WebProNews

Tag: QR Code

  • Tattoo Shop Mixes Technology, Art In Help-Wanted Ad

    A tattoo shop in Istanbul has come up with a unique way to weed out serious potential employees from the ones who just think it’ll be a fun job: their help-wanted ad merges a QR code with inking skills, so the candidate has to prove they can ink a straight line before they even get into the interview process.

    A QR code–short for Quick Response–is a sort of 2-D barcode that can be easily photographed or scanned as a digital image. Placing a pale one in their ad for tattoo artists, Berrge Tattoo asks applicants to fill it in, snap a pic of it, and send it to their email address to be reviewed if they want to be considered for an interview.

    Of course, it takes a lot more skill to be a tattoo artist than just inking in some boxes, but this is a creative way for a shop to single out who they might be interested in. Take a look.

    Images: Instagram/The Inspiration

    berrge tattoo

    berrge tattoo

  • [Updated] Open Sesame: Google’s Newest Security Log-In Uses QR Codes

    Be you a hyper-vigilant security hound or just a devoted paranoiac, Google has introduced a way in which you can at least alleviate that sensation whenever you log in to your Google account.

    In an effort to circumvent keyloggers or even security flaws on public computers, Google’s new log-in doesn’t require you to touch a keyboard at all (at least that’s a little less you’ll have to touch germy keyboards) as it enables a QR code to gain entry to your account. Tentatively (?) titled Sesame, the feature generates a QR code that you scan with your smartphone. By following the URL for Sesame (https://accounts.google.com/sesame), you will be presented with a page that displays only a QR code.

    After you scan the QR code, you will be prompted to open a URL via the scanner app. Once you click yes, you will be directed to a webpage in your mobile browser like this:

    Once there, you can select whether to open your account in Gmail or iGoogle. Once you select an option on your phone, the screen in which the QR code originally appeared will redirect you to whichever Google page you selected.

    I’ve got more than one Google account so, at this time, I’m unsure how Google determined which account of mine I wanted to open but I’m going to assume the decision is based on whatever account I have synced to Google Apps on my phone. Also, you will only have a limited time to scan the QR code with your phone before you’re session will time out. At that point, you’ll have to reload a new QR code.

    And just like that, you’re in. It’s the hands-free version of Google log-ins. Now sleep a little better tonight knowing less people might be following your activity.

    UPDATE: Well, that was a nasty little tease from the Google hobbitses. As mentioned below by commenter Joe, Google has indeed pulled the QR security code log-in feature. The Sesame page now displays:

    Hi there – thanks for your interest in our phone-based login experiment.
    While we have concluded this particular experiment, we constantly experiment with new and more secure authentication mechanisms.

    Stay tuned for something even better!

    Dirk Balfanz, Google Security Team.

    Oh well. Thanks for all the fish?

  • Starbucks Makes A Killing From Mobile Transactions

    No, that isn’t referencing the success of a Starbucks drive-thru, although, that subject would fit given the context of the headline. What we’re referring to is the financial success of the Starbucks mobile payment program, which makes use of the Starbucks app in relation to purchasing their goods and services.

    The mobile payment for coffee program was launched by Starbucks back in January, and since its inception, Starbucks has processed 26 million mobile transactions, making it one of the most popular mobile payment apps on the market. According to the Starbucks press release, not only are their customers open to using mobile devices to consume Starbucks’ goods, but consumers are “reloading” their Starbucks Cards apps after they are exhausted, to the tune of $110.5 million during 2011.

    There’s even data for the most popular cities in relation to the Starbucks Card app use, and the findings should come as no surprise, considering the top five cities are New York, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Jose.

    Let’s see, we have two of the most populated cities in the world, the city where Starbucks was born, and two of the tech industry homebases. Nope. No surprises here. Concerning the success of their mobile payment application, Starbucks is understandably excited:

    “2011 was a year of great mobile exploration and expansion for Starbucks and an opportunity to give our customers a new way to connect with Starbucks through a variety of mobile experiences,” said Adam Brotman, svp and gm Starbucks Digital Ventures. “The customer response to our mobile apps has been phenomenal. Not only are they using their phone as a wallet, but as a connection point to Starbucks as they manage their Starbucks Card accounts, send eGifts and get into the holiday spirit with the Starbucks Cup Magic app.”

    Due to the success of the mobile app, Starbucks is looking at expanding its area of functionality. In November, the company launched the service in Canada and in January 2012, the application debuts in the United Kingdom.

    Are you cutting the cord to your wallet via your mobile device? Does the success of Starbucks’ application cause you to reconsider? Let us know what you think in the comments.

  • Fandango’s Mobile Ticket Goes Wide

    Fandango’s Mobile Ticket Goes Wide

    Is Fandango’s online movie ticket purchasing service about send paper movie tickets to the “extinct” pile with the wider release of their mobile ticket service? While it’s perhaps a little early to sound the death knell for the paper ticket industry, Fandango’s expansion of their online/mobile ticket program is a step in the right direction.

    To facilitate the mobile movie tickets, Fandango is, of course, making use of QR codes, which are downloaded to your mobile device of choice and then scanned by the ticket-taker. While the service has been available for close to two years, Fandango’s most recent announcement discussed the expansion of the program with more Regal movie theaters participating in the process. The expanded service is rolling out just in time for the next installment of the Twilight “saga,” and considering the total amount of theaters showing the new Twilight movie, the two go hand-in-hand.

    After reading one of the provided quotes from Fandango’s press release, it’s easy to think the new Twilight movie is the reason the service expanded to begin with. Clearly, the powers that be at Fandango wanted their expanded service to coincide with a major release, and with the new Twilight representing one of the biggest theatrical releases outside of the summer films, the timing of the announcement makes sense:

    “Mobile Ticket will be in high demand tonight, helping ‘Twilight’ fans get into the movie theater faster than ever,” says Rick Butler, EVP and General Manager of Fandango, “and it promises to be one of our most popular conveniences at Regal’s theaters. Regal Entertainment Group has been an innovative partner since Fandango’s very beginnings in 2000, as the company regularly looks for new ways to enhance the moviegoing experience for its customers.”

    Of course, if the mobile ticket service expansion had been delayed until next summer, you would need to replace Twilight with either the new Dark Knight or the new Spider-Man movie.

    The press release also reveals the expanded mobile ticket service will work for all carriers, and that you don’t have to have a smart phone to access it. Furthermore, there will be no convenience fee attached to it.

    Because the Regal movie theaters are the target for the expanded use of Fandango’s mobile movie ticket service, the Regal site has a list of all the theaters that will honor Fandango’s QR codes. Major cities like New York, LA and Chicago are on the list, as are cities like Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee; Lexington, Kentucky; and Honolulu, Hawaii. Regal Cinemas in San Francisco, San Diego, Denver, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle also support the expanded service as well.

    With that in mind, do you see the way in which you purchase movie tickets changing, or does the fact that a QR code doesn’t produce a ticket stub you can keep make you shy away from mobile movie tickets? Let us know what you think.

  • Virtual Supermarket: Would You Grocery Shop With Your Smartphone?

    What would you say to shopping at a virtual grocery store, using only a smartphone and two dimensional images of the available items? Would that be enough to make you stop going to actual supermarkets or does the tactile experience of actually selecting your groceries, followed by standing in a checkout line appeal to you? Granted, it’s the age-old argument that applies to Internet shopping as well. Would you rather touch the item before you purchased it or after?

    Well, if you live in South Korea, you know have a choice between the two. Introducing the Tesco Homeplus subway virtual store, which allows people to shop for groceries without ever having to go into the brick and mortar Tesco store. The idea behind these virtual supermarkets comes from Tesco’s desire to increase its customer base without having to build additional stores. Interested shoppers are presented with a two dimensional recreation of a Tesco store, complete with images of the available inventory.

    To select an item, potential shoppers have to scan the quick response code with a smartphone or other mobile device. From here, the item is added to the user’s cart. Once payment is received, the groceries are then delivered to the shopper’s home, completely eliminating the need for supermarket visits. From Tesco’s description:

    Let the store come to people! We created virtual stores in subway station hoping to blend into people’s everyday lives. Our first try was busy subway station in rush hours. Although virtual, the displays were exactly the same as actual stores – from the display to merchandises… People could meet Tesco Homeplus wherever they go, not having to visit the actual store. Moreover they could make good use of the wasted times and enjoy their free time.

    Apparently, these virtual supermarkets have been quite successful:

    After this campaign, on-line sales increased tremendously (Nov.2010-Jan.2011). Through this campaign, 10,287 consumers visited the online Homeplus mall using smartphones. The number of new registered members rose by 76%, and on-line sales increased 130%. Currently, Homeplus has become No.1 in on-line market and is a very close 2nd offline.

    There’s also has an instructional/informative video showing how the process is done, which was found over at Laughing Squid.


    There’s even an infographic, with step-by-step instructions and other applicable details (click the image for full-sized version):

    Tesco Homeplus

    Is this the wave of the future? Clearly, smartphones will only become more functional as we progress. The question is, should businesses adopt such measures in order to adapt to the times or stick with the brick and mortar? It certainly would reduce the amount of real estate these businesses need, especially if they were operating solely from a warehouse that’s connected to the local virtual stores.

  • Jagtag Expands Its QR Code Technology

    Jagtag said today it has expanded its mobile marketing platform with a new QR code offering.

    To date, QR codes have only been accessible to U.S. users with an installed QR code-reading app on their smartphones. Now users with feature phones can send in a picture of a Jagtag QR code and receive video, images audio or text. The multimedia message is sent to the phone’s inbox, instead of appearing as a link. Jagtag’s device detection technology allows users to receive content optimized for their specific phone.

     

     

    “We developed the Jagtag code in 2007 to address the lack of mass market devices able to install applications or access the mobile Web, and the limited phones available with quality cameras to make QR codes readable,” said Ed Jordan, CEO, Jagtag.

    “By utilizing QR Codes Powered by Jagtag, marketers now have the best of both worlds, and consumers can engage a single code format and receive multimedia directly to their phone, regardless of the device.”

    Jagtag works on all camera phones and on all major wireless carriers in the United States and United Kingdom, without requiring users to download an app.