30/1 Rant: Joel (on Software) compares apples and oranges
| Category: QR Code, Data Matrix... By editor at 01:16 |
Joel compares CueCat to QR Codes which is a big mistake, IMHO. He writes:
Some things are still the same: typing URLs is not hard, this is a monumental chicken and egg problem, and this doesn't provide any value to the consumers who are expected to install new software on their phones to go along with this ridonculous scheme.
Sometimes when the elders say to the youngsters, "don't do that, we tried that, it failed," it's just because they're failing to notice that the world has changed. But sometimes the elders are right, and the youngsters really are too young to know the history of the idea they think that they've just invented.
- Joel, please type the following: http://www.google.com/m/download/youtube/download?sign=1&make=Nokia&model=N95&ver=v1.0 in your normal mobile phone;) - for the easier solution, see here - scan it with your N95 which comes with a preinstalled QR Code Reader or download once a QR Code Reader
- And by the way, even on the computer there is a high percentage of the population rather using the Google search field with one or two keywords than typing the full URL. Or they just get the URL via an RSS Reader, email or another web page link. Typing longer URL's is a pain for all the people who are not programmers nor engineers like you. And it's far worse on a phone. To understand it, just type three times the above URL;)
- And yes there is a chicken and egg problem, but so it was with the internet, so it was with the mobile phone, so it was with the automobile: there is always at first a chicken and egg problem.
- QR Code Readers come preinstalled on 70-80% of all japanese phones, ASUS phones and now also on some Nokia Nseries phones. Android will probably ship with the preinstalled ZXing Reader too.
- OMA, GSMA, MC2, major telcos, Nokia, Google all working in the same direction - getting QR Code Readers preinstalled on your mobile phone. Meanwhile you have to download it on phones which do not have yet a preinstalled QR Code reader.
- QR Codes didn't fail, they are a big success in Japan. QR Codes are the first way to access the mobile web in Japan and this took no longer than 2 years to be accomplished (compare this to the 30 years that we needed for the EAN barcode). And people love it as they can make their own QR Codes (big difference with CueCat).
- Last but not least: elders who take an apple for an orange should sometimes take a second look. I hope you do;)
Comments
David
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dp_stuart [at] hotmail.com
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http://blog.webometrics.org.uk
2008-01-30 11:04:28
the same connection seems to be being made all over the blogosphere...although they may end up being labelled 'google barcodes' rather than QR codes!
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/google_barcodes_cuecat.php
2008-01-30 11:04:28
the same connection seems to be being made all over the blogosphere...although they may end up being labelled 'google barcodes' rather than QR codes!
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/google_barcodes_cuecat.php
Alexander
2008-02-02 08:24:06
The idea behind is nice as far we talk about "standart" (preinstalled or integrated in another some system-wide way into phone) software (say, N-Series browser) - there programs easily recieve URL generated by QR code scanner.
But when it comes to use some 3rd part soft that won't get these system calls to open particular URL (say, Opera Mini as it is Java Applet and can't get info from system directly) the tricky "type letter by letter" way still is the only one :(
Maybe some kind short URL may help for now but it would be much better to have some API to send system messages ("Open URL..." etc.) to any program installed on the device.
2008-02-02 08:24:06
The idea behind is nice as far we talk about "standart" (preinstalled or integrated in another some system-wide way into phone) software (say, N-Series browser) - there programs easily recieve URL generated by QR code scanner.
But when it comes to use some 3rd part soft that won't get these system calls to open particular URL (say, Opera Mini as it is Java Applet and can't get info from system directly) the tricky "type letter by letter" way still is the only one :(
Maybe some kind short URL may help for now but it would be much better to have some API to send system messages ("Open URL..." etc.) to any program installed on the device.
Roger
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http://id.kaywa.com/roger
2008-02-02 11:12:44
Alexander,
Like in Japan, we have to get to the point where any new mobile phone ships with an integrated QR Code Reader, visible at best on the top deck.
If japanese people use QR Codes as the premier access technology to get on the mobile web (41% in a recent survey), and knowing that not every item, billboard, web page comes yet with a QR Code, we simply have to admit, that this is probably the holy grail of mobile internet access.
Mobile search - as done currently - looks very pale in comparison to this.
And there is another lesson, on mobile we are not browsing and searching, we are finding.
2008-02-02 11:12:44
Alexander,
Like in Japan, we have to get to the point where any new mobile phone ships with an integrated QR Code Reader, visible at best on the top deck.
If japanese people use QR Codes as the premier access technology to get on the mobile web (41% in a recent survey), and knowing that not every item, billboard, web page comes yet with a QR Code, we simply have to admit, that this is probably the holy grail of mobile internet access.
Mobile search - as done currently - looks very pale in comparison to this.
And there is another lesson, on mobile we are not browsing and searching, we are finding.
