The Japan story
It all started in 2002 with the Japanese network carriers (NTT DoCoMo, J-Phone),
handset makers (Panasonic, NEC, SHARP), and a number of service companies (Denso,
MediaSeek, 3GVision) collaborating to create innovative uses for the new cameras
in mobile phones. Their favourite was an idea to turn a camera phone into a barcode
scanner, delivering encoded information - including URL's that could connect direct
to the mobile internet.
QR codes
The style of barcode that was adopted is called QR (short for Quick Response) and
five short years later, QR codes are recognized by over 90% of Japanese mobile users
- and used by over 50% of them - for fast and easy access on the move to encoded
information or the internet. More people in Japan now surf the web from a mobile
phone than from a PC, and QR codes are found everywhere - in advertising and promotional
materials, on product packaging and vending machines - to deliver 'Quick Response'.
i-nigma in Japan
Our code reader we now call i-nigma was developed by 3GVision to be pre-installed
in handsets supplied by all of Japan's major mobile manufacturers - in collaboration
with them - to the specification of the Japanese network operators. As a result,
this code reader has become the standard for camera phones in Japan - in over 60
million handsets, with over 75% market share - creating a marketplace phenomenon
that the rest of the world is now embracing.
