Codes in several dimensions

Having become accustomed to the fruits of digital technology, it is hard to imagine how we had managed to live without them in the past. Retail has never been a simple business, with the necessity of handling all kinds of inventories and records. Assuming that we have an IT background system which is up to the job, it is a good idea to equip our field units with digital technology as well. This is what PDA-s have been developed for which use a mobile version of Windows. PDA-s usually have cable connections and can also be linked to networks by means of Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and are also equipped with GPS. PDA software developed by MobiSol provides the functionality which makes PDA the formidable tool it is for almost all employees. As PDA-s allow two way communication, the movement of employees can be tracked as well as their activities. PDA-s can also make life easier for employees assigned to warehouses and stores. The dairy warehouse operated by Friesland Hungária is an example of how PDA-s can help forklift operators, as it tells them which palette needs to be moved where. An almost infinite variety of specialised tools also exist which use the Windows Mobile operating system, allowing them to be integrated into the corporate network. Vonalkód Rendszerház offers a wide range of PDA-s complete with bar code readers or even RFID function. RFID is one of the most promising technologies in retail, used most frequently in logistic applications at present. It is suitable for storing far more information than bar code, which can be read without a physical connection. Passive RFID is used in retail, where the energy needed for transmitting data comes from the antenna of the reader. Though RFID is more expensive than bar code, its use has already become feasible in applications where large volumes of goods need to be handled. New possibilities have been opened up by the appearance of two dimensional bar code. While one dimensional bar code is limited to storing a sequence of numbers or letters, rectangular 2D bar codes can store several kilobytes of any data and can be printed using conventional laser printers. In Japan, 2D bar codes have even appeared on billboards which can be read using a cell phone, providing a direct link to web sites. No substantial investment is needed by retailers to introduce this technology, but it allows users to get much more detailed information about products than previously which in turn makes it easier for them to choose. Most cell phones used in Hungary are equipped with a camera and there are more than 600 000 mobile Internet subscriptions at present. The number of possibilities in IT and retail applications is infinite.