i-mode(2) 照相購物

The phone user then snaps an image of the bar code, which can be displayed next to an image of the product in a magazine, newspaper, TV commercial or even Web site, said the report.

By sending the image to the Mediastick’s phone number, the bar code is extracted from the picture, processed for product information and the buyer’s personal data sent to the e-tailer, who in turn bills the buyer and ships the product.

And it’s not just physical products that can be bought this way: digital goods such as ring tones and e-books can also be bought from Web sites using the Mediastick system.