MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. Internet giant Google said Monday it would send more than 100,000 bar-coded decals to businesses generating the most Internet searches.
Google is labeling the businesses "Favorite Places on Google," and said it would be sending decals to businesses in more than 9,000 towns and cities across the country. The company didn't say how many hit qualify a business to earn the designation.
More than a way for a pedestrian to recognize a business has generated Internet searches, the decals contain bar codes that allow those with smart phones to quickly access reviews of that business or find coupons for sales, Google said.
Scanning requires a phone with a camera and a specific application that can read the bar codes.
Google advised businesses that are not in the first "wave" of decals "to claim your listing with Google's Local Business Center for free."
For consumers, Google recommended the Barcode Scanner application for phones with Android operating systems. For iPhone owners, Google recommended QuickMark.
Google also said it would partner with QuickMark to offer the first 40,000 downloads of the application on the house. After that, the QuickMark cost $1.99, Google said.
