Wal-Mart has recently begun testing a unique way to use barcodes with a virtual makeup mirror. This 90-day test will take place at 10 stores throughout the country and hopes to revolutionize the makeup purchasing experience.

By using technology from IBM, Sprint and EZface, shoppers will be able to virtually test makeup by taking a photo of themselves and then scanning the barcode on cosmetics. The correlating cosmetic is applied to the image so that shoppers can see what they would look like wearing the product. There’s even an option to save the image and e-mail it to yourself!

While the virtual makeup mirror is still in its trial period, it will be interesting to see how it turns out for the customers experience and Wal-mart’s ROI.

Since we’ve been following Microsoft Tag, many readers have questioned when the Tag will be out of its “beta” phase. Well, it looks like that day has come. Microsoft announced today that its Tag is no longer in the beta stage and is now in Version 1.0. Since the Tag’s launch about a year and a half ago, over one billion have been printed by businesses throughout the world.

With the new version of the Tag comes a lot of exciting new features, including:

• Improved Reader clients
• Customized content capabilities for a more personalized customer experience, based on Tags previously scanned.
• New .tag file for easy printing of multiple different Tags for large-scale campaigns
Localization in five new languages: Spanish, French, Turkish, Italian and Simplified Chinese
• A new Heat Map feature in the Campaign Manager that will help companies better measure Tag usage by location.
• A new logo and website design

For most businesses that have been using and following Microsoft Tag, the biggest question remains: Now that Microsoft Tag is out of Beta mode, will it remain free? As of now, the Tag is still free to use, but Microsoft does state, “Microsoft may elect to start charging for future or additional value-added features or services related to Tag.” So, while the Tag is free for now, I imagine Microsoft will begin to offer (and charge) for more tracking capabilities to give businesses a higher visibility into consumer behavior. Thoughts?

Either way, its definitely clear that Microsoft Tag has gained a lot of users, but I’m still wondering if their usage will surpass that of QR codes.

Intermec Technologies recently announced that the CN50, its most advanced rugged mobile computer, will receive some major upgrades. For starters, the CN50’s memory will double in size, in addition to adding scanning options to give users more configuration choices.

The Intermec CN50 now comes standard with 256 MB of memory, allowing for extremely quick responses, even while simultaneously using multiple applications. Aside from the memory, the CN50 will also be able to deploy the EA11 1D/2D barcode imager and the EA21 barcode imager with the Intermec eMDI software.

While the CN50 was already a powerful mobile computer, adding the enhancements will further increase wireless functionality and better prepare companies for the future.

Kodak recently introduced a new ink that’s virtually invisible. The ink, which Kodak has coined Kodak Nexpress is a red fluorescing dry ink that is clear to the naked eye, but becomes illuminated when using the appropriate UV light source.

The ink will be used to print non-reproducible barcodes on printed materials, and they will only be able to be read with specialized barcode readers, making it ideal for security and inventory management applications such as certified documents, medical prescription pads, drivers’ licenses and event tickets. The ink allows clear barcodes to be printed inline and can even handle variable data printing, allowing each item to be marked with unique information.

The NYPD are in the process of introducing a new system for parking tickets, eliminating hand-written tickets for an accurate, efficient and cost effective solution.

The solution uses the Symbol PPT 2800 and the Datamax-O’Neil Portable Microflash 4t Thermal Printer. With barcode scanning and real-time wireless communication, officers of the NYPD will be able to scan vehicle registration stickers, print tickets and upload the information to a central database in real-time. Since the state of New York requires all vehicles affix their registration to their windshield, it will be easy for the NYPD to scan them because of their 2D barcode.

In addition to improving the readability of the ticket, the system will be able to track millions of dollars in unpaid fines owed to NYC.