Every once in a while a great invention comes
along that totally transforms the way we go about performing everyday tasks.
One such invention is the barcode. Based on configurations of lines of a
varying thickness, barcodes have offered an extremely useful way of
transmitting data specific to any object to an optical scanner since the
mid-20th Century.
We’ve all seen plenty of barcode scanners in
our day-to-day lives, at all kinds of retail outlets. It’s only in recent years
however, that barcode scanning technology has become widely available to the
average person, at home or on the go, through improvements in technology
utilising web cams and smartphone technology. This innovation has offered a
huge number of benefits to users. Let’s run through our top 5 ways in which bar
code scanners are making life easier for regular people, right now:
1
Conveniently valuing and selling goods -
The last thing anyone needs is an unnecessary journey of several kilometers -
and even further for country folk - for the sake of visiting a store to find
out how much their unwanted games, CDs or DVDs are worth. musicMagpie’s use of
barcode scanner technology offers the far more attractive alternative of simply
letting you scan the barcode of the product in question using your webcam,
before letting you know how much it is worth and giving you the option to sell
it. Visit www.musicmagpie.com to test
this out. The days of bartering with tight-fisted video
store owners are far behind us, and the cash value of your bar-coded goods is
now just a scan away.
2
Paperless instruction manuals - An
ever-growing number of electronic and household goods now come with a barcode
subtly incorporated into their design or packaging. These barcodes lead users
to a digital instruction manual explaining how to operate or configure the
relevent product. Users are able to use shortcuts to search for key words in
these documents, allowing for instructions to be found more easily than ever
before. Digital manuals are obviously far harder to lose than physical ones and
the benefits to the environment are clear, with no paper being used up in their
manufacture.
3
Linking objects to the internet -
Through scanning barcodes attached to objects - often incorporated into
packaging - we can now access web links relating to the product in question.
These links often direct users to special promotions, add-ons and bonus
content, providing users with a fuller, more immersive experience. Barcode
links can be used to enrich content in a variety of mediums, including
newspapers and magazines.
4
Comparing prices locally - Several
smartphone apps have been developed which allow users to scan the barcodes of
products in the high street and view details of how these goods are priced in
other local or online outlets. These applications empower consumers with the
knowledge of whether or not they’re getting the best deal possible.
5
Securing healthy diets - Believe it or
not, barcode scanners can be a key tool in ensuring your diet is a healthy one.
Numerous apps now on the market allow users to scan the barcodes of food
products, access nutritional information and consider the foodstuff as part of
a diet plan. This hugely simplifies the process of keeping your calorie count
under control.
This is a sponsored post. For more details please see my disclosure policy.