Microsoft Launches Android App: Microsoft Tag Reader

• Rob Jackson
• 15 years ago

Android has been the talk of the town the last year or so and lookie lookie who wants in on the action – Microsoft. They had already released their “Tag” application for WinMo, iPhone, BlackBerry and Symbian and now of course Android. Here is the description from Android Market:

Microsoft Tag lets you discover information and entertainment by scanning mobile barcodes with your phone. Download the Tag Reader, scan a Tag anywhere you see one – in a magazine, brochure, on product packages, signs or storefronts – and access information videos, promotions, exclusive offers and much more.

But to use it… first you’ll need to find a Tag and these aren’t your ordinary barcode/QR reader tags, although similar. To get things like this going you need critical mass and I’m wondering if Microsoft’s alternative is good enough to make it popular? There is open source software out there that would have allowed Microsoft to make Tag Reader double as a barcode/QR scanner as well – why didn’t they?

If you’ve used Tag Reader on other platforms let us know your experience with it in the wild.

[Via BBC]