CardStar is a unique iPhone application that allows users to leave all of their rewards and membership cards at home and store the barcodes on their iPhone or iPod touch, where most common merchants can then scan the barcodes directly from the screen.

To the average consumer, this technology will definitely come in handy, but to us at barcode.com, this technology is revolutionary. Previously, 1D barcodes, which are used at most stores, could not be scanned directly from the LCD screen. This is because while the human eye will see black and white barcodes, the screen is really made up of red, green, and blue lines, which interfere with a laser scanner. The folks at CardStar were able to get around this by re-configuring the way the barcode/image is rendered on the LCD in portrait mode.

In a controlled environment using a Symbol/Motorola M2008-1400-0100 ZNR barcode scanner, CardStar was able to achieve a 100% success rate in scanning various reward cards fromm different merchants. They decided to test their new technology in common chain stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Washington, DC and achieved an 80% success rate. However, there were many uncontrolled variables such as user error, lighting, and antiquated equipment, but CardStar continues to experiment in order to achieve the highest scan success rates possible.

In order to maximize scan rates, CardStar suggests that merchants use handheld scanners, and hold approximately 5-7 inches away, just shy of being perpendicular. Consumers can achieve successful scans by using high-quality screen protectors and making sure the phone is free of excessive fingerprints and dust.

Currently, CardStar offers a list of over 130 companies across 6 categories where you can start adding your card information for use on the application. Future plans for CardStar include implementing custom coupons based on buying habits that would be sent straight to your phone, appeasing both consumers and manufacturers. As Andy Miller, the brains behind CardStar says, it’s all about having “the right offer, at the right time, at the right place.” For a demonstration of how Cardstar works, you can view the video. If you’re interested in learning more about CardStar’s iPhone application, check out their website.

iCandy is a free application that allows you to create QR codes that link to iTunes, youtube videos, or other websites. The best part, is that you can use your computer’s webcam to do all the scanning! Since most QR code applications are geared toward mobile phone scanning, iCandy provides an interesting alternative for at-home scanning. However, iPhone users can still enjoy scanning from their phone.

If you’re an aspiring musician, or simply want to organize your iTunes library, iCandy’s QR codes can be printed with the album art and then scanned, taking users directly to the track. In addition, just as with QR codes, iCandy’s code can be printed on t-shirts or any other collateral that you like.

In order to create your own iCandy QR codes, you simply drag and drop the link or iTunes track that you would like into the iCandy print bar, or directly into the iCandy widget.

For more information on how you can use iCandy, or to dowload the application, check out their website.

Snappr.net has created an iPhone application that allows users to easily comparison shop with their mobile phones.  Simply scan a 1D barcode with the iPhone built-in camera and Snappr.net will do the rest.  The application will bring up information from several websites such as Amazon.com, allowing users to see various prices and reviews to help with a purchase decision.  The following video from Snappr.net shows a demonstration of this application and what it is capable of.

For those of us without iPhone’s, Snappr.net also offers a similar application that allows users to type in the barcode with their keypad at Snappr.mobi.  Snappr.net is currently in beta phase and is looking for iPhone owners who would like to try out the application.  For more information about participating in the test-phase you can visit Snappr.net.