Thursday, March 31, 2011

Additional BB QR readers - XII


Another new QR reader that works on the Blackberry (tested on the 9800 Torch) is Biz Barcode. "... Biz Barcode is a QR Code generator, QR Code decoder, and QR Code scanner -- all wrapped into one free and convenient mobile application. Biz Barcode is the most comprehensive mobile QR Code solution available on Blackberry App World, available in both the 5.0 and 6.0 operating systems. ..." Biz Barcode has a nice site, with a blog as well...





Generator:

Biz Barcode allows you to generate multiple types of QR codes right on your Blackberry, see below for the types, and for a 'vcard' example:





Decoder:


Biz Barcode will decode QR codes from files or from urls... Tried decoding different QR codes from files, with great success, e.g. see below for results decoding files for 'url', 'free text', 'SMS', and 'vcard' QR codes. All seemed very well integrated with the appropriate applications (for example a decoded 'vcard' QR code could be added to contacts, e-mailed, phoned, or the address pulled up in the map application)








A QR code on the web could be decoded via its url, see below:


Lookup by url doesn't seem like a particularly useful feature - if it's a url that only has a QR code (as above) it works just fine. However, if you try on a page that has multiple QR codes or other items on it you will get an error message, see below:




Scanner:

Having performed like a champ thus far - great success at generating and decoding multiple types of QR codes, the excellent integration of the decoded results with the various BB applications - it was doubly disappointing to not be able to successfully scan very many QR codes despite multiple tries with different QR codes. Biz Barcode does not take and decode a picture, but uses the BB camera to scan the QR code. My attempts resulted only in one success in a dozen attempts...

The bottom line? If the scanning capabilities were at the same level of the other capabilities, Biz Barcode would have vaulted into the top tier of QR readers, along with Barcode Assistant (still the best all round BB QR code application I have tried), ScanLife, QR Code Scanner Pro, and mobiletag... As it is, it fails to make the grade!


Previous QR reader reviews:

Additional BB QR readers - XI - QR code Scanner
Additional BB QR readers - X - SimpleScanner
Additional BB QR readers - IX - WiMO
Additional BB QR readers - VIII - Upcode
Additional BB QR readers - VII - Lynkee
Additional BB QR readers - VI - Code Muncher
Additional BB QR readers V - Mobiletag
Further ScanLife - ScanLife
Additional BB QR readers - IV - i-nigma
Additional BB QR readers - III - Barcode Assistant
Additional BB QR readers - II - Deco, CertainTeed
Additional BB QR readers - BeeTagg, AT&T Code Scanner
BB QR Code Scanner Pro - BB QR Code Scanner Pro
Barcode Happiness - I - barcoo
No luck - Upcode
Misc update (BB/2D barcodes) - Mobiletag (also updated above)
BB & 2D barcodes - NeoReader, Microsoft Tag, ScanLife

3 comments:

  1. Great review of our app! Your review is pretty spot on, I'm the administrator for Biz Barcode. After reading your post I noticed it was posted a couple weeks after our entrance into the BB market. Since then we have made a few advances to our scanner function. It would be great to get your opinion in regards to our new scanner.

    My email is admin@bizbarcode.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Retried and "Scanner' functionality much improved... If you could make it a hair more sensitive/quicker to read, then it would join Barcode Assistant at the top of the BB QR Code readers I've tried!

    ReplyDelete
  3. OH, update is at: http://www.ph2dot1.com/2011/05/bb-qr-readers-biz-barcode-ii.html

    ReplyDelete