MasterCard revised its year-old mobile payment strategy by unveiling a digital, cloud-based service called MasterPass that moves well beyond near-field communication technology used in smartphones to also support QR codes, traditional credit cards and other ways to make payments. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Computerworld Latest
Tag Archives: QR
Review: Slicetige-G takes the pain out of designing your Google profile
Several months ago, Google changed its profile pages to include cover photos. Not unlike Facebook’s, these cover photos are wide and short, and integrate with a profile picture of your choosing. Unlike Facebook, though, these cover photos require rather weird dimensions: 940 x 180 pixels. In a recent attempt to create a new cover photo, I found it very hard to find anything that would fit these dimensions properly. In addition, Google profiles don’t come with a preview feature, which brings a lot of trial and error and repeated resizing into the mix, and in the end, my results were less than desirable. One way to solve this annoying yet common problem is Slicetige-G ($2, free demo with watermarking).
A younger sibling to Slicetige-T, Slicetige-G was made specifically for these stubborn Google profiles. With surprising simplicity, it lets you design a cover photo with just the right dimensions, slice your profile picture from it or add one from file, and even add extras such as buttons, text, images and QR codes. The results, as you will see, are rather impressive.
The first step of using Slicetige-G is selecting your cover photo, which is your base layer. This can be an image you load from file, a solid or gradient color, one of the dozens of templates that come with the program, or even self-generated polka dot or bokeh patterns. Once the cover photo is in place, you can drag it around, resize it, rotate it, and even apply some basic filters.
One thing you can’t do it crop it, so fitting it in Google’s appropriate dimensions still requires some work. For your profile picture, you can load a different avatar from file, or even better, slice your avatar straight from your cover photo. You can create some pretty unique and original effects this way.
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld
Brazil: bar codes on sidewalks give tourist info
Rio de Janeiro is mixing technology with tradition to provide tourists information about the city by embedding bar codes into the black and white mosaic sidewalks that are a symbol of the city.
The first two-dimensional bar codes, or QR codes, as they’re known, were installed Friday at Arpoador, a massive boulder that rises at the end of Ipanema beach. The image was built into the sidewalk with the same black and white stones that decorate sidewalks around town with mosaics of waves, fish and abstract images.
The launch attracted onlookers, who downloaded an application to their smartphones or tablets and photographed the icon. The app read the code and they were then taken to a web site that gave them information in Portuguese, Spanish or English, and a map of the area.
They learned, for example, that Arpoador gets big waves, making it a hot spot for surfing and giving the 500-meter beach nearby the name of “Praia do Diabo,” or Devil’s Beach. They could also find out that the rock is called Arpoador because fishermen once harpooned whales off the shore.
The city plans to install 30 of these QR codes at beaches, vistas, and historic sites, so Rio’s approximately 2 million foreign visitors can learn about the city as they walk around.
“If you add the number of Brazilian tourists, this tool has a great potential to be useful,” said Marcos Correa Bento, head of the city’s conservation and public works.
Raul Oliveira Neto, a 24-year-old visitor from the Southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, was one of the first to use the icon and thought the service fit well with the way people live now.
“We use so much technology to pass information, this makes sense,” he said, noting he’d seen QR codes on tourist sites in Portugal, where they were first used for this purpose. “It’s the way we do things nowadays.”
Locals — used to giving visitors directions — also approved the novelty.
“Look, there’s a little map; it even shows you where we are,” said Diego Fortunato, 25, as he pulled up information.
“Rio doesn’t always have information for those who don’t know the city,” he said. “It’s something the city needs, that it’s been lacking.”
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox World News
Review: Slicetige-T can help you create a slick Twitter profile
Twitter profiles now include a header image (also called a cover image) and if used wisely, it can turn a plain and boring Twitter profile into a slick, eye-catching affair. This header can be a color, a gradient, a texture, or an image, and after creating a perfect one, all you have to do is upload it to your Twitter profile. But how can you design a beautiful header without professional graphics software? One option is Slicetige-T ($3, free demo).
Don’t be confused by the Lite Edition of this application, which is merely a demo. While not fully explained on the program’s website, the Lite edition will let you try some of the features, but will not let you save any of it outside of preview mode. If you want to make use of the full set of features, you’ll have to purchase the full version for the reasonable amount of $3.
Slicetige-T is a fairly new program, but you wouldn’t guess it from the interface. Looking like something you might have used ten years ago, Slicetige-T takes some getting used to. The program does include a wizard that takes you through the important steps, but when it comes to using the different tools, you’ll have to figure these out for yourself. You can start by either uploading a cover image of your own, creating a gradient or a pattern, or by using one of the templates that come with the full version of Slicetige-T. You can move the header around to find the perfect position or resize it to fit the header area.
After choosing the background, you can start adding goodies such as social buttons, text and QR codes. The social button interface is, again, somewhat hard to understand, but after giving it some time, you can create buttons for anything from Facebook, Pinterest and Google+ to Tumblr, deviantArt, and pretty much anything you can think of. These buttons are not links, so if you want them to be of any use, you need to specify your exact usernames on those networks.
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld
When QR Codes Go "Rogue"
By Ken Makovsky, Contributor Originally designed for industrial uses, QR (or Quick Response) codes have become a popular addition to the marketer’s tool kit. They make it possible for smart phone users (who have a scanner and the right software) to go swiftly and effortlessly to a corporate, product or brand website. QR codes are […]
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Lost gadgets can find their way home with FinderCodes
Las Vegas—Some people just excel at losing things. Whether it be keys, sunglasses, or cell phones, items seem to simply slip right through their fingers. While there are a few ways to combat the tendency to lose track of personal articles – the key fobs that respond to a whistle comes to mind – they generally only work when they’re in range (and have battery life). One company at CES has taken a high-tech approach to reuniting misplaced items with their owners.
FinderCodes has created smart ID tags that come in keychain, sticker, and iron-on form so that they can be adhered to everything from pet collars, to kids’ jackets and cell phones. If some honest soul recovers the tablet or smartphone that you left on your connecting flight, they can scan the QR code on the smart tag and you will instantly receive a text alert that someone has located your device with GPS information on the devices location. The finder can also type a message in order to contact the item’s owner and the owner will receive the message via email. Because the owner’s information is set up in their FinderCode profile, the finder never sees any of the owner’s personal information like email or mailing addresses (unless the owner opts to provide it).
FinderCodes will also help the finder return the item, either by setting up an exchange with the owner or via an option to send the item through FedEx. Multiple shipping options are offered, all the finder needs to do is select one then verify and approve the information. Shipping charges are automatically billed to the owner; the finder never sees the owners billing information. An RMA number is issued, and FinderCodes will even display the closest FedEx location to the finder with links on location and hours of operation so returning a lost item becomes as easy as clicking a few buttons.
Grateful owners can also set up a reward payment through PayPal, which like the email and return information can also be kept anonymous. If the finder doesn’t have a device that can scan QR codes, there’s also an option to enter in the FinderCode ID on the FinderCodes website. There’s no fee for FinderCodes, aside from the initial purchase ($25), and FinderCodes sells kits with multiple tags designed for pets, baby items, electronics, luggage, sports equipment, and home items like jackets or power tools. The tags are water and tear-proof; Findercodes also offers an app that offers more features for iPhone and Android users. I was also assured that they could easily port to Windows Phone 8 if there seems to be a demand for it.
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Source: FULL ARTICLE at PCWorld