(keitai-l) Re: Mobile Scan Codes and Direct vs. Indirect Resolution -- what's possible now?

From: Jim Levinger <jlevinger_at_nextcodecorp.com>
Date: 02/19/08
Message-Id: <200802192216.m1JMG7Q4003146@mail14.atl.registeredsite.com>
Hi Kevin,

You bring up some very interesting questions in your email. I am also
somewhat familiar with the programs you ran for Qwest and the Sopranos. Once
one gets outside Japan, most consumers do not have code scanning software
loaded onto their phones. There is progress with code reader deployment in
Europe and the US is hopefully coming soon to widespread code scanning.
Until there is an installed base, lots of folks face similar questions as
you to deploy code based programs. From your email, it sounds like you want
to use server based decoding of images rather than asking consumers to
download and install code readers.

At Nextcode we develop client apps to decode barcodes on phones but we also
have technology that allow us to decode pictures of codes that are sent to
our server. In determining what a customer should do there are pros and cons
of both methods. Getting a client installed onto phones requires that
consumers download and install the application and not all phones can
support code scanning. But once the client app is installed the experience
is generally fast and easy. If you are expecting consumers to engage in
replete code scanning, we recommend using a client application. 

If you are looking for more of a one-time interaction and need wide reach,
one may suggest a server decoding approach. Using a server based decoding,
you have widespread support of most any camera phone, but the process can be
kind of clunky. You certainly have worked with the issues of encouraging
users to email photos to your server with past campaigns so you understand
this. Emailing photos via most phones is not an ideal user experience. On
lots of phones it is hard to enter an email address and consumers are often
not experienced with the process.  Sending images via MMS to a shortcode
should be much easier. MMS to a short code is supported in Europe, however I
don't know the issues of getting this to work across countries. My data is
coming from single country implementations. One issue is that the cost is
pretty high in some countries so you should look at that. 

Staying with emailing photos will give you a solution that is more resilient
to cross country issues since email addresses are universal. You are correct
that phones like Blackberries will show up as standard email accounts but
most phones will give you their phone number. 

Ultimately, I don't think that you are going to find the perfect solution.
The question is finding what are the best tradeoffs to make that will allow
you to deploy a program.

Given you are based in New York and I am based in Boston lets plan on having
a phone call. I would love to learn more about your issues and see if we can
help you or at least provide some useful advice. 

Jim Levinger
Nextcode
617-510-3438



-----Original Message-----
From: keitai-l-bounce@appelsiini.net [mailto:keitai-l-bounce@appelsiini.net]
On Behalf Of slavin (area/code)
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2008 11:09 AM
To: keitai-l@appelsiini.net
Subject: (keitai-l) Mobile Scan Codes and Direct vs. Indirect Resolution --
what's possible now?

Hey, the Mobile Scan Codes thread has been super-interesting. 

I have some questions for the list as to what you think is realistic these
days, right now. We have some experience in this (mixed results) and are
looking to keep pushing at it. As background and context --

--

Scan codes: 

  We first worked with Semacode back in 2003, which was one of the first
actual deployments of such technologies in the US. We had to execute the
program (http://www.areacodeinc.com/work/conqwest/) in a relatively
primitive way. We used indirect resolution, decoding the MMS messages on the
server and routing back to phone via SMS. Even that only worked because we
were working with 150 of the same phones on the same network.

Optical reco: 

  In 2006, we worked with Mobot to execute a game in which players collected
pieces by shooting the ads with phonecams.
(http://www.areacodeinc.com/work/sopranos/) While the game was quite
successful, this particular optic-capture element had minimal participation.
Many reasons, but most prominent among them was that here in the US we
couldn't send MMS to a common shortcode, so users had to email the images.
So how do you associate the email address they've sent it from back to the
phone? The email name protocol differs across carriers, and may not reveal
anything about the phone number.

--

So the question is, here in 2008, what's possible -- in particular in
Europe? If we were to do a campaign with optic codes, what can we expect?
Since we don't expect people to download a new app to their phones, we'll be
resolving indirectly. So...

  a.. should we ask them to send to an *email address* or to *MMS* it to a
shortcode or longcode?

  b.. if by email, how do we determine what phone sent the message? E.g., if
I email a photo from my blackberry, there's no way to associate the decode
with that phone, just with the email address I sent it from. In Europe, what
% of people even know how to send photos from their phone via email?

  c.. if by MMS, where do we tell them to send it to? We have cross-carrier
and trans-national issues to sort out. And some phones (e.g., iPhone) don't
even have MMS if I understand right.
If you were going to do an optic code campaign in Europe right now, how
would you execute it, and what kind of results might you expect? Is all this
hopeless until/unless there are direct clients on the phones themselves?

Apologies for a lengthy post, but I think this discussion is helpful to
anyone considering using Mobile Scan Codes in the near future.

Kevin Slavin, managing director
area/code
36 E. 12th Street, 6th floor, NYC NY 10003
US+917.250.9416 / skype slavin_fpo
http://www.areacodeinc.com


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Curt Sampson" <cjs@cynic.net>
To: "Jim Levinger" <jlevinger@nextcodecorp.com>
Cc: <keitai-l@appelsiini.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 10:52 PM
Subject: (keitai-l) Mobile Scan Codes and Direct vs. Indirect Resolution
Japan 2008)


> On 2008-02-12 09:55 -0500 (Tue), Jim Levinger wrote:
> 
>> Thanks for your comments on the QR code direct mode vs. the indirect code
>> resolution approaches that are being explored and trialed by Operators
>> outside Japan.
> 
> Not just outside Japan: ColorZip (colorzip.co.jp) has been selling the
> Korean Color Code technology in Japan for quite a few years now. That you
> (and many other people) didn't know this sort of says something about how
> the two models compete, I think. (And note that Color Code has certain
> advantages, such as being scannable from a television screen.)
> 
>> However, operators question the business model and are looking for that
>> direct ROI to code scanning services. 
> 
> As usual. They really ought to stop and consider that if they had ten
> times the number of people using the mobile web, they'd be making a lot
> more money off of data than they are now.
> 
>> Are you seeing any companies in Japan that have been successful in
>> building business that are directly associated with QR or other code
>> scanning services and technologies? Is it alternatively that QR is a
>> core technology that is underlying lots of services but it is open,
>> ubiquitous and somewhat taken for granted?
> 
> I would say the latter. I do know of at least one company that is
> looking at making a business where they'd sell the development of QR
> codes, but that's really a rarity; the common thing is you just slap one
> on your advertisement or business card the way you would a URL.
> 
> cjs
> -- 
> Curt Sampson       <cjs@starling-software.com>        +81 90 7737 2974   
> Mobile sites and software consulting: http://www.starling-software.com
> 
> This mail was sent to address kevin@playareacode.com
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>

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Received on Wed Feb 20 00:16:19 2008