Me, as my colleague - stumbled upon the blog of Lars Wilhelmsen, a Microsoft MVP who was writing about Microsoft Tag - which is a new, or rather improved technology by Microsoft for enabling linked content on static objects (i.e movie posters, news ads (yes, printed) etc).
Tag has been out as a beta service since January 7th free for anyone to try, both for commercial and personal use. A Tag client is available if you point your mobile web browser to http://gettag.mobi. The page try to detect your device and gives you a download link. Some of the devices supported are; Android, Blackberry, PalmOS, Windows Mobile and Symbian S60. Apple iPhone is also supported, giving you a link to iTunes AppStore for download, and finally a Java 2 ME client making the client available on almost any device available.
This is what Microsoft writes about Tag:
Instant information and entertainment.
Microsoft Tag creates unlimited possibilities for making interactive communications an instant, entertaining part of life. They transform physical media (print advertising, billboards, product packages, information signs, in-store merchandising, or even video images)—into live links for accessing information and entertainment online.
With the Microsoft Tag application, just aim your camera phone at a Tag and instantly access mobile content, videos, music, contact information, maps, social networks, promotions, and more. Nothing to type, no browsers to launch!
iPhone tag client
The idea of tagging posters, ads, CD’s etc with dynamic content is not new, and Microsoft’s effort here is in my opinion to be seen as a addition, or improvement of existing technology like QR-Code, DataMatrix, Aztec, Trillcode, Quickmark and a few more. There is some discussion around the need for yet another version or tag technology. I can agree to that if the technology was good enough, go with the established standards , but if you improve and create something uniquely new you should go with it, its software evolution.
From a technical point of view, it is the bar code itself that is taking the tag technology to a new level, not content linking.
The Microsoft Tag mobile tagging system offers many advances and advantages:
- Designed from the beginning to work with the limited capabilities of a typical camera phone.
- Much smaller than other formats. Typical packaging application starts at 5/8 x 5/8”.
- Optimized for both print and video display.
- Enhanced Reed-Solomon error correction means Tags can still be read even if partially damaged.
- On many phones can decode using a direct real-time camera video stream, you don’t even have to “click” to read the code.
- Handles long URLs and allows for content to be dynamically changed.
- Tags are saved for later viewing and can be forwarded to someone else (no need to scan it again).
Mobile content tagging has not yet reached scandinavia but hopefully this will change and maybe if MS Tag is made available at an affordable price for both small and medium sized companies i would be able to get linked content when looking for more information about a bottle of wine I am drinking, being able to purchase concert or movie tickets when looking at a poster, download timetables dynamically from a bus stop and a whole lot more.
There is a Wikipedia article about mobile tagging worth reading, and also some more information can be found on Mobile Codes Consortium.
