Can Pre use bar code?

[joek71]

Hi guys

Android uses bar codes to download apps, you scan bar from your screen and it takes you to the download page. When you are in the Palm store.

Can Pre have something like that?

Thanks

[Vociferous]

Palm is working on many different methods to buy and download apps. And I'm certain that there will be apps that use the camera to recognize bar codes for various applications.

[Rossm812]

In the app store- there was an app that goes out to the web and decodes these... just search QR or QRCode in the app store. Its free.

[joek71]

This is very help full to developer and to the people who download it, i wonder can palm use this or something like it for us to use? Can one of you guys make this kind of thing and let all developers use it?

[Rossm812]

I am sorry I misunderstood you.... Palm makes it simpler on their app-store with a simple "download" button... other apps you install using the computer or off the web anyways- so IMHO if you have to search and scan a QR code its just as easy to go to the apps page and click download....

[chud311]

barcode scanning is not possible on these phones because the camera does not have a macro mode.

[crogs571]

I thought Palm's camera had this extended depth of field to allow close up shots? They touted all these camera features leading up to the debut of the Pre, and there were a bunch of threads about it.

[alex.dobeck]

The Pre doesn't have the ability to take macro-shots, and I don't believe it was ever said that it did or will.

It is possible to scan barcodes however, they are just black and white and through a reasonable algorithm can still be decoded (even if blurry), however I'm with Rossm, why would you want to overcomplicated the distribution of apps? Just because another phone does it doesn't make it a good idea.

[crogs571]

Guess you need to do more research about your phone. This was like Pre 101 before it was even released.

The DxO solutions extend the depth of field to provide users with very detailed close up shots. Below is a visual demonstration of such a shot with and without DxO solutions.

[chud311]

thats not macro.

[crogs571]

what is macro to you? even the photography industry slaps the term macro on lenses that don't do 1:1 or have focus distances of only a few inches. Macro is generally referred to as close up photography. The example above for all intent and purposes is macro. So unless you have some narrow definition of it you'd like to adhere to, for the masses and the purpose of this topic or almost any topic where normal people would use the term, it is macro.

and this is in no way agreeing with the op about how to load programs. But these cameras should be able to read barcodes for shopping or inventory type purposes which is what most people want them for anyway.

[imekul]

BB Curves (8330s) can read the QR codes pretty well, and the camera on those isn't nearly what the Pre's is. I would think that the Pre camera would have the ability to read bar codes or QR codes

[ktessner]

QR deCODEr was posted to the App Store on Jan 21, but I haven't tried it yet. Anyone else given it a go? Looks like it uses an external site for decoding...

[chud311]

Originally Posted by crogs571

what is macro to you? even the photography industry slaps the term macro on lenses that don't do 1:1 or have focus distances of only a few inches. Macro is generally referred to as close up photography. The example above for all intent and purposes is macro. So unless you have some narrow definition of it you'd like to adhere to, for the masses and the purpose of this topic or almost any topic where normal people would use the term, it is macro.

and this is in no way agreeing with the op about how to load programs. But these cameras should be able to read barcodes for shopping or inventory type purposes which is what most people want them for anyway.

ok.

[stubbs]

@crogs571 I know that the extended depth of field is a touted feature of this phone, but I've never been able to get my camera to focus very close. Have you?

Also, while it doesn't matter for this application (reading barcodes), macro lenses/photography generally lessens the depth of field, making the object stand out. An extended depth of field, therefore, is a poor substitute to a moving lens and will hurt most photos rather than enhancing them by flattening the image.

[caferacer]

I've taken macro shots of computer components before. Anyone who thinks macro is taking a picture of a barcode is not speaking truthfully.

My old XV6800 could do barcodes, and it didn't have a macro mod either, and was a much lower quality camera than the pre's.

[Rossm812]

Originally Posted by ktessner

QR deCODEr was posted to the App Store on Jan 21, but I haven't tried it yet. Anyone else given it a go? Looks like it uses an external site for decoding...

I have played with QR deCODEr... seems to work ok- however in the US, generally speaking, especially in Iowa where I am from QR codes are often just not utilized. It would be nice to see them more however- it is quite a conv. way to pick up data digitally fast and accurately.
They are MUCH more intricate than actual UPC style barcodes so IDK why its supposedly so hard to make it work. You figure even if you take a picture of a 1" x 1" barcode from 6-12" away at 3mp you should have a quality enough picture to digitally zoom and enhance for decoding... plz correct me if I am wrong.

I am going to try later and take a few pix of some random things around the house with UPC labels on them.

[Roisen]

I'd love just a regular barcode scanner, so that when I'm at the store I can scan a barcode which would do a google search of the item and I could see if I could buy the item cheaper online.

My friend has a droid and did this when he was shopping for his books for classes. He went to the campus bookstore and compared the cost there to the cost on amazon instantly.

[andywoodstick]

Originally Posted by Roisen

I'd love just a regular barcode scanner, so that when I'm at the store I can scan a barcode which would do a google search of the item and I could see if I could buy the item cheaper online.

My friend has a droid and did this when he was shopping for his books for classes. He went to the campus bookstore and compared the cost there to the cost on amazon instantly.

yeah thats pretty nifty, the iphone does that as well

re the app store 'barcode' reader its no good really in uk as only reads QR barcodes which i have never seen, we only have the black n white bars (a la newcastle) which the program cant read

[jpgiv]

I've spoken with the developer of one of the barcode scanning apps on the iPhone (Shop Savvy). They've stated that they need the video API on webOS to be opened up before they can make a barcode scanning program for the Pre or Pixie.

Apparently they used to employ a Wizard of some sort but lost them (presumably in a battle with a Dragon) and need direct access to the camera in order to make a functional barcode scanner. My understanding is that their program uses multiple images from the camera in order to correct for lower quality / non-focused images, which obviously isn't possible under the current API.

Short link here: PALM PRE