Magazine experiment

I heard about magazine barcoding on the radio this morning and promptly Googled. Here is an article about it. The gist:

Readers simply scan the barcodes and a menu on their phone will open with several options, including the choice to instantly purchase the product. Users will also be able to find retailers carrying the item or learn more about how to style the products.

I think this is a really interesting use of technology already out there. I often read magazines and won't hop to the back to see where I can purchase a product I'm interested in...I'll just sigh and dream. If I were the type to be inclined to carry a smartphone, I might make a lot more impulse purchases with this service! I imagine we will be seeing a lot more of this in many different aspects of our lives. Just scan the barcode on a restaurant door and up pops the Zagat review. Scan the barcode on fast food and up pops the nutrition information. Scan the barcode on a library book and useful information will pop up. I don't really know that I like that it will be easy to determine what magazines you're interested in, which pages grab you, what you choose to buy as a result. However, that information is likely already out there.