Abiro

Time for some serious NFC evaluation…

Clockwise from top:

• Netduino with NFC shield
• Passive tags in credit card shape
• Passive tags in dog tag shape
• Sony Xperia S (supporting NFC of course)

It’s up at Slideshare: CliqTags – An Introduction

It also goes through what a QR Code is and what it can be used for, and why using a platform like CliqTags makes sense.

CliqTags™ is a Web application that makes it very easy to build smart mobile content behind QR Codes, Microsoft Tags, NFC tags, click ads etc, without need for knowledge about the technologies involved.

E.g.

• To create a feedback form you only need to provide an e-mail address.
• To build a Twitter feed you only need to provide a Twitter user name.
• To make a video page you only need to provide a Youtube link or video ID.
• etc.

The current focus is QR Codes in terms of creating tags for print, but MS Tags etc are considered for implementation shortly.

It supports 3 business models, via a flexible plan system, that can be configured for individual customers or  groups of customers.

• Prepaid, via separate invoicing
• Subscription, monthly
• Clicks, per tag access

Online payments are handled via Paypal (credit card or Paypal account).

It’s currently introduced in Sweden, but will be rolled out worldwide shortly.

CliqTags™ was developed and funded by Abiro.

Are QR Codes the future for simple ‘snapshot’ information retrieval, location and object identification, and engagement marketing?

As always there are many possible futures, yet Abiro believes QR Codes will be in the mix, and increasingly so.

When comparing to requesting a person to send in an SMS with a given keyword, a QR Code is much more immediate, provided there’s a QR-reading application in the phone and the user knows how to use it. We are not there yet, generally speaking, but it’s increasingly likely that if you have a smartphone, you might also have a QR-enabled application installed, and if no other, at least it might be Google Goggles.

It’s anyone’s guess whether Google will fully integrate Goggles into the embedded camera app, but it’s not farfetched, and would make the photographing experience quite different, providing meta data that adds value to the photo, and that provides (hopefully) relevant information to the user about what the camera sees, including QR Codes of course.

Abiro will launch a service that will help with everyday adoption of QR Codes in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

You might want to try out QR Code Generator meanwhile.

Update: CliqTags™, the Web app for managing smart content for QR Codes has been released. Check it out at http://cliqtags.com/.

Definitely not the first, neither is it the last (rest assured):

QR Code Generator

Information about the same

Features

It has a few features that are slightly unique, that might make it worth your while:

• Simple selection of content type via tabs
• Some content types seldomly seen elsewhere (Contact, Location)
• Two modes of location, including an Abiro-hosted map application
• Link shortening for Link/URL, Contact and Facebook Like
• Target scripts for handling Location (showing a map) and Facebook Like (unshortening of link and performing Like)
• Coloring of created QR Codes (with color picker)
• All information displayed on a single screen
• Embedded presentation about why and how to use QR Codes

I’ve noticed that QR Code apps are quite tolerant to colors, as long as foreground and background colors are reasonable different (duh!).

Technical

Of note:

• jQuery came in very handy for the tabs and color picker
• Even though the markup is quite verbose, everything’s scripted, including creating different fields for different tabs, so the source code is quite maintainable
• A modified version of the phpqrcode library is used for generating the QR Codes
• It took slightly more than a workday to implement, yet with long pauses (meetings, movies etc)
• It’s slightly experimental, so layout and types may change

Estimated value: $100B

That’s a lot for en estimated revenue for 2011 of $4.2B, but it’s still growing.

Everything you need to know about Facebook’s Potential IPO (infographic) – Digg Topnews

Think:

• An idea grounded in business potential
  • As opposed to technical wizardry etc
• The simpler and more grounded the idea, the better
  • Quick to realize/deploy/maintain
  • Easy for investors to understand the potential (mind you, investors
    only care about ROI)
• Early capital, via investors and/or real customers
  • To get headroom to work freely
  • Investors can help you with contacts, market info etc
  • Early customers serve as market and offering validation
• Take and keep control of the idea and the execution of the idea, but
  have others do the main work
• Be in control of what people work on your team
• License in things that you don’t consider core
  • Gain time
  • Focus internal competences on what’s unique and must be owned
• Establish a brand that completely hides solution partners’ brands
  • Partners simply don’t exist externally
• Connect a very simple statement to the brand
  • What you solve, why customers should care, etc
• Be very focused, and don’t stray from that focus unless business reality
  tells you so
• Yet, if you find that you need to revise your ideas and plans, do so
  with renewed focus; don’t diddle-daddle
• Business is about making money, for the company, for the investors, for
  you; don’t forget that
• Ideas are abundant, and many get the same idea; the whole thing (but
  hard to achieve) is to realize it and make money out of it
• Running a company is hard work and can involve tough conflicts with
  other people that want to control the company; stand fast
• People will try to shoot down your idea, as they simply can’t fathom new
  concepts until they are real; stand fast
• If you really believe in your idea, and you should, just go ahead; if
  nothing else it will be an experience of a lifetime

Bitly acquires Twitterfeed: Bitly acquires social publishing tool Twitterfeed – Techi.com

Facebook acquires Gowalla and a few other companies: Facebook acquires mobile application firm Gowalla – Economic Times

Analysis: Facebook Goes Geo (again) – AnalystXpress – the Juniper Research Blog

It’s clear from the Facebook/Gowalla information how important it is to be at the right place and know the right people, and that it’s very little about technology.

Even more so in the latter case, considering Gowalla will be shut down, so really what Facebook acquired was a few engineers and their knowledge and vibe.

“Carrier IQ is a tool whose primary purpose is recording various info which helps carriers improve the quality of service for their customers.”

Do carriers use this data today, or is it just collected?

What right would a carrier have to the “intellectual property” of your phone use? None in my opinion.

Mashable – Carrier IQ Tracking Scandal Spirals Out of Control

HTML 5 is of course intended to be used by all kinds of Web devices, but there are certain extensions to Javascript that are primarily aimed at mobile devices, not the least location.

I found these useful pages through a simple googling:

• Mobile HTML5 – Tutorial- Your First Mobile HTML5 App – The Basics, Forms, and Geolocation…
• Mobile HTML5 – compatibility tables for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, iPad and other …
• HTML5 in mobile devices – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• HTML5 from a Mobile Perspective « Cloud Four

From the last one I picked these benefits compared to previous HTML versions:

• Offline Support
• Canvas and Video
• GeoLocation API
• Advanced Forms

This means it’s mostly Javascript from now on, whether you like it or not.

You can stay native as well, but it makes a lot of sense to know HTML 5 to achieve cross-platform support with only one implementation. Especially if you develop apps that complement on-line services and where you don’t charge for individual app downloads, but rather use subscription- or ad-based revenue.