Did you know that your average smartphone may soon be possible of processing shipping and receiving orders?
Al Crawford, vice president of technology at CipherLab, recently commented that computerization of devices like cell phones and smartphones will change the mobile barcode scanning industry as many people choose to go for less rugged options to get things done. People seem to also prefer the sleeker look and handheld feel that smartphones deliver.
But besides more phones taking on scanner capabilities, one will also find that mobile barcode scanners are taking on more characteristics of cell phones. In a few years from now, it’s forecasted that scanners will have Bluetooth connections, which has huge implications for the software used to process barcode data. Moreover, with the advances being made in smartphone software, one could guess that in the future, less industrial industries such as retail and field service will utilize smartphones in place of the current barcode scanners that are out there.
What do you think? Are more smartphones in barcode scanning in new environments on the horizon?