Some Cool Android Thing

So amidst a lot of news about Clinton’s mad obsession with the nomination an interesting look at one coming application on Google’s mobile platform Android has emerged: Scan.

The concept is a simple one: point your phone camera at a barcode to scan it and then you’re presented with various useful information.

Scan’s features are:

* Automatic barcode recognition using onboard phone camera using ZXing library
* Shows CD, DVD, or book cover along with detailed reviews from Amazon.com
* Searches over a dozen stores, both online and brick+mortar
o Highlights brick+mortar stores that are nearby, with option to call the store or get directions
o Links to online storefronts to buy online from the phone
* Tracklisting for CDs, along with option to play sample tracks right on phone
* For books, searches local libraries to see if they have a copy

I have no doubt that once the Apple iPhone App store is running on real, live 3G iPhones* we’ll have a version of this called iScan or something similar for sale, but it looks like the Android Developer Challenge is bearing fruit.

(I mention the iPhone because I think it is a great device and I eagerly await the release of the 3G iPhone here in Japan. Android as a platform is ultimately competing against other phones, not other platforms.)