ShotCode - Seminar Report

ABSTRACT

ShotCode is a circular barcode created byOP3. It uses a dartboard -like circle, with a bulls eye in the centre and datacircles surrounding it. The technology reads databits from these datacircles by measuring the angle and distance from the bulls eye for each.

ShotCodes are designed to be read with a regular camera (including those found on mobile phones andwebcams) without the need to purchase other specialised hardware. Because of the circular design, it is also possible for software to detect the angle from which the barcode is read. ShotCodes differ from matrix barcode in that they do not store regular data - rather, they store an encoded URL which the reading device can connect to in order to download said data.

Introduction:

ShotCode is a circular barcode created by OP3It uses a dartboard-like circle, with a bulls eye in the centre and datacircles surrounding it. The technology reads databits from these datacircles by measuring the angle and distance from the bulls eye for each.

ShotCodes are designed to be read with a regular camera (including those found on mobile phone andwebcams) without the need to purchase other specialised hardware. Because of the circular design, it is also possible for software to detect the angle from which the barcode is read. ShotCodes differ from matrix barcode in that they do not- store regular data - rather, they store an encoded URL which the reading device can connect to in order to download said data.

Use of shotcode

By   using   the    ShotCode   technology,  you  can  make   anything in print intractive! Through ShotCodes you can achieve many things: l.Let your customers signup trials.

2. Let your customers receive free coupons

3. Enter into a personalized dialogue with your customer

4. Setup a loyalty system, where you can reward your customer.

5. Download content to your mobile directly from print or screen etc.

By making your offline media interactive you enable your customers to instantly act on your offer, instantly view additional information, instantly interact with you... Basically consumers can now .Act on impulse, all you need to do is give them that chance!

ShotCodes are offline web links. When captured by a mobile camera, ShotCodes instantly and effortlessly take users to any desired location on the internet.

ShotCodes are easy to make and can be tied to any web address. Businesses can make their own ShotCodes and add them to existing print media or turn them into brand new tools for sales and customer interaction.End users can download free software and install it on their mobile phone. This software, which is available for major mobile phone brands and types, enables phones to act upon ShotCodes. In shotcode

our Business Cases section we provide a taste of how your business can build your brand or increase sales with ShotCodes.

After scanning shotcode

First check out if your mobile phone is compatible in our download section. If your phone' is compatible, install the software and make sure you have your phone's Internet connection set up properly.

Once the software is installed, start the application and aim it at the ShotCode so that you can see the ShotCode clearly (the black and white blocks are countable) in your viewfinder. A crosshair appears automatically. All that is left to do is click and you are on your way!

After made a shotcode

Implement the ShotCode into your offline material and tell your target audience about this new service that you are offering.

1nstall the software

The installation is run on your mobile phone, for this you have to get the ShotCode installer file onto your mobile phone. This can be done in any of the four following ways:

1.Point your phone's web browser to shotcode.com and download the application directly to your mobile phone. The installation procedure will start automatically.

2.1f you live in Holland, SMS the word "Shot" to 4411 and follow the steps. This is a premium SMS at the cost of €1,10 per SMS.

3.Download the software at our download section and transfer the .sis file to your mobile phone via Bluetooth, Infrared or a cable. Once the file is transferred, open it (it normally appears as a message on your phone) and follow the installation steps.

4.Download the software at our download section and email the software as an attachment to your mobile phone. For this you have to set up an email account on your mobile phone. You can ask your mobile phone provider for help on how to do this. When you've received the email on your mobile phone, open the attachment and follow the installation steps

Cost of the shotcode

The ShotCode reader software for your mobile phone is free, as is making and changing ShotCodes. Non-commercial use of ShotCode is also free.

Don't forget: accessing the internet on your phone can be charged separately by your service provider.

Number of ShotCodes can be made

Our current distribution supports over 1.000.000.000.000 ShotCodes

Penetration of ShotCode readers in the market

Penetration rates are very hard to find in this fast chaning market. Operators are extremely reluctant to supply detailed statistics about the penetration rates of each mobile camera device. 7.Mobile phones are currently supported

Your mobile must have a camera and should be able to connect to the Internet. Check our list of supported camera phones and inquire with your provider if you are not sure whether your service plan includes internet usage.

1.Change the color of my ShotCodes

Black & white is the most stable color combination. The colors can therefor not easily be changed. Changing colors will results in less compatible mobile cameraphones.

2.Scan ShotCodes from a TV screen

Yes and no. Current flatscreens such as TFT, LCD and plasma work fine. It's the screens that use a horizontal refresh rate that will make scanning of ShotCodes difficult. Because of the horizontal refresh rate of your phone's viewfinder the image might not always be detected correctly.

The easiest way is to try it out yourself. Activate your camera (you do not need to start up the ShotCode reader for this) and point your camera to your screen. If you see black fields moving on your handset, you will not be able to scan the ShotCode from your screen. However, if you see gray fields moving but you can see the complete screen, you will be able to scan the ShotCodes from that screen. 3.Place ShotCodes on paper

ShotCodes work very well on paper, yet other materials can be used aswell. Current successful implementations include: 1.ShotCodes on clothing 2.ShotCodes on rubber materials 3.ShotCodes in artwork 4.ShotCodes burned on wood

Your imagination sets the limits here. Just make sure you test the implementation as extensively as possible before rolling it out. 4.0ptimization-settings in shotcode

A lot of pages on the internet are not suited for use on mobile devices. Because ShotCodes 'can be scanned with mobile phones (with a small screen) this is a serious problem.

To make it easy for you ShotCode.com helpes you with making content available for mobile devices by introducing a Parser that filters the markup-language and removes all the things you don't need. Depending on the setting the download size of a normal webpage can decrease by 40%.

shotcode

Minimal   optimization:   Only   comments,   javascript(-event)s,   non-needed

stylesheets, flash-objects and linebreaks are removed.

Medium optimization: The same as minimal optimization but with the removal of tables, iframes, div-, font-, span-, and center-tags. Further style-tags are removed and framesets are replaced by a page-listing.

Maximum optimization: The same as medium optimization but with the removal of images. All the images are replaced by [img] or [alt-attribute-content] 5.Secret code setting on shotcode

<only available to Pro accounts>

Because the url requested containing the user-id and amount of clicks can easily be altered by editing the url in the (phone)browser it can be usefull for important contests to trust the given data.

To make this possible you see the 'secretcode' in your profile. This code is put in a crc-function together with the client-id and the amount of clicks. The result is an unsigned integer.

Because the Secretcode is only known to you, you can run the same function on your server using the %USER% and %NUMCLICKS% data and match it to the given identifier. If there is no match it means the user altered the url. In PHP the check can be done like this:

Schecksum = sprintf("%u", crc32("{$client}|{$clicks}|{$code}")); 6.Minimum size of a ShotCode

We advise you to not go smaller than 1 inch in diameter (2,5). Smaller sizes will become a tradeoff in size vs. reader stability (The focus of the lense from each phone is different). 2,5 cm is therefore

ShotCodes can get as large as you would like. If you want to evaluate if a ShotCode would work on a large building, just activate your camera from your handset and point it at the building. If the preferred size of the ShotCode would cover most of your screen, the ShotCode will definitely work. If the ShotCode would not fill half of your screen, it will most probably not work.

1.Change the shape of a ShotCode

No you can't change the shape. Current ShotCodes need to be round in form. You should leave all the graphical elements in it's original form to safe-guard correct use. The only elements that can be changed are size and color.

2.I've forgotten my password!

Don't panic! Just click on the lost password link right underneath the login box. Follow the prompts on the page and we'll reset your password.

3.Delete my ShotCodes

At the moment deleting ShotCodes can only be done by ShotCode staff. We incorporate a cooldown period for ShotCodes after they've been used..

CONCLUSION

We have to use shotcode effectively .and access internet speedily through your mobile phones.

We have to help the growth of the shotcode through the following ways

1. Start using ShotCodes yourself in a free or pro account

2. Become an active member on our forums and share your experiences with others

3. Give shotcode staff your feedback and ideas on anything to do with shotcode

4. Tell your friends about ShotCode

5. Teach your relatives how to use ShotCodes and then tell her to teach her friends