[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCorqvoZSj0]
Remember ShotCode, those alienesque barcodes? Through a small program on your mobile phone, the mobile phone is “transformed” in a scanner. After taking a picture with your phone’s cam of the ShotCode, the phone opens its browser and connects with the right URL (for earlier coverage, see Springwise).
While the rest of us was busy developing bluetooth, triangulated and gps based solutions, Shotcode was further developing their service. The website got a Web2.0-style makeover (you can’t have a credible website without bright green and pink colours these days), campaigns where run for (amongst others) Nokia, Coca Cola, XBox and Jameson, the ShotCode system got a limited API and a new pricing plan was developed (no more free ShotCodes). Also, a new free service is being developed at Shotcode.org (subscribe to stay in touch). And, of course, all of this was recorded on the ShotCode blog.
Although I really admire both Dennisses because of their entrepreneurship and nifty concept, I really fear version 2.0 is the last one. Considering all developments in the area of GPS/bluetooth/triangulated social networks and the fact that ShotCode is a quite complicated service (install software first and then try to manage taking a decent picture), I really wouldn’t want to be in the developers’ shoes.
The first major campaign by ShotCode, a game for Dutch brewery Heineken, which asked participants to visit different bars with shotcodes, demonstrated how difficult the concept is: a total of 8 people completed the game.
The future is in GPS/bluetooth/triangulated services. And although I really really liked ShotCode: exit Shotcode
This is a guest post by consumer, marketeer and storyteller Polle de Maagt
When this first launched I was afraid it would never get passed the cool-marketing-tool phase. Downloading a tool to hyperlink just is to high a threshold. I don’t really think several years of development has changed the way consumers look at this product.
But all the best to the founders. I think they build some great technology and stuck by there vision. That alone deserves some respect. Maybe going the open-source route (monetizing support or consultancy, and getting the community behind you) will make this something truely great after all.
I once wrote a blogpost about this and got some interesting feedback from one of the Dennisses. I questioned the use of this technology and he left a few comments with his views on the subject. Check it out: http://bomega.com/2006/10/17/skeletondanse-the-needle/
I thought at the time it could eliminate jotting down url’s at conferences etc, just snap a picture and store it for later use. But if it involves a monthly pricing plans for the companies, installing software on phones… nah… not really interesting anymore.
Time for a built-in solution, without the fees, that just snaps a picture and stores it in text on the phone. Or am I asking for OCR on a phone now ;-) ?
Dave, why not? I don’t know for sure, but I imagine it’s not too hard these days to do OCR for the phone, either by sending the image to a remote server for OCR processing or by doing the processing on the phone.
Augmented reality has already developed past this stage yet this hasn’t been made applicable in the real world yet. This is a great first step!
Oh you guys are sooo Dutch :-)
The technology itself already excists for several years, in Japan it is the # one mobile tool today and it is called a QR code. Try for instance the kaywa reader to feed your mobile with blogging content.
http://www.realvine.nl/2008/01/25/web-20-tool-feed2mobile-zet-je-rss-feed-om-in-een-feed-voor-mobiel-internet/
I’m with Dave that the initial hurdles are too many to make it feasible–unless, of course, they can get deals with handset makers to have the software pre-installed, as an Android plug-in or something. Because even to do a demo if I wanted one on my business card, to get a potential client with a smartphone to download the software? Come on! The only reason I’m still considering it is simply as a conversation-starter about mobile media.
meet the founder of the shotcode / semacode Simon Woodside ;) Research tha man in d e e p and start here; tinyurl.com/simonwoodside
I am one of the pioneers in this space and was connected to the initial stages of OP3 & Lavespeher (now Neomedia). The discussion in this space is about standard codes like the QR & Datamatrix codes, indirect and direct liks to content and a lot of patent buzz around Neomedia. OP3′s shotcode communicates better then the square shaped standard codes but lost the market to the QR where Japan is leader but now the world at last is following. I spoke to the market leader in pattern recognition software for camera phones and they claim to have 100 million (!) scan software applications pre-installed or downloaded. Also the shop savy app on the G-Phone is extremly well used and the first reader that scan’s 1D product barcodes.
My advice to OP3 is to drop the shotcode, adopt the QR/DM codes and use all their experience and vision to create new services. I am sure there is no company in this space who really understand this technology. Kill your darlings, create new magic.
Cheers, Ron
Kill your darlings. Well said!!!
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This is not charity, this is justice. ,