Barry Gershenfeld wrote:

>>I have been asked to build a secret shopper scanner.
>>The scanner will be use in grocery stores to scan the
>>barcodes of new products.  Must be small to mount
>>on the wrist.  Inexpensive is always good.  The interface
>>can be RS232, i2c, SPI.
>>POD  AGSC
> 
> 
> Alternate idea--hide in plain sight.  If it looked ordinary (I was thinking 
> Palm Pilot because they actually made those, but how about a cell phone?) 
> people would see it but not be aware it was being used to scan bar codes.
> 

I noticed a person taking photos of cosmetics displays in a local
big chain store.
Asked him what he was doing. Said he was 'taking inventory'. Apparently
the company had image recognition software the could classify product and
could also read and decode the barcodes. He was using a smallish but
high pixel count camera (Espio I think). He did have a "authorized Rep"
badge on his lapel, so I thought nothing more of it.

Kinda reminded me of the guys who stole televisions out of big stores
by wearing coveralls with 'Joes TV repair' as they carted them out
the door. No one stopped to question them.
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