An article in Sunday’s New York Times references the use of cell phones to read barcodes and allow the user to get information on various products and services when out and about - “like a digital remote control”. This activity is becoming increasingly popular in Asia. The article also links to a download for your phone allowing you to give it a try using a barcode in the New York Times itself.

This is yet another step in the trend in melding mobile offline and online worlds, and the increasing interactivity between people and physical places. Hopefully this work will soon spill over into the social benefit sector, so that people can interact with their physical environments to find out about community events and access needed services. For example, imagine a homeless person with a cheap mobile device being able to access information on locally available shelters, medical services, etc. via barcodes posted around the city. One of the many advantages to barcodes is that you can store a signifcant amount of information, which can be changed as the information changes, whereas physical signs take up far too much space and are difficult to alter. I make reference to some related possibilities in this Nonprofits of the Future podcast.

An article in Sunday’s New York Times references the use of cell phones to read barcodes and allow the user to get information on various products and services when out and about - “like a digital remote control”. This activity is becoming increasingly popular in Asia. The article also links to a download for your [...]