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What are Microsoft Tags? A Microsoft Tag is a new type of
bar code. The images to the right are examples of what Microsoft Tags look
like.
What are they used for? A short answer is Microsoft Tags
can be used to tie any type of "Print" (Newspaper, magazine, tee shirts, etc...)
to a specific URL on the internet. Two-dimensional tags can be used to
transform traditional marketing media (for example, print advertising,
billboards, packaging and merchandising in stores or on LCDs) into gateways for
accessing information online. Tags can be applied as gateways from any type of
media to an internet site or online media.
What is 2D Technology? 2D Technology is term that refers
to any type of bar code. All bar codes are a form of 2D technology.
What are some of the advatages to using MS Tags? High Capacity Color Barcode (HCCB) is the name coined by Microsoft for its
proprietary technology of encoding data in a 2D "barcode" using clusters of
colored triangles instead of the square pixels traditionally associated with 2D
barcodes. Data density is increased by using a palette of 4 or 8 colors for
the triangles, although HCCB also permits the use of black and white when
necessary.
Users can download the free Microsoft Tag reader application
to their Internet-capable mobile device with camera, launch the reader and read
a tag using their phone’s camera. Depending on the scenario, this triggers the
intended content to be displayed. Some GPS-equipped phones can, at the user's
option, send coordinate data along with the HCCB data, allowing
location-specific information to be returned (e.g. for a restaurant
advertisement, a navigational map to the nearest location could be shown)
The Microsoft Tag application gives people the ability to use
a mobile phone's on-board camera to take a picture of a tag, and be directed to
information in any form, such as text, vCard, URL, Online Photos, Online Video
or contact details for the publisher.
The Microsoft Tag reader application is a free download for an Internet-capable
mobile device with a camera, available at http://gettag.mobi. The Microsoft Tag
reader is compatible for Internet-capable mobile devices, including many based
on the Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, Java, Symbian S60, iPhone and Java ME
platforms.
How To Install
In order read Microsoft Tags you will need to download an application to your phone. This process will only have to be done once. Once the application is installed you will be able to decode as many tags as you would like for free.
The install process described below is for iPhone users only. All other phones need to open a web browser and type in the following URL: http://gettag.mobi/ and follow the instructions.
Step 1
Open the App Store
Step 2
Select Search
Step 3
Start typing in "Microsoft" i the search area at the top of your screen.
Step 4
Eventually an option will appear that says "Microsoft Corporation". When it appears, select it.
Step 5
Now a list of application created by Microsoft will appear. Select the "Tag Reader" application and install it.
Step 6
Once the application is installed you should now see a "Tag Reader" application on your desktop. Select it to start the application.
Step 6
Position a tag so it is visiable on your phones screen and watch what happens. None iPhone users will need to take the picture.
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