Since the 1970s, bar codes have provided a reliable, inexpensive form of machine-readable identification. Although bar coding has numerous benefits, its primary function is to error-proof the ...

What do you get if you cross a mobile phone camera with a marketing campaign? An unstoppable direct response mechanism, of course. Mobile devices are an essential part of everyday life. British ...

Bar codes are traded all over the world among companies and the codes are not a conclusive way to determine a product’s country of origin. Bar code prefixes are assigned based on the location of the ...

There may be no invention more important to the smooth functioning of consumer commerce than the bar code, that pattern of skinny lines that turns a simple cash register into an impressive ...

Tomorrow marks the 35th anniversary of the first time a laser scanner was used to “read” a bar code, according to Motorola Inc. The company has a few of the pertinent facts from that day, including ...

The Food and Drug Administration, after a year of deliberation (see story), issued a final ruling yesterday that requires pharmaceutical companies to apply bar codes to thousands of prescription and ...

Just in time for the crazed holiday shopping season, San Francisco-based GoodGuide releases the first iPhone app that lets you scan bar codes for what the guide calls “impartial” health, environmental ...

RFID is not necessarily “better” than bar codes. The two are different technologies and have different applications, which sometimes overlap. The big difference between the two is bar codes are ...

Almost all medications given in the hospital soon must bear a supermarket-style bar code that health workers will match to patients to help ensure they get the right dose of the right drug at the ...

Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, ...