Big in Japan | ShopSavvy Barcode Scanner App

Standalone QR Code Reader Released (iOS4)

amuse — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:59:51 +0000

Lots of ShopSavvy users have asked us to release a standalone QR Code Reader so I asked one of our barcode scanner SDK licensees to build a simple QR Code Reader using our SDK. It took him about an hour to put it all together (it took Apple three weeks to approve it). All it does is read QR Codes (it does have a banner ad at the bottom providing a link to ShopSavvy). ShopSavvy users should remember that ShopSavvy reads QR codes as well as 1D UPC/EAN codes found on products. You don’t really need two scanners. Anyway, feel free to download (it is free) from iTunes.
We have talked about our QR Code program before, but I thought it was worth a mention. The adoption of two-dimensional barcodes in marketing and advertising has been hampered by proprietary standards. Too many companies have spent too much time attempting to monetize a very simple, but powerful feature. Ironically, there has always been an alternative, open standard called a Quick Response or QR Code. Anyone can generate a two-dimensional QR Code pointing to any website for free. Additionally, millions of mobile phone users already have QR Code capable readers like ShopSavvy®.

The biggest problem with QR Codes is that American consumers don’t know what a 2D barcode is. They need some help understanding how to react to a QR Code printed on a billboard or in a magazine advertisement. Our ‘Scan with ShopSavvy’ program was designed to solve this problem. Millions of ShopSavvy users already use the application to scan 1D barcodes, but many of them have no idea that ShopSavvy will scan open standard 2D barcodes (i.e. QR Code), but they do understand the concept of scanning.

Our ‘Scan with ShopSavvy’ program allows brands to leverage our ‘trained’ user base by including our ‘Scan with ShopSavvy’ badge anywhere they print a 2D barcode. Consumers can use ANY QR-capable scanner (50+ today), but the program attempts to short circuit the call to action by showing the user he can use an application he already has on his smartphone.

The program is free for almost all brands. Our goal is to promote QR Codes, ShopSavvy and build great relationships with brands. Interested? Brands simply need to emailsales@biggu.com and explain the planned usage of our badge prior to use. Permission will be granted to almost all brands. Camera-ready art of the badge is available for download:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/109866/scanwithshopsavvy.zip

Basic tracking is included for FREE as part of the QR code generator and includes:

Total click tracking
Click tracking (today, past week, past month, total)
Referrer tracking (today, past week, past month, total)
Location tracking (today, past week, past month, total)
Conversation tracking (number of tweets, shares, comments)

Enhanced programs area available including geo-targeted content. Use the consumers location as a trigger for alternative content. Show a user in a specific store or city a different experience. Please contact our sales department for more information.

Winner of ShopSavvy ‘Tweet to Win’ Announced!

amuse — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:37:26 +0000

…from the press release:

Big in Japan Announces Winner of First ShopSavvy ‘Tweet to Win’ Contest After Drawing More than 220,000 Entries

Heather Brown-Smith wins HTC EVO 4G in contest to spread the word about ShopSavvy, the local retail shopping companion for 6+ million mobile users.

Big in Japan, the leader in barcode-powered shopping by mobile consumers, announced that Heather Brown-Smith, 44, of Valencia, Calif., has won the company’s first “Tweet to Win” contest by helping to spread the word about ShopSavvy®, the local retail shopping app for the iPhone, Android and Nokia smartphones. More than 220,000 Twitter users entered the contest. Brown-Smith was awarded an HTC EVO 4G smartphone.

Big in Japan also launched a second “Tweet to Win” contest, beginning today and accepting entries through Sept. 30.

“ShopSavvy is much more than a price-comparison app; it is a community in which users add value to the shopping experiences of others and share information about the savings they’ve received,” said Alexander Muse, co-founder of Big in Japan. “In this spirit, ‘Tweet to Win’ engages social network users to spread the word about ShopSavvy — with great results.”

To participate in the second “Tweet to Win” contest, entrants must follow ShopSavvy’s Twitter account (http://twitter.com/shopsavvy ) from their own Twitter account. Entrants must then issue the status update from their Twitter account shown on the “Tweet to Win” contest page (http://biggu.com/promo ). One winner will be selected randomly from all valid entries.

Top Alcohol Scans in Ireland

amuse — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 06:58:51 +0000

Ever wonder what Irish ShopSavvy users are scanning in liquor stores? Evidently one of the retail partners we are working with in Ireland asked Philip the question so we thought we would share the results. Here are the Top 20 Alcohol Scans in Ireland:

1 Jack Daniels 70cl
2 Blossom Hill White Zinfandel
3 Eristoff Original 70cl
4 Southern Comfort 70cl ???
5 Moet & Chandon NV
6 Baileys 70cl
7 Bacardi Superior 70cl
8 Jameson 70cl
9 Jagermeister 70cl
10 Concha y Toro Cas Diablo Cab S
11 Desperados 33cl Btl
12 Bombay Sapphire Gin 70cl
13 Absolut 1ltr
14 Veuve Clicquot Brut NV
15 Drambuie 70cl
16 Bollinger Special Cuvee
17 Tia Maria 70cl
18 Malibu 70cl
19 Gallo White Grenache
20 Smirnoff Ice 27.5cl Btl

So it blew me away to learn that the fourth most popular scan is Southern Comfort. Really? Southern Comfort in Ireland?

Why Windows Phone 7 is Important

amuse — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:12:34 +0000

If you were like me you would have asked why Microsoft was bothering to build yet another smartphone operating system (aka Windows Phone 7) to compete with blockbuster hits like the iPhone and Android. If you worked on WinMo 6.5 you might be even MORE jaded. But I want to suggest that, in the end, it won’t be the operating system that is relevant it will be the apps. It is ALL about the apps now. If developers embrace a platform and great apps emerge an operating system will succeed. After seeing our own team’s work on the Windows Phone 7 version of ShopSavvy and other developers work I am more and more bullish about the platform. Microsoft really has a shot at making something really great. Check out a video of the USGA app:

My Fix for the iTunes App Store (and Android Market)

amuse — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 05:26:25 +0000

There are almost a hundred thousand apps that shouldn’t be in Apple’s iTunes App store. They look a lot more like SPAM than apps and we all have seen them (30 apps with almost the same logo with slightly different names are just SPAM). I have a solution for Apple (and all other app stores): charge a yearly maintenance fee to keep an app in iTunes. Right now Apple charges developers $99 to have a developers account, but there is no limit or cost for adding apps. I propose a low $99/app/year fee to keep an individual app in the market.

Sneak Peek of ShopSavvy on Windows Phone 7

amuse — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 00:51:27 +0000

Wondering what ShopSavvy will look like with full ‘Metro’ styling? Wonder no more. If you want to get on the wait list for the Beta (or just get notified when it is available) sign up here. See all of the screenshots on Flickr:

Gamerator Status Update

amuse — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 23:55:05 +0000

Jaime, one of the Gamerator guys, sent me an update on our unit today. If you missed my post last week, we are getting a Gamerator (Kegerator + Video Game) for our office. They are still working on the joystick and keg system, but it is almost done. They should be able to ship on August 17th (whohooo!). Here are some pictures of our unit under construction:

Scanner Kit SDK 4.0 Available NOW!

amuse — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:26:22 +0000

Yesterday I wrote about the back story on our need to release an updated Scanner Kit SDK for the iPhone. If you are a developer who has already used our SDK in your app to scan barcodes or you are a developer thinking about using our SDK in your app – please download our new version ASAP. From the release notes:

NEW – (Friday July 30th, 2010) – Version 4.0.0

Complete overhaul of underlying barcode scanning and camera frame grabbing logic.
Vastly improved performance and API enhancements
Full compatibility with iOS 4.0 and Apple’s App Store policies and guidelines. (No more “UIGetScreenImage()”)
Full compatibility with iPhone 4, 3GS and 3G devices

Download the Scanner Kit SDK for iPhone today!

Sidenote: Gamerator is Big in Japan

amuse — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:15:06 +0000

Many of you know that we are in the midst of building out the new office for Big in Japan, but you may not know that we are outfitting the space with all of the best amenities for our developers – stuff like a fully stocked bar to an in-office gym with showers. My latest acquisition is perhaps the coolest. We have your run-of-the-mill pool table and foosball table and while we were thinking about adding a cabinet-style arcade game I have been reluctant to order one because a) we couldn’t decide on which game and b) what a huge waste of space. Of course that all changed when I saw the Gamerator. The Gamerator solves BOTH problems. First, it includes a BOATLOAD of classic and current video games resolving the ‘which game to buy problem’. Second the space inside of the cabinet is used by a kegerator (i.e. beer).

From Thrillist: “Legitimately badass keg-cade hardware includes a 26” HD flatscreen, a Golden Tee-style trackball next to a standard double-joystick setup, two critical cupholders, a spout/overflow drain below the joysticks, a refrigerated keg chamber w/ standard tap and C02 setup, and an optional, toggle-able international tap for kegs of the non-domestic stuff, for when you’re playing Ca-Stella-vania. On the software side, a legit user interface means easy navigation of the 85 classic arcade games (fromSpace Invaders, to Rampage, to Mortal Kombats I – III) that come pre-installed, while 1,000 downloadable games can be accessed via an included one-year subscription to GameTap, which they describe as “Netflix for video games”, so…Netflix.”

So get your order in fast (they are selling like hot cakes) or make sure you make it to our first Startup Happy Hour in October. Visit Gamerator.com for more info.

Scanner Kit SDK (iOS4)

amuse — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:00:56 +0000

WARNING: Don’t update your app if you use our Scanner Kit SDK until you get our new 2.0 version (hopefully released tomorrow).

Earlier this month Apple stopped accepting apps that made use of UIGetScreenImage call (allowing apps like ShopSavvy to take a snapshot of the iPhone’s screen). This ‘call’ has always been private, but Apple made an exception to allow apps like ShopSavvy to work. Apple made it VERY clear from the start that this ‘private’ call would not longer be available once they released their new public API for the camera in IOS4. The new public API is amazing and makes ShopSavvy and our Scanner Kit SDK work like a dream.The downside is that if you have implemented our SDK in your app (or any other barcode scanning library that worked prior to IOS4) Apple will reject your app if you try to update it right now.

Our team saw this coming a mile away and has been working tirelessly to update our scanner kit to stop using the private call in favor of the new public API and as of today our Scanner Kit is working really well. We will be testing tomorrow, but hopefully by the end of the day we will release the SDK publicly.

The new SDK will use NONE of the private methods and will also work significantly better as we replaced all of our slow, shaky, hacky work-around code with Apple’s new officially supported, high-performance camera API calls. Our new 2.0 version scans faster, is more accurate and since it is not using any private, unsupported methods, it will not break whenever Apple releases an update.

Finally, another important thing to note is that Apple is dropping support for the iPhone 2G (original iPhone). They aren’t allowing users to install iOS 4 on it. Therefore it won’t be possible publish an app/update that does real-time barcode scanning on a 2G because iPhone OS 3.x can’t interact with the camera without UIGetScreenImage() which is now back on Apple’s blacklist. Apple said they will grandfather in the old apps that use this and won’t pull them out of the store, they just won’t approve any updates or new apps that use UIGetScreenImage. If you are a 2G user or OS3.X user feel free to use ShopSavvy Classic as it will never be updated – it is Grand Fathered in the app store.