Yell tests mobile phone information system
Yell, the directories business, is trialling new technology allowing consumers using the Yellow Pages to find out local cinema and weather information via their mobile phones. A special bar code will be printed on the front cover of the directory that will link consumers directly to the mobile internet.
New directories being distributed in Edinburgh and Cardiff next month will feature quick response codes (QR codes), which resemble bar codes, on their front covers.
Readers will be able to take a picture of the QR code using the camera on their phones, which will then take them to a website with the cinema and weather information.
Yell is trialling the method in partnership with the two dimensional barcode reader i-nigma, mobile strategy consultant Big Gig Strategies and national news agency the Press Association.
QR codes, which were first developed in Japan, can be read by a free downloadable mobile application such as i-nigma. The software decodes the barcodes and directs the mobile browser to the specific web address.
Phil Johnson, head of printed products at Yell, says: “We feel we have a unique opportunity to both help consumers understand smart codes while providing useful information that will, for example, help them plan a great day or evening out.”
