This book was written for scientists, researchers and those who are interested in the science and development of barcode technology for mobile devices. It is a comprehensive work covering the history and evolution of this technology. The book also presents a substantial compilation of different barcodes used or designed for mobile devices and mobile applications. Nonetheless, this collection will never stay complete for long as this is a rapidly evolving field, with new mobile barcodes being invented on almost a yearly basis. In fact, within this book, we have presented our very own novel two-dimensional (2D) barcode, designed especially for mobile devices such as camera mobile phones.

Also presented herein are the techniques and development process for our novel 2D barcode, the Mobile Multi-Colour Composite (MMCC™). Hence, we envision that this book will be a useful reference for those who are interested in designing and developing barcodes for mobile devices.

Finally, we do hope that this book will be the first of many to come that will fill the current gap in the publications in this area of interest.

Acknowledgements

Any substantial work of substance would not be possible without the kind contributions and supports of others. For continuous support and encouragements from Cambridge University Press, we wish to thank especially Dr Phil Meyler and Ms Sabine Koch.

For the personal support of our loved ones, our respective acknowledgements are as follows.

Dr Hiroko Kato wishes to thank her husband, Hisanori, for his continued support and patience and her children, Masanori and Yukino, for their constant support and understanding and all the help they gave with household chores while she focused on completing this book.