New Product: Barcode Add-In for Word & Excel

by Nate Schubert

The new Barcode Add-In for Word & Excel allows easy generation of barcodes in Microsoft Word and Excel by simply selecting the text to barcode and clicking on a button in the Add-Ins tab to create a barcode. This add-in is compatible with Word and Excel 2003, 2007 and 2010 running on all Windows platforms.

This product may be used royalty free with a valid license to any of IDAutomation's Barcode Fonts. Barcode symbologies supported include Code-39, Interleaved 2 of 5, Code-93, Code-128, UPC, EAN, GS1-128, MSI Plessey, USPS Postnet and Intelligent Mail, as well as Universal font and GS1 Databar.

Video Training Tutorials:

• Create Barcodes using the Word-Excel Add-in with Word
• Create Barcodes using the Word-Excel Add-in with Excel

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Product Update: Barcode ActiveX Control

by Nate Schubert

The Barcode ActiveX Controls now include newly signed controls and cab files updated with the latest certificates. Some applications, such as Info Path, require certificates of custom controls to be current.

These ActiveX Controls produce precise, high-quality Windows Metafile Barcode graphics used in Microsoft Access, Visual Basic, Visual FoxPro, Internet Explorer and C++. Compiled in C++ ATL, it performs quickly, has a small file size and no runtime dependencies.

The latest package can be downloaded with a new purchase or an active priority support and upgrade subscription. A fully functional evaluation copy of any Barcode ActiveX Control may be downloaded from: http://www.idautomation.com/activex/

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Video: Android Bluetooth SPP Connectivity for All Apps

TEC-IT released a short video on YouTube which demonstrates the use of the Bluetooth Reader GetBlue.

You will learn how to configure GetBlue in order to be used as Bluetooth software wedge. The Bluetooth barcode scanner must be paired with your Android handset, then it is adjusted as input device for GetBlue. As data-sink (the target application for the scanned data) the GetBlue Keyboard is selected. Using this configuration  it is possible to inject captured barcode scanner data as virtual user input into each application.

See for yourself:



GetBlue acts as "middleware" between hardware and apps. Thus, each (legacy) Bluetooth bar code scanner supporting the serial port profile can be used.

The video quality is satisfying - but far away from perfect. We will produce a HD video with sound in the near future. In the meantime we are awaiting your video comments!

Many thanks!

Video: How to use Bluetooth Barcode Scanners with Android

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App That Combats Texting While Driving

We all know how dangerous it is, and we all know someone who does it (occasionally that someone is us). Texting while you drive leaves you twenty-three times more likely to be involved in an accident. TWENTY-THREE TIMES.Seattle developer Erik Wood has introduced OTTER (One Touch Text Response), a brilliant little phone app that offers auto-reply, car mode, and parental password controls. May it

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MSR Water Filter Field Cleaning

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QR Codes On Tombstones

It takes some real creativity to surprise us with a new use for QR but this is simply brilliant.

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QR Code Protects the Eyes of Innocents

Calvin Klein Jeans has found an ingenious way to deliver sexxay™ video in the very public square, without offending anyone's sensibilities. (Right then and there, I mean. The video encoded in the QR is of negative artistic value and makes me barfy, feminism-wise, but what advertising doesn't do that?)

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New Barcode Maker Software: Barcode Studio V10

The new version of TEC-IT Barcode Studio - the popular barcode maker software for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux or UNIX - is to be released shortly!

Barcode Studio V10 introduces bar code standard compliance by providing pre-defined barcode templates. If such a barcode template is selected, Barcode Studio loads all settings and presents the user a bar code image which meets all requirements of the respective standard. After the required bar code data was entered the barcode can be saved immediately as bitmap or vector image file. No parameters need to be adjusted, no barcode know how is required.

Currently 45 bar code templates are part of Barcode Studio:

• Deutsche Post Premiumadress
• Deutsche Post Pressepost Etikett
• Deutsche Post Pressepost Randbeschriftung
• EAN 13 (SC0, SC1, SC2, ..., SC8, SC9)
  SCn denotes the sizing mode of the bar code, EAN 13 SC0 stands for 82% of the default symbol size, the resulting symbol dimension is 30.51 x 21.25 mm
• EAN 8 (SC0, SC1, SC2, ..., SC8, SC9)
• UPC A (SC0, SC1, SC2, ..., SC8, SC9)
• UPC E (SC0, SC1, SC2, ..., SC8, SC9)

Additional improvements:

• New barcodes
  Barcode Studio now supports QR-Code 2005. This code is similar to QR-Code but uses the code page Latin1 (instead of Japanese Shift JIS) for character conversions. In addition, the two barcode-types SCANPAY Service-ID and SCANPAY Transaction-ID were implemented.
• Persistent options
  Program options (Menu: Tools -> Options) are now saved in (and loaded from) an options file.
• Improved Character Conversion
  Barcode Studio displays an error message if the data to be encoded cannot be converted to the specified code page. This is especially useful for encoding Simplified Chinese (or similar languages) in QR-Codes.
• Check for Updates
  Barcode Studio can now check for newer version. Use the following menu command: Help -> Check for Updates...

Pricing, detailed descriptions and free downloads are available shortly from TEC-IT.

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Online Barcode Generator 2.0

A few days ago TEC-IT published the updated version of the free online bar code generator. The user interface was revised completely and support for complex MECARD/VCARD business card barcodes as well as calendar barcodes was added.

This online barcode generator provides a very fast and responsive user interface utilizing some AJAX features. TBarCode SDK (a barcode generator software component developed and distributed by TEC-IT) is used on server-side for all barcode creation tasks.

Users are able to browse a list of supported barcode categories. Currently the categories linear barcodes, 2D bar codes, EAN / UPC, GS1 DataBar, ISBN bar codes, Postal codes, 2D codes for mobile tagging, MECARD and VCARD barcodes and calendar barcodes are available.

After selecting the required barcode symbology the barcode image is displayed immediately. Barcode parameters like module width and output resolution are adjustable. The created bar code images can be downloaded in various image formats.

The above mentioned MECARD and VCARD barcodes provide some very interesting possibilties: These 2D barcode formats are able to encode all contact details of a business card (e.g. name, address,  phone number, url, ...). When scanned with a smart-phone camera scanner (e.g. iPhone or Android devices) the contact details are detected and added to the  address book.

Finally so-called calendar barcodes (event barcodes) can be created online. Just enter the details of some event (description, start and end time), create the barcode, scan it with your smartphone - and voilá - a new calender entry is available (works fine with ZXing camera scanner on Android).

Just try it yourself: 2D Bar Code Generator

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Barcode Beasties on Your Cellphone

The cutest new mobile phone battle game is proudly sponsored by the super awesome and very good looking folks at Azalea Software (okay, that's us). Why? Because it's barcodes. Duh.Visit barcodebeasties.com from your phone, or download directly here.

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