
RedLaser ― Impossibly accurate barcode scanning - stakent
http://redlaser.com/
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dazzawazza
Interesting that it uses the zxing library [1] which doesn't support EAN/UPC
yet (on iPhone) and they have written EAN/UPC scanning and haven't been kind
enough to donate the code back to zxing. I guess that would remove their
developer license revenue stream [2].

I assume they use Amazon to get EAN->item mapping which is against the amazon
TOS. If they don't I love to know what they do use.

[1] - <http://code.google.com/p/zxing/>

[2] - <http://redlaser.com/SDK.aspx>

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ZeroGravitas
I thought the iPhone didn't support those kind of barcodes due to physics
based limitations of the camera/lens.

If they're doing something really clever to read these barcodes it makes some
sense to not just give it away. The Apache licence does give them that option.

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davepeck
All iPhones have good enough optics to detect 2D barcodes like QR Code. Linear
barcodes like UPC were trickier until the iPhone 3GS, which has variable focus
camera hardware that also admits direct access to camera frames. On the 3GS,
barcode scanning is a cake walk.

There are many surprising things about RedLaser's success, but technology
isn't one of them. I agree with OP that apparent violations of licensing
(access to Amazon.com via mobile is not allowed) are surprising. Most
surprising to me is _how well RedLaser has sold_ given that barcode scanning
was antiquated over a year ago by products like SnapTell. Why scan a UPC code
when you can just take a picture of the cover of a book and have the product
found just as fast, with as good or better accuracy? No matter if your photo
is blurry, or badly lit, or out of focus, or only grabs a part of the book's
cover...

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ErrantX
_Why scan a UPC code when you can just take a picture of the cover of a book
and have the product found just as fast_

Surely the error rate of that compared to bar codes is much higher. For common
products Im sure it works just as well but bar code scanning doesn't degrade
for edge cases in the same way.

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davepeck
You should try it. It is remarkably great, and while I can't speak to error
rates I believe that it is on par or better than a good camera-based scanner.
Also: using SnapTell with my decades-old textbooks in Greek religion confirms
it's not just for "common" products.

(Disclosure: I have nothing whatsoever to do with SnapTell, but I have been
consistently impressed with the technology.)

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hapless
Their marketing material reminds me of CueCat. Yup. Barcodes are the future.
Any day now. "Query into a sea of information."

<http://www.redlaser.com/Next.aspx>

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuecat>

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veemjeem
The main issue of the cuecat is that every time you needed to scan something,
you wouldn't have your computer around to scan it. Plus the scanning on that
cuecat thing was highly annoying, it didn't work on some types of packaging
and it required you to put the device up close and slowly scan across it.
Sometimes I felt like I could type in the UPC code faster.

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patio11
Sorry, I've been in the land of cellular milk and honey for a while: is
barcode scanning new and exciting still in the US? I remember having it on a
free (subsidized) bar phone 7 years ago here.

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ihumanable
My android phone has been able to do this for about 2 years now

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bockris
I just tried scanning their test barcode off the screen with my G1 and it
worked fine.

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thorax
I've been using the jailbroken Red Laser for a while-- it's accurate but not
really "impossibly accurate". I spend a lot of times looking awkward trying to
position products if the lighting or package shininess isn't just right. I've
had it misread codes before, too.

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jamesbressi
Very interesting to note that as the popularity of these types of apps rise,
so will brick-and-mortar retailers awareness and deterrent of them.

How?

Many retailers do not allow pictures to be taken in their stores, something
that is very loosely enforced, but is enforced nonetheless.

One time I needed to take a pic of the description of a product in Home Depot
so I wouldn't forget. Told the associate that and he said we don't allow
pictures in our store, regardless of the reason. -- I took it anyway ;)

Now, with everything else facing retailers, especially the cost of payroll, I
doubt they will fight too hard, but don't be surprised if it comes up in their
training of employees more often and encourage those employees to enforce it
more often.

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amackera
I don't know how the iPhone apps like this work, but the Barcode Scanner for
Android doesn't take a picture. You just hover your camera over the barcode
and it figures it out from the preview.

I suppose it's technically taking a picture, but you could argue that you're
not pressing the camera button, so you're not really taking a picture.

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malaxeur
It doesn't take a picture. The RedLaser SDK uses an underground API to access
the camera's video frames, which is technically not allowed but overlooked for
RedLaser?

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crux_
Free app idea that I don't have the time to write... coupon-o-matic.

1) scan coupon barcodes, ideally using video (1-2 seconds per full page of
coupons in one of those mailers?), beeping only for those you ought to keep
based on what you buy and/or how good of a coupon it is.

2) automatically generate shopping list, based on coupons + what you normally
buy.

3) Profit! (Well, less cost; potentially much less cost, given how many
coupons there are out there, doubling, store coupons matching mfg ones, etc.)

3a) Optional: scan product barcodes as you're shopping, automatically crossing
them off the list, indicating the coupon savings you should get, and also
reordering the list based on what grocery department you're in...

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veemjeem
It's too bad that the iphone screen doesn't scan via the laser barcode
readers, otherwise it would be great to just show the coupon on screen.

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tjstankus
I use RedLaser a bit and the scanning works better when I use the macro lens
of my Clarifi case (<http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/clarifi>).
Note: I'm not associated with Griffin in any way. Just thought I'd share this
tip.

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bh23ha
Their video shows people scanning bags of chips and jars of food and plastic
containers. Wouldn't it have made more sense to scan more expensive items,
electronics perhaps?

