I read an article about the 2D Barcodes... or Datamatrix barcodes and I thought it was really interesting, but not really that applicable to me. Then this morning, while showering... I noticed thise little square "code" (the 2D barcode) on the back of my shampoo bottle.

Seeing this code got me thinking and in turn, doing some more searching about these codes. I constantly see examples of the code bing used on cellphones via the camera. I don't know how to use it on my phone.... nor if anyone knows about it's functionality on the N800. Leading to my question:

Is anyone familiar with this and/or do you know how to use the code (if possible) with the camera on the N800?

... Just curious.

I was looking into that when I was supporting device production. I wanted to use 770s or N800s as mobile auditing tools. However, I don't know if the N800 webcam supports the necessary resolution; for 2D barcodes it's pretty high.

In theory, bluetooth scanners (RFID, barcode, et al) *should* work with the tablets. However, I think that drivers are required if I remember right. Anyone know for sure? It's been over a year since I researched the subject and don't have current access to the materials.

Most of the professional barcode scanners advertise themselves as a serial port. So if the N800's bluetooth stack supports the serial profile, it would probably just work. Some also have the option to report as a HID keyboard (though this is I believe more common with the USB cabled devices than the wireless Bluetooth ones).

Most POS and inventory tracking system still prefer the serial port approach as it avoids user error (don't have to worry about the user having the cursor in the correct field before scanning like you do if the device is acting like a virtual keyboard).

That's good info! Hope someone has had real world experience with this, like I tried too...

Not exactly what you are looking for, but it might give you ideas. This is software for a Treo that uses the built in camera to take a picture of a barcode and interpret it. I played with it for a while when I upgraded my Treo last year, but I see he has a new version now.

http://treoware.com/barcode.html

Was just playing around with DM and QR codes on my E51 and had the thought pop into my head about using them with my N800. Glad to see there was previous interest and though I haven't found anything N800 specific yet, the ZXing project sounds VERY interesting. http://code.google.com/p/zxing/ I've had the same concerns as Texrat regarding the N800's camera, I'll hafta look into the spec a little more to see, but one application I was reading about on my phone that excited me for the N800 was the ability to import bookmarks via these little images, that would save me tons of work trying to get them on the N800 otherwise. Would also be a handy supplement to the touch keyboard for visiting links, importing contacts, and calling people. So many uses, so little time.

The easiest way I've found to get bookmarks on the N800 is to email them. Whenever I'm on a page (on my PC) that I would like BookMarked on the N800, I right click an select "send link"

On my last job, we used hacked 770's with a battery-powered usb hub to drive a ccd barcode scanner. We wrote a web-based order picking application to pick orders in the warehouse.

We placed a wireless router high up on the warehouse racking to get broad coverage. We then had the ability to wirelessly check inventory status from anywhere in the warehouse. It was a cool system, and we put it together for around $250 per unit (770, hub, scanner, cables) which was way cheaper than most dedicated barcode readers.

This does not really answer the question of if you can read barcodes with the built-in camera, but you certainly can build a nice warehouse tool cheaply, using a hand-held scanner.

Scanner that plugs into the SD port. Never used it, but looks interesting.

http://www.posguys.com/barcode-scann...Scan-Card_708/

I've wondered about a Bluetooth or USB barcode reader, I don't know that an SD one would work since it would probably be SDIO and I don't know that the SD slots in the N800 support that spec.