Have you heard of
this site? You use your camera phone to get product information, comptetive pricing, Netflix integration, etc by simply taking a picture of the UPC barcode on any product!
You send the image to the site's servers via SMS or email (depending on your phone's capabilities) and it does image processing to translate the barcode into a number, which is then looked up in some combination of databases such as
barcodepedia. Once the product is identified, it's name can be used against a variety of web sites, such as Netflix, Amazon, Google, Froogle, Wikipedia, just to name a few. Online pricing details, product reviews, and summaries are sent back to your phone. All your searches are saved with your registered profile so you can review them later to allow you to further act on it, such as Rent from Netflix or Purchase at Amazon.
Based on your activity, the site learns your preferences and begins to make reccomendations similar to Amazon, contextual advertising via Google Adwords, and more. Usage data is also aggregated for use my retailers and marketing to track "What's Hot." The service is being postured for partnership with the likes of Verizon or Motorola for seemless integration with the handsets and services. So why haven't you heard of it (and why is the link broken)? Because it only exists in my head. :-( Anyone want to give me a big pile of cash to build this beast?
PS: This is just one of many crazy ideas I've got floating around upstairs. Expect to see them occasionally sprinkled amongst my more technical posts.
Posted
10-05-2006 6:24 PM
by
Jim Bolla