Vemotion technical director Stuart McCone believes the project could prove the precursor to other packaging uses of video streaming. "We are proposing incorporating special barcodes onto Rockware's packs which can be scanned by a Symbian-equipped 2.5G or 3G GPRS phone and will then, via our Vemotion software, produce real-time video on the screen," he explains. "A simple scan in-store could offer anything from nutritional data to a website link validating product authenticity."
McCone says many handsets now incorporate Symbian software, while users would only need download the Vemotion video software once.
Sharon Crayton, Rockware's marketing manager, adds: "The first labels will probably incorporate both a barcode and a pixellated icon, which, in tandem, would generate the handset-readable data to maximise the Vemotion software's functionality. Interactive technology could be invaluable for customers with poor eyesight, since reading product information on screen could be much easier than scanning small print on the label."
