[FX.php List] Wireless BarCode Scanners

[Jonathan Schwartz]

You know, it was the client who balked at handing out iPhones to 
delivery drivers.  But I suspect that outfitting them with FedEx-like 
wireless bar code scanners along with wireless service would probably 
be alot higher.

Coincidentally, I started using the RedLaser just last week. What a 
cool product.


J

At 2:51 PM -0800 1/15/10, Troy Meyers wrote:
>Jonathan,
>
>I have no good answers, but we are looking at it. If you are 
>excluding iPhone as a platform, then this isn't relevant to you. If 
>iPhone is it, then prior to iPhone OS 3.0 we were approaching the 
>problem using an FSK-input method to the iPhone (without 
>jailbreaking) from a pen scanner with some adapter hardware, through 
>the dock connector. It's physically cumbersome.
>
>Now, under 3.1 there are a couple of nicer possibilities, one is 
>using the RedLaser SDK which actually uses the iPhone camera to look 
>at the barcodes. The SDK allows you to collect scans for your own 
>app. It won't work for us right now, though, because that SDK 
>doesn't support Code39 which is what we must use. I don't recall the 
>ones supported, but if you dig around surrounding this page:
>http://www.redlaser.com/SDK.aspx
>you might find it. I know UPC is one, and perhaps another (EAN?)
>Occipital will potentially add Code39 or others in the future (based 
>on email conversions with them) but their plate is pretty full right 
>now. Perhaps if you asked too, it'd add fuel to the fire.
>
>The other possibility is that supposedly Bluetooth is more 
>accessible under 3.1. I don't know if it's accessible enough. I'm 
>awaiting delivery of a Bluetooth pen scanner (Baracode Pencil2) 
>which, if it can be made to cooperate with the iPhone would be idea 
>for our application. For us, a pen (especially one without a cord) 
>is best due to ambient light and physical accessibility of the 
>barcode issues. If I can interface the Bluetooth then we'll build 
>data collection from the pen into the app, which really is a CWP 
>application but has to be inside a special "scanner Safari" that 
>allows field to be filled with scan data when appropriate, instead 
>of from the "keyboard".
>
>This is all thought-exercise at this point. I'll know more when the 
>pen arrives and I start figuring out that portion of the iPhone 
>development stuff. I have no idea if any will really work out.
>
>-Troy
>
>
>>  Anyone done anything with wireless hand-held bar code scanners to
>>  report deliveries, ala FedEx, UPS and the like?
>>
>>  I know that I could make an iphone friendly CWP application without
>>  the bar code part, but that's not the target.
>>
>>  J
>
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-- 
Jonathan Schwartz
Exit 445 Group
jonathan at exit445.com
http://www.exit445.com
415-370-5011