Barcoding News
Data tracking news, product updates, tips, and more
Motorola Solutions to Acquire Psion
Motorola Solutions and Psion announced that they have agreed on the terms of a recommended offer by Motorola Solutions for a buyout of all Psion stock shares.
Psion has been a pioneer in ruggedized mobile computing products and their application in industrial segments around the world. With headquarters in London and a major operational presence near Toronto, Canada, Psion has been a leader in mobile computing solutions since 1980. Psion has approximately 830 employees, customers in more than 50 countries.
The Next Generation Warehouse : Long Range Scanning and the Emergence of 2D Barcodes
Introduction
Today’s warehouses are rapidly evolving as they seek to keep up with a variety of new requirements and advancements in technology. Processes traditionally using 1-dimensional bar codes are becoming more accurate, more efficient, and more robust through the transition to 2D symbologies. Offering superior data storage capability yet compact in size, these 2D symbols are ideal for cradle-to-grave tracking of products and serialization. As imaging technology progresses, businesses are poised to take advantage of the benefits of implementing 2D while continuing to accommodate the long range scanning requirements typical in the warehouse environment.
Driving this transition is the growing need to track individual parts from assembly to shipment and beyond for information and traceability purposes, largely imposed by company-specific or legislative requirements. A 2D bar code can accommodate significantly more information than its 1d counterpart, and in a fraction of the space, making such traceability possible.
Historically, laser scanners have been the preferred technology in warehousing because of their speed, accuracy, and ability to read at long range. however, as 2D bar codes become more common and imaging technology matures, manufacturers are now discovering what imagers have to offer in terms of flexibility, traceability, and legislative standards compliance.
Top 10 Barcode Scanner Apps for iPhone and Android Smartphones
With a free or inexpensive app you can turn the Android or iPhone smartphone in your pocket into a powerful data-collecting barcode scanner for basic inventory management, asset tracking, and ticketing needs.
Most apps you will find in iTunes and Google Play only focus on reading barcodes for checking product prices, but there are also many apps ideal for small business and enterprise users.
We reviewed hundreds of apps to bring you the 10 of the most useful barcode scanner apps.
The Power of Mobile Printing in the Warehouse and Beyond
In today’s precarious economic environment, global enterprises are experiencing a dual pinch: one, difficult times have cut operating budgets significantly, and rehiring to support growth after the contraction remains difficult; secondly, as investments in new equipment and systems have been delayed or denied, the optimization of warehouse and supply chain processes has become a critical factor in balancing costs, labor, and assets. What’s more, this optimization must occur while maximizing productivity and improving responsiveness to customer demands.
With the growing emphasis on cost cutting, companies need to find new and better ways to enhance efficiencies and ensure accuracy across their supply chains and distribution networks. One strategy that is still effective in helping achieve this goal is the implementation of greater mobility into warehousing and distribution functions through devices such as mobile printers.
According to a recent study, mobile devices and software commonly improve workforce production by 20 percent or more. This translates into lower labor costs, lower operating costs, and faster payback on investment. Such gains are not hard to envision. By minimizing the time needed to print labels and apply them to materials, work in process, finished goods, pallets, boxes, and so forth, mobile printers help drive down labor costs while improving performance on the warehouse and DC floors.
Shadow QR Code Campaign Increases Sales 25%
Many retailers experience a slow part of the day which can be a difficult challenge to solve. Â Sometimes the best answer is engaging your customers in new and creative ways.
South Korea’s largest retailer, E-mart, was seeing a a large dip in daily business from 12pm to 1pm and came up with a novel way to get customers into stores.  They created a shadow QR code that was only scannable between 12pm and 1pm when the sun was in a position to cast the correct shape shadow.  When people would see these shadow QR codes outdoors they could use their smartphone to read them.  Once scanned, they are lead to a ‘Sunny Sale’ homepage with special offers, coupons and a download for the Emart ecommerce app.  This simple yet clever campaign helped increase Emart’s sale by 25% during their once difficult lunchtime slump. The campaign was conceived and managed by Cheil Worldwide who were also responsible for the virtual grocery store in Hangangjin subway station in Seoul.
Unitech MS380 Wireless Scanner: Scanning A Barcode on a Smartphone Screen
Smartphones are everywhere and your business can benefit from them if they have the right technology in place. Not every barcode scanner out their can easily scan a code from a Smartphone LCD screen, but the Unitech MS380 can! Quickly and easily read coupons or promotional offers with barcodes off of a customer’s smartphone.
This video demonstrate how the MS380 wireless scanner can easily scan a barcode off of any smartphone LCD screen.
Choosing the Right Connectivity
â€Always connected†was a phrase without meaning 20 years ago; today, being always connected is a necessity. Enterprises of every type know they need employees with more mobility – and more connectedness – than ever to grow their businesses and remain competitive. But which type of wireless technology to use is difficult to determine. This paper examines the wireless options for mobile computer connectivity and takes a close look at some nontraditional choices that can save you money while still delivering improved productivity.
Communicating within four walls usually relies on 802.11a/b/g/n (also called Wi-Fi or WLAN for wireless local-area networks). Going outside the four walls requires other technology, typically wireless widearea networks (WWAN) or satellite. Each has strengths and weaknesses.
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Cognex Adds Autofocus to Dataman 300
Cognex Corporation, the global leader in industrial ID, today announced the addition of liquid lens optics for the DataMan 300 series of fixed-mount barcode readers. The new accessory allows any DataMan 300 reader to be easily upgraded from fixed focus to autofocus. Liquid lens variable autofocus technology is ideal for applications that require a large depth of field or when refocusing is needed after a product changeover.
The DataMan 300 intelligent tuning feature automatically selects the optimum settings for the integrated lighting and for the autofocus optics for each application. This tuning process ensures that the barcode reader will be set up to attain the highest read rates possible for 1-D, 2-D and direct part marked (DPM) codes. The liquid lens can also be adjusted with software or serial commands without having to touch the reader.
CipherLab Presents a New Bluetooth 2D Barcode Scanner from the Antimicrobial Protection Series
CipherLab, a leading innovator in Automated Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) has released the 1664H scanner from its Antimicrobial Protection Series today. This model is designed to meet conditions in the healthcare application. It comes with unique disinfection friendly treatment which will not scrub off with alcohol cleaning, also protects the product from bacteria growth in clinical settings. Its lightweight features make it easy to carry and give users excellent mobility.
The 1664H pocket-sized scanner is designed to perfectly supplement the healthcare staffs. Alongside of the special antimicrobial technology, the 1664H is equipped with 4 MB memory for spacious data storage. In terms of scanning capabilities, the 1664H satisfies the growth of 2D barcodes deployments as well as those with 1D barcodes. It operates on a rechargeable Li-ion battery which translates to long operational time creating increased productivity. Armed with Bluetooth technology, the scanner supports a wide working range for instant data synchronization with the back-end system.
Unitech’s New Business Class Tablet Computer – TB100
Searching for a tablet durable enough to use in your business? The TB100 is the perfect match!
Tablets are increasingly becoming essential tools used in business environments because of the need for larger viewable screens to support customer facing activates. Unitech’s business class Tablet computer, TB100, offers a 7 inch, high definition, multi-touch display using Gorilla Glass technology and powerful dual-core processor running Android 3.2 OS. The TB100 weighs in at a mere 560g or 1.2 lbs and features an environmentally sealed housing that is both IP65 rated and military standard certified.
Use the TB100’s Wi-Fi 802.11b/g to connect to your local access points, or for outside-the-four-walls, get the TB100 with a built-in 3.75G cellular radio for data anytime, anywhere. To scan bar code data into the TB100, Unitech offers a few different types of wireless HID or Bluetooth scanners as optional accessories. Just pair the Unitech bar code scanner to the TB100 and within seconds you have added bar code data collection to your business tablet.
