We have decided to license our barcode scanning technology under two free models:
- Data Sharing. Free License for Applications that share their data with ShopSavvy (food data, price data, allergy data, review data and so on). If your data can help ShopSavvy provide users with a better experience we will share our technology with you for free. We will ALSO provide a link to your app providing you with a free advertising channel.
- Publishing License. Free License for Applications that use Big in Japan’s app publishing services. We announced this model previously in post titled, “License our barcode scanning tech for free” (you can read more there).
We have scanning libraries for Android AF, Android non-AF, RIM, 2/3G iPhone, 3GS iPhone and Windows Mobile. If you are interested just email or call Jennifer Donica at 1+214.550.3534 jdonica@architel.com.
Posted by amuse | November 25, 2009 - 7:34pm | No Comments
Category: Meatloaf, ShopSavvy (Android), ShopSavvy (Pre), ShopSavvy (Windows Mobile), ShopSavvy (iPhone), ShopSavvy RIM, barcode
We spent hundreds of man-hours developing a barcode scanner that would work on almost any smartphone camera – fixed focal length or variable focal length – iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile or RIM. It occurred to us (after receiving hundreds of phone calls and emails) that developers might want to use our technology for their own apps. There are a few other companies that license their barcode scanning technology, but they usually want a cut of the sales of a developers application in the app store (typically 10%). We had a different idea. What if we licensed our barcode scanning technology (including performance updates) for FREE? Our plan is to allow developers to keep 100% of their app store revenue (either on iPhone or Android). What is the catch? We want to help you publish your app!
Developers who license our barcode scanning technology for their application would agree to allow our company, Big in Japan Inc., to publish their application in either the Apple App Store or the Android Market. Our publishing agreements assume we can drive significant non-app store revenue and as a result we only make money if we help you make MORE money. Specifically we retain 50% of all of the non-app store revenue we generate for the developer. We will help the developer make more money!
As part of our publishing agreement, our team would help the developer identify advertisers and sponsors, negotiate advertising revenue agreements, identify and negotiate alternative sources of revenue, identify distribution partners and negotiate distribution agreements. Additionally, we can help the developer apply for trademark and copyright protection, patent protection, find beta testers and provide access to real world, on staff, developers with experience with Android, iPhone, RIM and Windows Mobile. Learn more about our publishing model here.
Interested? Just send us your email address and an explanation of your app and we will forward you the license and publishing agreement. Send to sales@biggu.com.
Posted by amuse | November 5, 2009 - 6:12pm | 2 Comments
Category: Android, Meatloaf, ShopSavvy (Android), ShopSavvy (Windows Mobile), ShopSavvy (iPhone), barcode
We know there is a huge demand for the ShopSavvy experience on the iPhone and we have been working on an iPhone release for some time. Our biggest hurdle has been to perfect barcode scanning using a fixed focal length camera. We are very close to finalizing our solution called Meatloaf. We looked at various ’server-side’ options – i.e. taking a photo, sending it to our servers here in Dallas and then sending the results back to the phone – but we determined that the ‘live’ scanning that our Android users are accustom to was the right direction. We had to come up with a solution that was 100% accurate and FAST – we call the project Meatloaf.
Many of you have surmized (via email and even on TechCrunch) that we will be able to launch on the iPhone 3Gs since it has a variable focal length camera (10cm). While our current solution would work fine on all of the new iPhones it would leave the 40,000,000 existing devices (Apple’s number, not mine) without a solution. Meatloaf; however, will work on both fixed and variable focus cameras – 100% coverage on all current and legacy devices.
Meatloaf will be even more important on Android because, as some of you likely noted, more and more Android handsets will ship with fixed focal length cameras. For example, AT&T is launching an Android phone called the HTC Lancaster which sports a ‘2 mega-pixel fixed focus camera’. Ouch. Any Android application that relies on the ‘traditional’ camera we have come to know and love on the G1 and Magic will be DOA on the AT&T devices. AT&T is the second-largest mobile provider in the US and the largest smartphone provider – your Android app needs to work on their phones, period.
Along with an updated solution for barcode scanning, the iPhone version of ShopSavvy will get a complete UI makeover. Smartphones are not equal and they each have strengths and weaknesses. Porting ShopSavvy over from Android would leave a lot to be desired so we spent a LOT of time making sure that ShopSavvy took advantage of all of the iPhone features and UI users have come to know and love. ShopSavvy is still ShopSavvy, but it is optimized for iPhone. Make sense? Here is a screenshot to give you an idea:
Posted by amuse | June 10, 2009 - 10:39am | 25 Comments
Category: Android, Big in Japan, Meatloaf, ShopSavvy (Android), ShopSavvy (iPhone)
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