Beverage Metrics recently released an inventory and drink pouring management system for liquor and wine. RFID battery-powered tags and readers, in addition to software, allow the company to help bars measure how much liquor a bartender pours in a drink based on a tilt sensor in the RFID tag, preventing excessive pouring. The system can also provide detailed bar reports at events such as weddings by tracking exactly how much bottled liquor or wine was poured. Customers can even receive an alert if bottles disappear for the system, or when to order additional inventory.

When a bar receives a box of liquor from the distributor, RFID tags, which wrap around the neck of each bottle, are attached and then scanned. Then, the UPC barcode printed on the box is then scanned, linking the tag to the bottle in the system.

When to bottle goes out to the bar, the tag is read by a fixed RFID reader connected to a PC and a built-in battery powers the transmission of the tag, which can be read from up to 100 feet away. In addition, the battery powers the tags tilt sensor, which detects when the bottle is inverted, when it returns to upright position and at what angle it was inverted. The tag is able to store the sensor data in its memory, then transmitting it to the reader after every pour. The tag’s unique ID number is linked to the specific bottle, and its barcode number whithin the software solution. From there, the software is able to analyze the data from the tag’s bottle angle sensor in order to determine how much liquor was poured.

The system seems very accurate, and would definitely come in handy for bar owners, but it may make bartenders a bit weary. What do you think about the Beverage Metrics system? Let us know by commenting here, or on our Facebook or Twitter pages.

Lakewood Ranch, a small city just outside of Sarasota, Fl., has teamed up with Microsoft in order to be “tagged,” making them the first “barcode city” in America.

Businesses throughout the town are displaying the tags in their storefronts in order to provide consumers with additional information about their establishment, coupons and more. In addition, homebuilders are using the Microsoft Tags in order to provide information about the models. Imagine being able to go to a community off-hours, or avoid the hassle of speaking with a pushy salesperson. Simply scan the tag outside the model home and receive all the information you need. It’s that simple.

Businesses in the community have received positive results, noticing an increase in traffic to their establishments. In fact, businesses are able to see how many tags were scanned each day, so they’ll know the effectiveness of each of their campaigns. Unlike traditional advertising, Microsoft Tag is free to both businesses and consumers, and is able to provide far more information to both parties.

Lakewood Ranch is an ideal community to be the first “barcode city,” as there is a great demographic and blend of ages. Since its implementation, other cities throughout the U.S. are interested in being “tagged” as well.

What do you think about all these tags—would you want your city to be tagged? Let us know how you’d feel about a barcode city by commenting here, or on our Facebook or Twitter pages.

Check out the video below to learn more:

If you plan on doing some spring shopping at Macy’s this season, then
you may be pleasantly surprised by the retailer’s use of QR codes.
Starting this week, Macy’s will be launching the Macy’s Backstage Pass
campaign, which will allow in-store shoppers to see custom video
content such as fashion advice, tips, trends and more.

The 30 second video clips will showcase Macy’s premier design partners
and from there, customers will be able to access more content of
interest.

In order to familiarize customers with this new campaign and
technology, Macy’s has created a how-to video. By simply texting the
word “learn” to MACYS, customers will be taken to a microsite
explaining both QR code technology and the campaign.

I have been noticing that more and more retailers are using QR codes
to enhance the shopping experience and not just provide
coupons…although, coupons can be nice too. If you were out shopping,
would you stop to scan a QR code—would you care enough to take the
time to learn more? Let us know how you feel about enhancing the
shopping experience through QR codes by commenting here, or on our
Facebook or Twitter pages.

Google has been testing an RFID-enabled service, coined Hotpot, in order to link local businesses with customers. So far, two pilot projects, one in Portland, Ore., and one in Austin, Texas, are using Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID technology to better connect consumers to companies.

Essentially, Hotpot is extension of Google’s Place Pages, only more personal. It’s a local recommendation engine for Google Places that’s powered by users and their friends—simply tell Google what you like, and they’ll recommend new places based on your preferences each time you search. Hotpot aims to bring Google to small businesses, helping the local economy by addressing their potential customers through Google marketing programs.

Currently, Google is experimenting with 13.56 MHz RFID tags with an embedded NFC sticker that attaches to the front of a store. Each tag is encoded with an ID number that communicates with NFC-enabled phones to display the appropriate Place Page for that business. As more and more consumers are equipped with such phones, users will be able to simply tap their phone against a tag on a business’ door or window and gain instant information about the establishment before they ever set foot in the door. In addition, users will be able to share their own recommendations with others and add ratings and reviews, which in turn, will allow the search engine to tailor future results based on the ratings.

While Austin and Portland are currently the only cities in the pilot program, Google ultimately plans to offer RFID-enabled Hotpot kits to targeted business districts throughout the U.S. Personally, I think it’s a great marketing tool for small businesses, especially ones that do not have the means for a website, or an updated one at that. Would you want Google Hotpot to come to your city? Let us know what you think about Google Hotpot by commenting here, or on our Facebook or Twitter pages
.

Recently, we discussed how QR codes have been popping up at bus stops in Korea, but the Norwegians have taken this concept to a new level. In Norway, QR codes with real-time tracking have been seen all over bus stops. The company Kolumbus has been placing QR codes throughout Norway, having an estimated 4,500 in the country.

What’s different about these QR codes from the ones used at Korean bus stops? Not only will the Norwegian QR codes help you track the next bus, they’ll help you kill the time before it gets there. Kolumbus’ QR codes are also linked to the Tales of Things application for iPhones, which allows passengers to share memories, stories and messages through the application.

For example, if you’re at the bus stop and scan the QR code only to discover you have 10 minutes until the next bus, kill time by logging into the Tales of Things App and start sharing with others while you wait. Or, simply be entertained by what others have written as they stood in the same spot waiting for a bus.

While it’s definitely handy to know when the next bus is coming, Kolumbus’ spin on this integrates social networking and QR codes, which I’m a big fan of. Would you like to see something like this come to the US… do you think it will? Let us know by commenting here, or on our Facebook or Twitter pages.