popular in japan and the US nerd crowd for years. great job at innovating microsoft :/ sarcasm
@saturnblackhole
And QR Code has a little advantage. It's not required to be printed in color.
I don't see why anyone should be required to pay for color printing just for a "bar code"...
Just another "great innovation" from MS...
@saturnblackhole
MS didnt say they were revolutionizing anything.
It's just a service that hasn't taken here in the US. Maybe this one will take better? Or should we just go without?
@saturnblackhole
Not everything has to be about innovation. If that were the case, they'd be in R&D forever creating new innovations.
Sometimes, big corporations are also about a little thing called money.
Grow up and welcome to the real world troll.
@saturnblackhole I've used this, and the good thing about the Microsoft Tag is that capturing the tag is very easy: you don't have to align it to anything. In fact the software is so good it can capture the information even if it is at an angle and upside down within a fraction of a second.
@saturnblackhole
The Microsoft Tag doesn't have to be colour--it works in black and white too. It encodes slightly more information and can be made more visually attractive (so as to look less like a "barcode").
...however, QR codes have a good head start. It'll be interesting to see how this pans out.
@ZSX Have you used a QR Code reader on a japanese phone? They can also read tags at angles and stuff
@Zod Well, according to this link right here http://www.microsoft.com/tag/content/overview/
the code can also be printed in black and white, so no need for color apparently.
@LAY Problem is that QR codes are used A LOT by Android users already in the US. Go to any Android forum/site that talks about applications or downloads and you will see QR codes all over the place. There is a QR code on the back of my Nexus One as a matter of fact.
Now, mass market codes like on the back of serial boxes maybe not...but in terms of usage they are being used strictly for mobile at the moment (In android anyways)
@InnocentEd Serial boxes? haha. I mean cereal boxes :P Whoops
@Zod They aren't required to be in color, if ou have ever tried the service out you can render it in black and white or color. The advantage compared to QR codes is that Microsoft tags can be scaled down to be much smaller than what qr codes can.
M$ sucks!, GO APPLE!!
Nokia phones have a similar system in Australia. Telstra uses it too. Why reinvent it (oops, shouldn't have asked)? The system isn't widely used but it is used. A few telstra posters seen at places like bus stops/shops have these. Much the same functionality... But without widespread use and M$ backing it?
@haydenbech The Nokia tech is a bit more different - cooler. Eg: Point to a movie poster, it recognizes it and it takes you to a website. You can view the trailer, imdb, buy tickets right through the phone.
OR, point to a Cadbury Chocolate, the phone recognizes it and displays all the relative info and shows the shop nearest to you on Ovi maps which sells it. Pretty cool!
I've tried Tag though and it worked quite well on my iphone. The things with this kinda tech is that the more ppl that use it, the better it gets and ppl tend to poo-poo it if not 100% all the time.
Well, it's worked with QR codes in Japan for the last decade...
Not a single mention of QR Codes in this entire post?
Cool idea. Seems to have substantial fault tolerance and adds more creativity/customisation than other iterations.
My first reaction was that since this uses 4 colours it will be much more expensive to print than the traditional one-colour black barcode, but it seems that it works in black and white as well which is cool.
Seems you can enter a vcard directly and create a code. Nice in order to save business cards to your smartphone!
@sibyy Android version coming soon :-(
@sibyy it'll work on Android.
I've been using Tag for about a month now. I put a tag on the back of my business card. it is a great way to catch people's interest and sends them directly to my groups site.
I'm always looking for tags and really makes my phones camera seem less novel.
@sibyy The fault tolerance and redundancy in QR Codes also let you do a lot of fun stuff http://xn--malmpeeps-37a.se/imgboard-img/63e23a058c289a71f81cb81478c51882.jpg
The fact that they're black and white also means you can use colors to draw things and the reader will "see through" the colors
@kalleboo I've seen that before but tried once to include a bunch of info in a QR code and it was absolutely huge!
The thing I hate the most is adding contacts to my phone so if this automates this, I'll be very glad!!
@sibyy The only "problem" with the Microsoft method is that you have to upload all your contact information to Microsoft to use in whatever way they want. The MS Tags require that you connect to a server to download the data that's been stored. QR Codes can work in bad reception areas, and without having to have a third party server running.
Seems cool and better on paper than QR but if everyone needs a MS app for it to work then perhaps the last gen tech will win out.
QR codes look nicer, they work well and Microsoft is just stealing other people's ideas.
@(Unverified) it'll work on Android.
I've been using Tag for about a month now. I put a tag on the back of my business card. it is a great way to catch people's interest and sends them directly to my groups site.
I'm always looking for tags and really makes my phones camera seem less novel.
@(Unverified)
QR codes look nicer, they work well and Microsoft is just stealing other people's ideas.
*sigh*
They are all just variations on the original barcodes from the 70s. If MS were "stealing" anything then let the supposed "OP" claim infringement. God knows companies aren't shy about such these days.
And use either type of tag if you want, it's just a barcode for crying out loud.
@(Unverified) why haven't you registered yet, G?