• The Boston Globe , Tuesday, March 13, 2012 10:30 AM

Nearly nine years after portable computer technology for scanning bar codes obviating the long checkout line, the supermarket chain Stop & Shop remains the only major U.S. retailer whose customers can use hand-held scanners, which were designed by Modiv Media Inc. But the Quincy, Mass., company says the surging popularity of smartphones could now make the concept more practical for retailers.

About one in three Americans owns a smartphone, according to the market research firm comScore Inc. So retailers need not buy expensive hand-held scanners; they can ask customers to install an app on their digital devices. Modiv has converted its system to apps that let customers scan bar codes with their smartphones.

A Boston-based rival, AisleBuyer LLC, offers a similar technology that is being used by the toy retailer Magic Beans. And Apple Inc. offers an app that lets shoppers at its retail stores scan and buy products with their iPhones.

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