Microsoft Tag comes out of beta, promises free colorful codes for all
By Tim Stevens 
posted May 28th 2010 1:08PM
posted May 28th 2010 1:08PM
It was about a year and a half ago that Microsoft decided it could do QR codes better, that any universal coding system needed a dash of color, and launched Tag. Now, the roughly one billion Tags that users have printed have been made a little less illegitimate, with Microsoft bringing the service out of beta and taking the opportunity to toot Tag's trumpet a bit. The codes have appeared in 20 million magazines so far and have recently been deployed to create a sort of tour for geeks in Amsterdam (no word on whether our own international man of mystery is featured). Meanwhile America's cultural hub, the Mall of America, has been similarly bestickered to "enhance customer engagement," but based on our previous experiences at that bastion of commercialism we're thinking scooters and foot massages might have been more effective.
Day late and a dollar short.
@FNi
Several dollars short.
MS Manager: "Hey look, we have QR codes just like Google!"
Smart Guy: "That's very... colorful..."
MS Manager: "Yeah isn't it great? It's very aesthetically pleasing."
Smart Guy: "So if I want to print a bunch of these for any reason then I get to spend a bundle on color cartr--"
MS Manager: "IT'S LIKE A MAGICAL RAINBOW! WHEEEEEE!!!"
@Realityism
Did you know MS was working on tags way before google ever thought about the QR codes? Besides, tags are more than just the google QR codes.
@nickcraze Did you know QR-codes were created in 1994?
@Becauseitsnotgoogle2
I know; I just think this implementation is stupid and seems like a poorly-executed pissing contest to show how much more clever they are than everyone else, and Google is their main rival who makes frequent use of QR codes. And my point remains. Microsoft's implementation is far more expensive to print.
@Realityism
They have black and white version of the tags too. The purpose of the color tags is that you can scale them smaller and still have a mobile device pick up the values clearly. So it cuts down on the print space.
@UnsilentMajority Touche!
sounds pretty neat! i'm kind of tempted to snap this code right here right now!
@AwlAmericanDawg
oh you should! It wont be a waste of a minute :)
@AwlAmericanDawg I did - it goes right to this article on Engadget.
hmm. seems pretty neat!
I cannot see this catching on any time soon.
Does that even make sense.
Another privacy threat
@violator - um, how?
@NewL
Wikipedia: "A Microsoft Tag is essentially a machine readable web link, analogous to a TinyURL link: when read, the Tag application sends the HCCB data to a Microsoft server, which then returns the publisher's intended URL."
Microsoft knows what tags you scan and where they link to.
@MaTdg And the web server that you go to knows that you visited and where you visited from. Go live in a cave. Seriously, you're not important enough for anyone to want to stalk you.
@Ellianth Still no need for microsoft to know what things I'm interested in because I scan the tag of a product or website. I'll stick with good old QR codes, thank you.
Welcome to the 80s
Cool cause I downloaded it on android and nothing uses it. So I hope it lives
You're it.
Haha, the image for the post links to this story. Nice engadget!
@chrisyz Phew, I'm glad someone actually tried it. I couldn't believe how many steps I had to click through just to generate the darned thing.
@TimStevens
Really, I was able to create one for my vcard in about 30 seconds.
And that included the time it took me to log into my Live account.
@jon 30 seconds is a long time in the life of a blogger!
@TimStevens
Fair enough.
Though if you cut back on the coffee, time doesn't seem to pass as quickly.
@TimStevens +1 for you my good sir! ....oh wait
pretty colors but thats it
I appreciate the pretty colours, but is this QR system and better than the one used by Google (and iPhone?)? In other words, why is MS doing this?
@Commander Data
Don't confuse things. This is Microsoft tag, QR-codes are the known black and white 2D codes.
QR-codes also don't have a direct link to google or apple, they where created in 1994 by a Japanese corporation, and are widely used in Japan long before android or the iPhone came out. There exist QR-code scanner apps for almost al (mobile) OS'es.
To answer your question: No, these are not better than QR and microsoft made it because... they wanted their own proprietary codes? I don't really get it why they did it, there's nothing wrong with QR-codes.
60 quadranary bits. Let's see, thats...4^60 = 1.33 × 10^36 combinations.
wow.
Last comment eaten by comment monster.
60 places for triangles, with each one having 4 values, that's 60 quadranary bits, or 4^60, which is 1.33 × 10^36 combination.
If that where bits it'd be about 20 yottabytes. Wow.
@Xenoterranos
I believe there's only 50 places for triangles. Still, 1.27e30 isn't too shabby.
@collinrs
158,456 yottabytes. The coolest part for me is that if you convert this to just binary data, a 5x10 grid of triangles could represent, I dunno, the entire Internet as a zip file.
@zangetsu2 Does not compute! So a 5x10 (50 cells) grid can contain the data for the internet but my hard disk with ~2,000,000,000,000 cells can only contain the data on my hard drive? No. This code can store an incredible 13 bytes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Capacity_Color_Barcode
CS 101: an n-cell memory with 2 states per cell can represent 2^n states and holds n bits.
Bonus, a 1080p image can represent 24^2,073,600 states. Wow!
What?
50 quaternary "bits" is the same as 100 binary bits, which is the same as 12.5 bytes (25 nybbles). I don't know where the contributor to that Wikipedia entry got the idea that 50 quaternary "bits" were the same as 105 binary bits, but anyone with a decent calculator can see that this is not right. Maybe the error correction allows you to squeeze in a few more bits, I don't know, but in terms of raw data, the math is pretty indisputable.
Umm.. so what does this offer that QR tags don't? Is it just the color?
@derekta Actually the colors will be what will be killing it .. who wants to spend extra money on offset printing multiple colors just for a tag ?! QR codes are easier on the eye and blend in nicely somewhere in the corners of an ad without distracting or worse destroying the artistic integrity of design .. they also can contain more information/content than ms-tags, work in offline mode (ms-tags are supposed to fetch info from a tag-server online) and work with cheap camera-phones in the dim/dark where color recognition is lousy.
@stemu2000 Actually the coloring isn't required. There are several examples out there where the tags are converted to grayscale and they work perfectly.
I like SnapTags better. Businesses will like it better, also, because you use your logo, instead of some unrecognizable pixels, or in this case, colorful triangles.
@Rendiggy
You can create Tags that include icons or logos.
@Rendiggy The problem with SnapTag is that you have to snap and then send it. That is a huge second step that a lot of lazy consumers are not willing to do. I get tat this opens it up to all handsets with a camera, but after using a 1 step QR codes, i don't want to have to do anything else.
@Rendiggy
1) No need for a logo in a 2D code.
2) QR-codes actually allows some creativity with the codes. Search google images for 'QR-code'.
@Prkl8r
True, but if, say the SnapTag is promoting some sale, or deal, and it's worth the trouble, they'll do it. Considering the current economy, MOST Americans are all about getting the best deal.
Assuming said consumer has a smartphone, these types of tags (QR codes/MS Tags) can be useful. The advantage to SnapTag is that the consumer doesn't have to download an app. As long as their phone has a camera and can text (which most phones can do), any phone can use it. Yes, a smartphone will give them more options (ie. link to a video, go to mobile site) but at least a basic phone with camera and text can still take advantage of it. So, broader user reach.
Also, with the use of logos, the advertiser can do more guerilla-type marketing (tent cards in food courts, t-shirts at concerts, etc) as the SnapTag is already branding for them. QR Code/MS Tags will need some sort of advertising to support the code, to at least identify the company.
But like anything, each one has their advantages and disadvantages.
These tags are awesome. Being able to track scans is really nice.
Off to stick these to everything.
I hate Microsoft TAG. Ok, it's prettier than QR, but who cares. Just another format to come in and mess stuff up.
The least they could do it add QR scanning capability. I hope this fails, and I hate that I'm seeing it in some places like E.W.
@JONNNathannn : Gee, would you not rather have a better product become the standard? Just because it's not the standard right now, doesn't mean it won't ever be. Not with attitudes like yours.
Now i got a headache
I'll be damned if I know what are you talking about.
CueCat HD is awesome!