The folks at Consumer Reports are well-known for their due diligence in assessing product and service quality — which makes us really pleased that they selected ShopSavvy barcode technology to power the new Consumer Reports Mobile Shopper app for iPhone.

As part of the deal, we’ll also get to share Consumer Reports information with ShopSavvy users.

Here’s an excerpt from today’s press release:

Big in Japan, the leader in barcode-powered shopping by mobile consumers, announced that Consumer Reports has incorporated ShopSavvy® barcode-scanning technology in its newly released iPhone app, Consumer Reports Mobile Shopper™. In addition, ShopSavvy’s 6.5 million users on the iPhone, Android and Nokia platforms will see a callout when they have scanned an item that Consumer Reports has tested, along with how many other models exist and have been tested in that category.

Interested companies and developers can access Big in Japan’s ShopSavvy ScannerKit SDK at www.freebarcodescanner.com.

Big in Japan and Architel announced today that speakers for the inaugural Startup Happy Hour 2.0, to be held Wednesday, Oct. 27, at Campbell Centre, will include Blake Burris of CoHabitat; Gabriella Draney of Tech Wildcatters; Danica Mathes of Ignite Dallas; and Joey Pomerenke of Startup Weekend.

More than 250 entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs and others interested in the Dallas/Fort Worth startup scene have RSVPed for the event.

Here are bios for our speaking lineup:

Blake Burris, CoHabitat

Blake is the founder of CoHabitat, a startup community and hacker co-working space that’s become a hub for startup entrepreneurs, developers, and creatives. Blake also founded Dynamo Labs, where he and his team develop solutions for the rapidly changing clean energy marketplace. Dynamo Labs was the first recipient of fbFund, a grant fund operated by the Founders Fund, Accel Partners, and Facebook. Blake has long been involved in the Dallas startup scene, having helped organize the first BarCamp Dallas in 2005.

Gabriella Draney, Tech Wildcatters

Gabriella is co-founder and managing partner of Tech Wildcatters, a Dallas-based seed accelerator. Previously, she was with HP Growth Partners, an early stage venture fund in Dallas. She co-founded an aircraft scheduling software company in 1998 that ended in a profitable exit. Gabriella went on to work for Morgan Stanley in private wealth management. True to her entrepreneurial roots, she left to follow her passion for nutrition by opening a specialty foods retail store, while simultaneously consulting with numerous Dallas-based startups on strategic planning and finance.

Danica Mathes, Ignite Dallas

Danica is an entertainment, intellectual property and new media attorney with Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP. She represents and counsels clients with respect to traditional trademark, copyright and other intellectual property protection and exploitation matters, preparation, review and negotiation of contracts, and formation of appropriate business entities. Danica was an adjunct professor of entertainment law at Washington University School of Law for five years, and she has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2007. She is one of the inaugural organizers of Ignite Dallas and is actively involved with the Dallas International Film Festival.

Joey Pomerenke, Startup Weekend

Joey is an entrepreneur, startup enthusiast and travel junkie. He currently manages events for Startup Weekend, the Seattle-based non-profit organization that has become one of the leading catalysts for startup creation and entrepreneurship education in startup ecosystems around the world. Startup Weekend is currently represented in over 100 cities in more than 25 countries.

The first three Startup Happy Hour 2.0 events will be held Oct. 27, Nov. 24 and Dec. 22. The events will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., with speakers beginning at 6 p.m. The location is 8350 N. Central Expressway, Suite 250, in the north tower of Campbell Centre.

To RSVP and/or join the discussion about Startup Happy Hour 2.0, visit http://www.meetup.com/Dallas-Startup-Happy-Hour.

Big in Japan announced today that a variety of diverse brands — including Ford, Gold’s Gym and the Washington Metro — are using the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program to increase awareness and trial of QR Codes to better inform consumers about their products and services.

From the release:

“Compared to UPC and EAN barcodes, QR Codes can provide consumers with far more product information – offering significant opportunities for marketers as an increasing number of consumers shop with scanners in hand,” said Alexander Muse, co-founder of Big in Japan. “The stumbling block has been a lack of awareness of QR Codes; most consumers aren’t sure what to do when they see one.”

Through the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program, brands overlay a badge on their QR Codes to alert ShopSavvy’s installed base of more than 6.5 million users that they will find helpful product information by scanning the code.

Gold’s Gym, for example, is currently using the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program in signage, product inserts and other materials associated with its fitness equipment, which is available at Walmart. By scanning a QR code, users can view product demos of treadmills, elliptical trainers and more on their smartphones.

Beyond the specific successes of the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program, Muse said he is seeing a greater interest in QR Codes by both brands and ShopSavvy users.

“Every day, ShopSavvy users are scanning QR Codes at Best Buy, Gap, Dick’s Sporting Goods and other retailers,” Muse said. “Brands like Heineken, Jones New York, and Verizon are also using QR Codes effectively. The recent Warner Brothers film ‘Inception’ was also promoted with QR Codes, and more than 50,000 ShopSavvy users participated in that promotion.”

“Scan with ShopSavvy” is only one of the ways Big in Japan has demonstrated its commitment to QR Codes. Last month, the company released a free, single-purpose QR Code Reader and Scanner for iPhone. It is already one of the 50 most-downloaded utilities in Apple’s iTunes Store.

Businesses that are interested in participating in the “Scan with ShopSavvy” program just need to follow these simple steps or email us at sales@biggu.com.

Lots of companies are using our Scan with ShopSavvy program to help users understand how to scan the QR codes. The program is simple:

Step One: Create a QR code with your favorite creator

Step Two: Overlay QR code on Scan with ShopSavvy Badge

Step Three: Provide us the URL included in the QR code

Step Four: Launch!

Users who see your QR code will realize they can scan it with ShopSavvy (more than 10 million folks have downloaded the app with more than 6.5 million active users). ShopSavvy is free on Android and iPhone (coming soon on Windows Phone 7). The program is free – it helps the user and help us educate our existing users and potentially get new users.

DOWNLOAD ART HERE

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ShopSavvy generates a LOT of data. Since we have submitted our 4.0 version of ShopSavvy to Apple for approval, we had a few free cycles to begin crunching some numbers for potential investors and partners who have asked for various sets of data. My son is a big fan of Oreos and when he found out I was putting together a report about Oreos he became very interested in my work (who knew). Here are some of the numbers. I was surprised by how many Oreo products there are. I won’t share all of the data here, but here is a breakdown of the scans:

The trend data is interesting too, with scans of Oreo products growing:

We announced today that we’ll be sponsoring our third Startup Weekend Dallas next month at our new Campbell Centre offices. Here’s today’s press release:

Startup Weekend Dallas to Give Budding Tech Entrepreneurs a Crash Course in Going from Idea to Launch

The three-day event, sponsored by Big in Japan and Architel, takes place Nov. 12-14.

Startup Weekend and Big in Japan today announced that Startup Weekend Dallas, a 54-hour event that provides networking, resources and incentives to help aspiring technology entrepreneurs go from idea to launch, will take place Nov. 12-14 at Big in Japan’s new offices at Campbell Centre.

“This is the third Startup Weekend Dallas since 2009, and with each event we see growth in attendance and the emergence of new businesses as a result,” said Marc Nager of Startup Weekend, a Seattle-based non-profit that has organized events in cities worldwide. “This speaks to the energy and quality of the Dallas startup scene.”

“Big in Japan and Architel have been working to create networking and learning opportunities for Dallas entrepreneurs for years, and partnering with Startup Weekend is a great boost to these efforts,” said Alexander Muse, Big in Japan co-founder.

Muse, along with Architel CEO Scott Ryan, also sponsor Dallas Startup Happy Hour, which will have its next get-together at Campbell Centre Oct. 27.

Startup Weekend Dallas will open with a presentation of new ideas for startup ventures. Participants then choose their favorite ideas and form teams around them. The teams spend the weekend getting advice from professional mentors and building a proof of concept, demo — and sometimes even a finished product. Most ideas are Web and tech-focused.

Tickets to participate in Startup Weekend Dallas can be purchased at dallas.startupweekend.org/tickets. For more information about Startup Weekend Dallas, including sponsorship opportunities, visit dallas.startupweekend.org.

About Startup Weekend

A non-profit organization based out of Seattle, Wash., Startup Weekend’s primary mission is to provide unparalleled experiential education opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs around the globe. Its model is event-based, community-focused, interactive and results-driven entrepreneurial development. As a result, Startup Weekend has become one of the leading catalysts for startup creation and entrepreneurship education in startup ecosystems around the world. Startup Weekend is currently represented in over 100 cities in more than 25 countries. Learn more at http://startupweekend.org.

Big in Japan announced this week that MultipleStreams, a worldwide dealer of used books, CDs and DVDs, has released version 2.0 of its YouSell app for iPhone, incorporating the ShopSavvy ScannerKit SDK. YouSell enables individuals to receive real-time cash offers on used merchandise by scanning the product’s barcode with the iPhone’s built-in camera.

Here’s an excerpt from the release:

“If you’re tired of lugging textbooks, movies and other stuff around to retail establishments only to get low-ball offers, the YouSell app is the better alternative,” said Matt Stein, purchasing manager of MultipleStreams. “YouSell provides the fastest, most convenient way to get solid cash offers for your used items.”

When a YouSell user scans a UPC or EAN barcode, MultipleStreams delivers an instant price offer from its product pricing database. If the user accepts the offer, he or she ships the item to the company’s warehouse for free using a prepaid shipping label provided by MultipleStreams. Once the item passes a quality inspection, payment is promptly sent to the seller by check or PayPal.

“YouSell is a valuable app for selling used merchandise, and we are pleased to provide the technology that powers its scanning functionality,” said Alexander Muse, co-founder of Big in Japan. “YouSell is one of more than 200 apps now in development utilizing the ShopSavvy ScannerKit SDK.”

Matt at MultipleStreams was also interviewed by Dan Butcher at Mobile Commerce Daily:

“The ShopSavvy ScannerKit SDK is the best scanning technology available for app developers,” Mr. Stein said. “It was very straightforward for us to incorporate it into YouSell to make the app more attractive to users.

“While our app is not directly tied to the ShopSavvy app, we think the two apps are good complements to one another,” he said. “ShopSavvy allows users to find the best local price for an item they want to purchase, while YouSell provides the user with a live cash offer for something they wish to sell.

“Combining both apps, a user can both wisely purchase and sell items, assuring they are getting the best deal possible in both cases.”

The guys have been busy working on the 4.0 release of ShopSavvy for the iPhone and I was getting a little bored. I was talking to a developer who was interested in licensing our barcode scanner SDK and it occured to me that I could hire someone to build a barcode scanner app using our SDK without bothering our guys. Lots of ShopSavvy users have asked us to release a standalone QR code scanner – something our guys thought was rather silly since ShopSavvy will scan QR codes just fine. I was able to hire a developer to include our SDK into a standalone QR scanner for $300 about a month ago. I was surprise to learn that the app was number 43 in Utilities! So for $300 one can build a simple app and get in the top 50? Amazing stuff. Here is the screen grab from AppFigures:

Jake noted that there were a number of bugs in my app and mentioned that my icon sucked so he spent an evening making my app suck less (actually his update is really great). I submitted it to iTunes and hopefully it will get accepted soon. In the meantime you can download my version 1.0 QR Code Reader and Scanner.

We are always surprised by the ways people use our barcode scanner library in their applications. One developer, Andrew Pym the developer of the Star Wars Lego Guide, emailed me this weekend with an issue he was having with our scanner and I asked him about his app. I was excited to learn that he was using our scanner to help Lego fans scan the barcodes of Lego boxes so one could determine what mini figures were included. His app is cal led Lego Mini Figure Identifier + and reveals all EU and USA contents of all new mini figures. Scan the QR code to the right with ShopSavvy (app is for Android only) and download it automatically. Enjoy!