Cell phones with cameras finally getting useful?

[touchfaith]

This looks good.... (http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/7oys/073105_7oys_scanbuy.html) (news story)

Basically it's an application for your cell that lets you take a picture of a barcode. It then performs a lookup on Amazon (and others?) allowing you to comparison shop right there onsite.

They did a CD in the news story I just watched and where able to preview some of the tracks and watch the video (on your phone).

Nifty chit.

[Non_Comformist]

it's takes a picture? seems like waste when instead it could just scan it.

[touchfaith]

[ QUOTE ]
it's takes a picture? seems like waste when instead it could just scan it.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's unclear from reading their documentation if they are already using the camera as a reader or not. Im guessing the software decodes the image and obtains the barcode for now though...

They do make mention (http://www.esato.com/news/article.php/id=621) of barcode enabled phones though and I think that if this takes off, you will start to see bar code readers as a stadard funtion of cell phones, camera or none, from here on out...

[Non_Comformist]

either way you are right it is cool and even useful which is a plus.