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And still, people sell barcode readers, not camera phones.

According to konomi  a test is about to start in the Shima Spanish village using two-dimensional barcodes to track children.

Without access to the original Japanese language press release, it's hard to be sure exactly what some of the news actually means. Here's the text: "Fujitsu developed a new technology that embeds IDs, IP (Internet Protocol) addresses, IP packets (both IPv4 and IPv6), and a "pulse signal" that can be directly sent out to the Internet into non-digital media including printed QR Codes. The technology for example allows for easily sending out notification messages by attaching QR Codes to things, people, etc."

Anybody who knows what  can be directly sent out to the Internet into non-digital media  might mean, please mention it in our discussion board.

Engadget sees this as a way of selling expensive Fujitsu scanners: "Of course, the same results could probably be achieved by having the child carry a wallet-sized card with his home address and phone number, or a camp-style tag sewn into a shirt. But, then, Fujitsu wouldn’t be able to sell any scanners, would they?"

Strangely, although phones with cameras work well as readers of 2D barcodes, and the software to read them, and respond by connecting to an Internet site over GPRS - and although mobile phones are used for the purpose in Japan, we still have people doing it with RFID tabs and RFID scanners in the Wild Semi-West.