Microsoft Tags

Let me spend few mins to write a lunch time post for giving the solution to yesterday’s riddle, reported below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The three images are in fact instances of a the new super cool technology, dubbed Microsoft Tags. Long story short:

1. you codify something (a message, like a text or a vCard, or an implicit action such as navigating to a certain URI) in a little picture like the above
2. you stick the picture in a place where it makes sense (more abt it below)
3. people passing by can just aim their camera phone at the picture and BAM! They get the message/navigate to the URI/obtain the vCard/whatever you codified your Tag to point to

The phone software works like a charm on my little HTC 730, and I’ve been playing with this every free moment I had since yesterday (BTW, I didn’t have many: busy busy busy).

Just think of the possibilities of annotating PHYSICAL things with their description in such a convenient fashion. Assign an URI to EVERYTHING! To quote the first things that come to my mind when I thing of this: Poor’s man RFID, annotate every drug bottle to a pointer to a page with expiration, intended usage, interactions! Treasure hunts & Role Play! Put this on little displays in doors, and let the user authenticate just by using their own phone and pointing at the Tag of the Day! Poor’s man GPS, scatter those guys around and associate them with their location on a map!

I never use the word "excited" for technology because it doesn’t sound "right" to my EU ear, but this time even if I work on completely different stuff I am really excited to see this technology in action and I can’t wait to see what creative uses and new possibilities will arise from those.

About the riddle: the first to come back to me with the "GOTCHA!" was Martin Pichler, with Maxsim a close second. Guys, you’re great 🙂 I publish regularly the events I go to in this blog: as soon as we’ll get to the same event we’ll have a drink 😉

Honorable mention to Joshua, Shy, Stefano & Roberto who solved the version I posted inside Facebook 🙂 and of course I hope that Pamela does not consider me that evil anymore!

I strongly recommend you take a look at this technology: for a good start you can go here, for a 3rd party view I recommend here and here. All right, back to identity & the cloud!