“Wade, do you still have Ron microchipped?”
“Kim, we’ve discussed the ethical implications of . . .”
“Waaaaaade.”
“Yeah, okay; here are the coordinates.”
Yup; you can microchip your pets, your kids, your cell phone, your car, various objects at Wal-Mart . . . for all I know, they’re working on a method to microchip individual water molecules to track flow rate, or some durn thing. But we’re not quite there yet.
Almost, though. It’s not on a per-molecule level, but m2end in Association with RBIT Limited and junaio have announced the first-ever “intelligent stamp”. The engineers have embedded readable information in the stamp that, when photographed by your smartphone (Android or iPhone) will launch an app that gives you info about the stamp (And you thought philataly was boring!)–kinda reminds me a bit of the episode of Leverage I saw on Sunday.
But I digress. Here’s the full low-down:
Royal Mail`s Great British Railway Special Stamp issue will use the Royal Mail channel in junaio to provide online content via a suitable iPhone or Android smart phone to users. By simply pointing the phone`s camera onto the stamp when in junaio, the application launches online content on the stamp`s theme, which for this particular issue sees a reciting of the “Night Mail” poem by Bernard Cribbins. RBIT Limited, working with m2end and the most world`s most advanced AR browser, junaio, has provided a whole new way of interacting with the world of stamps on mobile phones.
After recent cases like smart packaging or the talking magazine, the intelligent stamp is another groundbreaking implementation of junaio`s unique capability to “glue” digital (3D or multimedia) information onto objects. To access this additional information, users only have to download the application from the iTunes store or Android market, open the Royal Mail channel and place the camera over the stamp. Royal Mail`s Special Stamps mark key events and anniversaries in the UK`s heritage through a programme which aims to be both educational and informative. With junaio the access to this information becomes innovative and intuitive as well.
Philip Parker, Head of Stamp Strategy, Royal Mail, said: “This is the first time a national postal service has used this kind of technology on their stamps and we`re very excited to be bringing intelligent stamps to the nation`s post. He adds: “Through Intelligent Stamp technology, our stamps will open up to a whole new world of information, interest and fun to collectors and the millions of people who will receive them on letters in the coming months alike.” The technology will also be made available on selected future special stamps.
Caption: By “scanning” the stamp with your smartphone`s camera, it reveals digital content.
More information:
http://www.royalmail.com/portal/stamps/home?campaignid=stamps_redirect
