[mfrisbie]

Resolution is certainly a major factor in the scanning acuity. The browser scanning issue is somewhat paradoxical: getting a clear and high-resolution image of the barcode improves scan accuracy, but to achieve this, the camera needs to get so close to the barcode that the autofocus starts to freak out and blur the barcode. Since the browser scanner is using the browser camera API, there's no good mechanism to control the autofocus. It's enough to make you want to throw your phone in the garbage.