[Electronics-talk] Identifying Groceries

[Jim Barbour]

In general, there are 3 ways to do this kind of thing.

* A true laser barcode scanner such as the ID Mate

* A smartphone app that finds barcodes and uses a data connection to look the code up in a database

* A smartphone app that takes a picture of items and then sends the picture to workers who can identify the item.

The laser barcode scanner will be the easiest to use, will also be the
most expenive option, and may have a limited amount of products it
knows about.  That's because you have to update its database of
barcodes, usually only once a year or so.

An app that can take a picture of an item and then ask someone else
what that item is will be considerably cheaper, but will need a data
connection to send the picture over.  Taptap See is one such app for
the iPHone.  The biggest challenge here will be learning how to get a
clear picture of what you want identified.  Also, pictures use quite a
bit of data.

An app that can take a picture of a barcode and then look it up on the
internet is a final option.  Digit-eyes is an example of this type of
app.  It uses a video camera which you move over the item to identify
the barcode.  However, it takes quite a bit of practice to get the
barcode oriented and focused.

I hope this helps lay out the options.

Take Care,

Jim

On Sun, Aug 04, 2013 at 11:00:52AM -0700, Sarah Clark wrote:
> Hi All,
> 
> I have an ID Mate, which I love. It is a stand alone device that I can wave over the bar code of a grocery item and it scans the bar code and tells me what that item is. I have a friend who wants something that does the same thing, but the ID Mate costs $1,200, and she would prefer not to pay that much. I am wondering what other devices are out there that work the same way (by scanning the bar code). Please share anything you are aware of -- iPhone apps as well as stand alone devices.
> Thanks,
> Sarah
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