After 18 months in beta Microsoft Tag is finally becoming a V1 product today. If you’ve never used the service before, then here’s the skinny. Microsoft created their own barcode (see below) that is specifically designed to work with cell phone cameras (even before they got decent). Anyone can create a Microsoft Tag, during the setup process, you setup what you’d like the tag to do when scanned. It can show contact details or launch a website etc.
Microsoft’s Tag comes with it’s own statistics, showing how many people action your Tag. Unlike traditional barcodes, the creator can at any time modify or update a tag. During the beta more than one billion tags have been created, clearly this has been a successful service, it’s not surprising Microsoft are going full version with it.
Update
Microsoft have now released an update to their Tag iPhone application. The update includes the new Microsoft Tag logo, as well as a better UI. The app is very quick to recognise a tag and also stores a history or previously scanned tags for future reference.
Microsoft say “Tags can help businesses engage customers at the point of maximum impact out in the real world, give developers with innovative ways to link the physical and digital worlds, and enable consumers to interact with others in new ways.”
The supported device list is massive, if you want to see if there’s a Tag app for your phone, check out the full list of supported devices.
More @ Microsoft Tag Blog
