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Old Dec 9, 2009 | 09:13 PM
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Default Barcode scanning

Well, I'm not often amazed by tech these days but yesterday Google gave away 40,000 copies of Quickmark and I snagged one. Since then I've been scanning codes as I see them with a little sucess. Tonight I scanned a book and was taken aback by just how usefull it was.

If you get a chance give it a go and if you're using it let me know some fun things.
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Old Dec 9, 2009 | 09:32 PM
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I've not used Quickmark, but I do use Redlaser very useful for when your out shopping for dvd's, cd's etc.
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Old Dec 9, 2009 | 09:43 PM
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DVD's and CD's of course! Off to find one now

Found Fairy Liquid earlier, products aren't working so well for me as I'm overseas.
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Old Dec 9, 2009 | 11:10 PM
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Jack,
I presume you've never looked at Delicious Library then? It will utilize a webcam to scan barcodes from Books, DVDs and CDs, which it then looks up on Amazon, and will pull images for the cover art of the items. Very nifty indeed.
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 12:06 AM
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All new to me Marcus, just didn't see the value.

Google are going large with barcodes, I like their idea of giving stickers to businesses but love their integration with Google Books.
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 12:43 AM
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Ive just downloaded Pic2Shop onto my iPhone, its like RedLaser buts is free. Linked to Amazon and Google Products, ideal for bargain hunting if you're feeling impulsive while shopping on the high street.
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 08:52 AM
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Did some pretty good (imho) "Barcode-Trolling" (did i just invent something?) on the local scooby forum during the summer


Took a while before the intended numpty worked out what the pretty patterns meant
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 09:09 AM
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We have great fun with RedLaser - I think we scanned every barcode on every product and item in the house
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 10:46 AM
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As I have amazingly had my post requesting more info removed I will ask again .... what is BarCode Scanning?

When I ask that, what I mean of course, is what use it would be? I have given it some thought and what I can think of is that you scan something in a shop and that is sent to, say Amazon, who tell you what their price for that item is?

If I am right, I'm interested! How do I get it?
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 11:05 AM
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It's more than that Pete, for me the winner so far is scanning a book at a friends house and having a link to all information on that book and author saved to my profile. CD's and DVD's would think be the same.

Not sure why your post got deleted but it's a bit off that it did.
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 12:11 PM
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Originally Posted by JackClark

Not sure why your post got deleted but it's a bit off that it did.
Might have been because he kinda likened it to stamp collecting
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 12:36 PM
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Originally Posted by StickyMicky
Might have been because he kinda likened it to stamp collecting
I cannot, in my wildest dreams, imagine that is why it was deleted - surely to god, say it wasn't!! FFS! I have supported the Mods. on here - but that is a staggering act of moderation
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 12:38 PM
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Anyway, back to business ..... what is it?

I can see that it is a Barcode Reader ... which gives info. on items with BarCodes.

What I want to know is - what use can it be? Could it save me money while I am stood in a shop looking at an item and can ask it where it is cheaper?
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 12:47 PM
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I didn't personally remove it, but it was marked as 'Trolling'.


I've not used Quickmark, but RedLaser uses Google Product Search to find prices for the item you scanned. For CD's, DVD's etc you usually get a good list of retailers and prices - for groceries it often returns the prices taken from mysupermarket.com
Very handy
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 12:56 PM
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< bites tongue, not really wishing to feed the troll >
Time to "man up" as they say. I requested the post deleted as I considered a troll post by a troll user. Are you really telling me that you cannot either use your brain or google to find out what the software is that Jack mentioned, and from that, or possibly even an explanation on the softwares site, work out what you'd use it for.

Why would barcodes normally be scanned? Oh, to provide information. Combine that with a computer/phone and you could then catalog items based on the barcode.

I posted a reply to Jack about Delicious Library 2, you could, instead of restating your question, had a little google of that application and found out what it did, and also from that figured out why you'd want to scan barcodes.

Mods, feel free to delete my post if you consider it baiting or trolling in it's own right.

Last edited by Markus; Dec 10, 2009 at 12:58 PM.
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 01:00 PM
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I can see myself getting that Delicious Library once I'm back and house bound in the UK. Not that I have OCD or anything.
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 01:13 PM
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It is rather good. I did scan most of my books, CDs and DVDs with it. I tried it on a couple of very old "Sailing Techniques" books, expecting it to not find anything, but it did and I found out that one of them is actually worth a couple of hundred dollars.

I think there was going to be an iPhone version, but Amazon changed their policy to exclude mobile devices from being able to pull information from them, or something like that, but it's basically stopped the developer from being able to do it on the iPhone. Have a read of this
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 01:19 PM
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Stampez online internet stamp identified - Patent application

Scan yer stamps


Just installed a barcode scanner (android) to have another play, scanned the code of a book, google searched the books contents for "blackout" (book title)
Sorry this book is not searchable.

Rescanned, chose "book search" instead, google books comes up with a lost of places selling it, some customer reviews, a list of web pages referencing it, pictures of all other printed cover editions and a book overview!
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 01:34 PM
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I have been using a program like this on my android phone for about a year its called shop savvy, it brings up the product details, prices online and makes direct links so you can buy them on amazon etc?

Surely there must of been a version of this sort of software on the iphone ages ago
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 01:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Markus
< bites tongue, not really wishing to feed the troll >
Time to "man up" as they say. I requested the post deleted as I considered a troll post by a troll user.
You didn't REALLY have to say it was you - as it is only you who would be upset by my post

You are without doubt the biggest baby I have ever met - I mean that in all sincerety by the way. And it's good that others see it that way too ..... as you so desperately wanted to be a mod. but didn't measure up.
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 02:02 PM
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I still don't understand, fully, what the use of it is?

Is it just a desire to gather information or a way of getting good deals on things?

Markus has suggested that I could google it and therefore my psost should be deleted ...... there are, however, people here who are using it and I am therefore asking the questions here ..... Markus just ignore my posts, it's that easy.

Last edited by SunnySideUp; Dec 10, 2009 at 02:04 PM.
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 02:16 PM
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It is just an easier way of collecting information, you could use any old phone that will allow you onto google and input the barcode numbers.

These kind of barcodes are a little trickier to google though

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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 03:12 PM
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easy with an android phone
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 03:22 PM
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Originally Posted by StickyMicky
It is just an easier way of collecting information, you could use any old phone that will allow you onto google and input the barcode numbers.

These kind of barcodes are a little trickier to google though

My Android can scan those

Did you say that to your other half what is on the barcode?
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 04:45 PM
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It was not intended for her, but i think i remember that when i did show it to her, she thought it was a maze
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 05:00 PM
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Originally Posted by StickyMicky
These kind of barcodes are a little trickier to google though
That's hilarious, Quickmark on the iPhone allows me to make them but not save them easily.
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 05:04 PM
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Originally Posted by SunnySideUp
Is it just a desire to gather information or a way of getting good deals on things?
I think people will use both, restaurants for instance could place a sticker outside that's both a business card and a way to get a discount. I think my car has a barcode, that's my next target.
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 05:05 PM
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You can make them on a freebie website (forgot the details) and just upload them, i have a few in my photobucket account but i cant remember what they all say.

Not sure if its this monitor or not but my phone does not seams to want to scan most of them in, i did make most of them when using my laptop so this may be why



My phone wont scan this one in, although my old N93 did ?
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 05:29 PM
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So, is this a hobby?

I did think it was some way of checking prices and stuff ...... if it is a hobby then it probably wouldn't be my cup of tea.

But, I would still like to understand it - do you 'swap' Barcodes you have found? At the risk of upsetting Markus and have him blubbing again, do you collect these Barcodes like Stamps? Do some have more value than others? Where would the square Barcodes shown be used?

I really don't know of any phone with a Barcode Reader on it?

This is all really new to me ....
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 05:39 PM
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Pete, you can do as you please. If collecting them turns you on then so be it, I see them as augmentation to my daily routine, this may last a few days or who knows how long. But it's fun, useful, practical and the technology is already in my pocket.

I'm sure you have a webcam if not a smartphone, have a go if you're bored.
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