Help Save The CueCat From Extinction

Although still a kitten, CueCat appears destined for extinction.

Several months ago, I presented an overview of a new, free gadget, the CueCat. Essentially, the device, with accompanying software and available at Radio Shack, allows Web surfers to scan barcodes in newspapers (Dallas Morning News), magazines (Wired and Forbes), catalogs (Radio Shack), and ordinary household products like soup cans and toiletries. Barcode scans from participants in the CueCat program link directly to Web sites where the viewer obtains additional information (product specification, recipes, manufacturer safety tips, and so forth). Over time, it was speculated that 50 million (or more) CueCats would ease the struggle of people finding worthwhile information on the World Wide Web.

 

Bumps In The Road

Immediately upon release, the CueCat, viciously condemned (on all sides but especially by the geek community), was branded as being overly intrusive. The CueCat emits a GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) each time it visits a Web site. The developer, Digital Convergence (Dallas, Texas), maintains that the GUID does not get passed to the client, but rather aggregated demographic content only. This position, however, does not satisfy most people in the highly paranoid Internet community regarding privacy matters. Frankly, the future of the Cat appears tenuous. For example, the December ‘00 issue of Wired sports only 21 advertisements with the special CueCat barcode. Hardly a ringing endorsement. The growing list of Cue partners appears stalled.

If new Dell and Gateway computers arrived in the home with the device installed by the manufacturer, CueCat’s future would be less precarious. This seems unlikely. Without a groundswell of user interest, its future appears bleak.

A Non-Internet Use

Members of the geek community quickly reversed engineered the CueCat. Web sites can be found instructing users how to disable the GUID feature in the device. (Insiders call this “declawing the cat.”) In addition, several Web sites contain software to allow the CueCat to function as a regular barcode scanner without being connected to the Internet at all. For the average surfer, the complexity turns into a daunting task. However, aided by the work of other contributors, I have put together a small Web page that allows newcomers to work personally with the CueCat without fear of privacy loss.

The hardware itself is unusually versatile for a free device. The CueCat can read most of the popular barcode types found in the kitchen, bathroom, on Federal Express/UPS packages, on CDs, and much more. The most common type of barcodes (UPC, EAN Interleave 2-of-5) hold only mild interest because the data in the code consists only of numbers. However, barcode types 39 and 128 can display letters and numbers. In addition, I found a product, Q-barcode (demo free, full cost only $35), that allows for the creation of personal barcodes with a laser printer. (A high quality inkjet printer might work as well.) It should be noted that printing barcodes using an inexpensive printer is tricky. However, I share my successes and failures on the site. My hope is that others will find additional reasons to use CueCat.

 

Why Do It?

My meager efforts searching out new uses for the CueCat stems from the desire to fend off extinction. The perceived problems with privacy loss can, in time, be overcome. So often, I find the functionality of search engines on the decline. Providers of search services often sell key words and alter phrase match listings as the result of influence from paid advertising. Imaginative ways can be found for the CueCat to reach worthwhile Web sites. The CueCat cannot reach its potential if it is retired without getting a fair shake.

I am not optimistic that the CueCat will survive. My colleagues in the press have already written the obituary. Too many marketing mistakes have been made and the current Internet climate remains highly suspicious of what many perceive as marketing gimmickry. Nevertheless, if new and interesting uses can be found for the Cat, it will find a place as another input device for the computer. I hope it survives. I urge everyone to stop in at the nearest Radio Shack and ask for a free CueCat. If it becomes extinct, it will become an overnight collector’s item and an Antiques Roadshow potential “find.”

Happy holidays to all.

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://www.crq.com/

http://www.thebee.com/bWeb/cuecatuses.htm

(This is the 237th of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the Internet. Next, “2001 Predictions” is the subject on tap. Stay Tuned. Until next week, happy travels through cyberspace. Previous issues of Internet Info for Real People can be found: http://www.thebee.com. Please e-mail comments and suggestions: rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)