While the idea of reading International Article Number (EAN) barcodes with a webcam replacing expensive barcode readers is not new, it appears that the existent freeware products which are used to detect barcodes with a webcam are either not open source or don't have an API, which makes their integration into existent products difficult or impossible. They are moreover clumsy and hardware eager.

Koala Barcode Scanner is not only fast even with low hardware resources, but also is done as an API, in order to be integrated into products, and is licensed under the non-viral, more permissive then most open source licenses, Microsoft Public License (MS-PL). If you're familiar with .NET development, feel free to modify the well-refactored, well-commented source code.

With Koala Barcode Scanner, you get:

• An easy to use API which enables you to scan EAN barcodes,
• A fast solution which doesn't require expensive hardware,
• An ability to use source code, as is or modified, in commercial products.

And you get it for free.

The product can also be tested by using a demo application, which looks like on the following screenshot. Also, don't miss a demo video showing the product in use.