Barcode Scanner pic2shop Marks 10 Years On The App Store With New Partner

Launched by Vision Smarts in April 2009, pic2shop was the first barcode scanner for iPhone. It now powers the XPAND signage reader in Japan and abroad.

Wavre, Belgium (PRWEB) - Vision Smarts celebrates today the ten-year anniversary of their barcode scanner app pic2shop. The app was the first to show that scanning barcodes with the iPhone camera was possible. Now the latest version of Vision Smarts' barcode and QR readers powers the apps made by new partner XPAND K.K. to read signage in large public spaces.

"For 10 years our clients have kept coming up with innovative ways to use our apps and SDKs. Each one was an opportunity to add new functionality or to make our barcode scanner faster, more versatile, and more robust. XPAND is the perfect example: reading signage from afar is a new application for us, yet they were able to use several of our products, and it turned out to be a great fit!" said Benoit Maison, CEO of Vision Smarts.

"Our latest app features the high-performance scanning engine of pic2shop. If it did not exist, we would not have been able to launch a business. The Vision Smarts barcode scanner will continue to be key to connecting the real and the net. Happy Tenth Anniversary!" added Toworu Nanmoku, CEO of XPAND.

Vision Smarts started 10 years ago with pic2shop, the original barcode scanner for iPhone. With no official camera API and no video capture pic2shop managed to read the blurry UPC and EAN barcodes captured by the first iPhones. Real-time scanning, many more barcode formats, and Android and Windows Phone apps soon followed.

Vision Smarts now offers a range of mobile apps and Software Development Kits (SDKs) that can be easily leveraged by end-users, hobbyists, startups and large corporations.

The story of XPAND.CODE's development illustrates the flexibility of Vision Smarts' product offering. Initially, XPAND leveraged the free app "pic2shop" to explore proofs of concept. Next, they moved on to the customizable "pic2shop pro" for prototyping. Then they considered using the app publishing service "Barcode Shell" to quickly establish their presence on the App Store. Finally, XPAND decided to build their own iOS and Android apps incorporating Vision Smarts' native SDKs.

XPAND codes augment public signs with unobtrusive barcodes that provide free links to indoor mapping, navigation and additional information. Because they are meant to be read from a large distance (over 50 meters), XPAND codes test the limits of smartphone cameras and barcode reading algorithms. Originally designed for reading blurry barcodes, Vision Smarts' software is uniquely suited to that task.

More information about Vision Smarts and XPAND K.K. products and services is available on their respective web sites.

About Vision Smarts
Vision Smarts SPRL is a Belgian computer vision company that develops, distributes, and supports software libraries for image recognition and real-time video analysis. The company offers several mobile barcode scanning apps and licenses barcode scanner SDKs. Vision Smarts' clients range from local retailers and startups to global brands.

See more at: http://www.visionsmarts.com/

About XPAND
XPAND K.K. offers "XPAND.CODES", the barcode solution for signs. XPAND Code links with your smartphone even from far away distances without ruining the design of the sign or scenery. XPAND offers innovative services to increase convenience for users of space such as public facilities, public transportation and commercial facilities.
XPAND.CODES has undergone trademark, design, and utility model registration in Japan, and the international registration of the XPAND.CODES to the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) as a trademark.

See more at: https://xpand.codes/en/