I guess I will answer my own question.

The app compareAnywhere won the Android ADC 1 Contest. Here is a link below: http://code.google.com/android/adc/adc_gallery/app.html?id=8

That was in 2008!

You couldn't do bar code scanning on the iPhone until 3GS came out (I think I am right on this).

So this was an idea out there since 2008. The red laser team were the first one to execute it on the iPhone 3GS.

I also have high regard for the Google team for correctly accessing the value of this idea.