Semacode Barcode

I'm not sure if semacode barcodes will ever get much traction but as a barcode nerd they're hard to ignore. For those of you not familiar with semacodes read all about them here.

Semacode barcodes are the kind of barcodes cell phones interpret. Take a picture of a barcode, it decodes the barcode, and then it responds to the data you scanned. So far scanning barcodes with cell phones is bigger in Japan and Europe than it is in the U.S.

It's a classic chicken-and-egg scenario: until there are a critical mass of cell phones in the US that can scan and act upon barcodes, why should people use them? The bottleneck is the cell phone carriers and a.) what phones they sell and support and b.) what business parters they play ball with. See if your phone is on the supported phone list of supported devices.

One useful thing I've heard is having barcodes on subway and bus stops so you can scan the barcodee and get a site-specific map delivered to your phone. Maybe you scan one of several barcodes depending what you want pushed to your phone (restaurants nearby, tourist attractions, the closet contacts in your address book, etc.)