Visitors to the AsReader (TSE:6522) booth at the 2025 National Retail Federation (NRF) show last week in New York’s Jacob Javits Convention Center were the first in the US to see new RFID and AutoID tech for inventory management, retail mastery, quick customer service, including self- serve terminals and software that turns any phone into a barcode scanning device.

The most exciting advancement is AsCode, a new two-dimensional code demonstrated for the first time outside of Japan, making it possible to manage a variety of information on a smartphone, which was previously difficult with 1D or 2D barcodes. Simply put, AsCode is a new variation of the barcode, similar to a QR code, but able to be read much further and faster.

Barcodes were historically designed to be read one-by-one with a dedicated device such as a laser, and had several issues with devices reading them with a smartphone, such as reading distance and reading speed. In addition, two-dimensional codes are also designed to be read optically, so as the amount of information increased, the bits became smaller, and the readers/cameras were taxed with more, and worked less efficiently.

The AsCode user can perform inventory, check sales prices, and inspect goods just by holding their smartphone while moving by the items they’re scanning, and it does so quicker than the codes in use now. Employees can scan shelves as they walk through the store, inventorying as they go and immediately be alerted if something is expired or in the wrong section. When used in the retail environment, AsCode improves data accuracy, realizing information visualization and real-time utilization. Beyond retail, this new code for scanning will be used in warehousing, distribution, logistics tracking, and events.

By adding a “missing” corner to the outer frame, it can be read even when rotated, just like a QR code. Inside, it has simple specifications that incorporate ones and zeros. The design is simplified to make it easier to be read quickly and/or from a distance.

Here’s what sets AsCode apart from the rest:
� * AsCode can be read faster and from farther away because the AsCode dots are bigger than QR Codes.
� * AsCode charges “per device” not “per app,” unlike competitors.
� * Users can pick the size of code that is best for their use case. If they only have a need for 7 or 8 digits, the code can be simplified even further for faster reads.
� * AsCode is not limited to a square shape, and the size is also customizable. For example, it can be a rectangular code with a 15 x 9 grid for things like vials or spines of books.
� * Because AsCode is unique, the data is safer and not everyone with a cell phone can simply read it, like one can with a QR Code, so the security is enhanced.
� * Current MSRP for AsCode Encoder: FREE (for printing labels and text), Decoder: $40 per year, per device
� *Available to the US market for iOS and Android in March 2025< For more, please see AsReader’s AsCode YouTube video demonstrations here

AsCameraX
Also demonstrated in New York is a completely separate technology, AsCameraX. This Camera Barcode Scanning Software was developed by AsReader and is available with a one-time installation fee of $20 and a nominal subscription fee of $5 per month per device to simply do one thing—to use company Android phones as readers (aka barcode scanners).
Available on the Google Play Store, AsCameraX is currently in use at a number of retail locations including a high-end men’s clothing retail chain with Kyocera smartphones. AsCameraX allows staff to do what had previously been impossible. With a scan rate up to 1,100 scans per minute or approximately 18 scanned tags per second, AsCameraX scans at the speed of your future business .
No hardware is needed for AsCameraX and the software is used on Android smartphones such as the ruggedized Kyocera DuraForce PRO 3, Google Pixel, Samsung XCover Androids and more.

More information on AsReader, Inc.
AsReader, Inc. specializes in AutoID, particularly mobile Barcode Scanners, RFID Readers/Writers, and all things Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC). AsReader, headed by COO Paul Whitney, is an Oregon Corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Asterisk, Inc. of Japan. Asterisk was founded in 2006 by charismatic CEO Noriyuki Suzuki and is headquartered in Osaka with additional offices in Tokyo, Kyoto (Shiga), Nagoya in Japan, Dalian and Shenzhen in China, and Portland, Oregon in the U.S.A. The company went public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2021 (TSE:6522). Major clients include a household-name beverage and snack logistics/transportation company in North America using over 20,000 AsReaders, manufacturers Toyota and Kawasaki, retailers Tokyu Hands and Aoyama, over 350 hospitals worldwide, and well-known package delivery companies in Japan using over 30,000 and 80,000 AsReaders each.