December » 2010 » mobilegroove

We conclude our series of five innovators in mobile codes (and the year 2010) with Mike Wehrs, CEO of Scanbuy. By way of background, Scanbuy is the leading global provider of mobile barcode solutions that use the camera phone as the link between the physical and digital worlds. The company's ScanLife solution - which consists of a multi-barcode reader application and interoperable Code Management Platform -- has been deployed and supported by leading mobile providers and handset manufacturers in the U.S., Mexico, Chile, Spain, Italy and Denmark. Scanbuy has the largest and oldest patent portfolio of any company in the industry, with over 30 patents granted covering the entire solution.

As we move into Part 4 of our Five From Five predictions from industry innovators, we reach out to Warbasse Design, a creative agency that is taking the lead in the integration of mobile codes into campaigns for big brand clients. Specifically, the company has extensive experience working with a variety of mobile barcode providers including Microsoft’s proprietary TAG reader.

I caught up with Philip Warbasse - founder and CEO of both Warbasse Design and Plush Mobile Servers -- for his take on where mobile codes are headed in 2011. He should know. His companies are well known for being ahead of the curve. For example, Warbasse Design is the agency behind some of the most widely recognized integrated media campaigns to date, including Iron Man 2 and HBO's True Blood. These campaigns build on the increasing awareness around mobile codes, allowing people to experience new levels of interactivity and engagement with entertainment content.

Joseph Spiteri, founder and CEO of Mobile Data Systems (MDS), is the third in our series of five innovators in mobile codes. He offers us some surprising predictions for 2011, a year poised for phenomenal growth. But think beyond barcodes and start thinking mobile codes, watermarks and more (!).

We wrap up 2010 with a special holiday edition of the Mobile Groove podcast looking at the mobile stats and trends that really matter with mobile author and authority Tomi Ahonen. He connects the dots inQ4 results to name the top smartphone makers and reveal the magic number Apple has to beat in holiday shopping sales to become the number two after Nokia.

We also discuss Tomi's recent response to Robert Scoble (via his blog Communities Dominate Brands) and why Tomi can be so sure Nokia will maintain it's global lead (even though Tomi openly admits Nokia is "invisible" in the North American market). The answer lies in the numbers, and Tomi dissects the figures from analyst houses IDC and Strategy Analytics to determine Apple, RIM Blackberry and Nokia market share in the regions (North America, Europe, ROW- Rest Of World).

In line with our focus on barcode innovators we wrap up the week with an exclusive interview Mike Wehrs, CEO of Scanbuy, a market leader whose solution consists of a multi-barcode reader application and a code management platform.

Over the last year Scanbuy has positioned itself at the forefront of new applications and activities to link the common 1D barcodes (UPC) to digital information and destinations. Scanbuy has also put out new releases of its ScanLife barcode scanner software for the Android, BlackBerry and iPhone operating systems – so they read 2D barcodes and 1D barcodes from packaging and traditional media.

Laura Marriott, CEO, NeoMedia Technologies, is the second in our series of five innovators in mobile codes stepping up to offer predictions for 2011. By way of background, NeoMedia’s product portfolio includes: mobile barcode management & infrastructure solutions, barcode reader solutions, Mobile Coupon & Affiliate Marketing, Mobile Ticketing & POS Integration and IP Licensing. Current customers include handset manufacturers, platform providers, brands and agencies looking to offer mobile barcode solutions to their customer base.