Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises an electrically-controlled illumination source, and a circuit configured to control the illumination source so as cause the light source to generate at least one sequence of light pulses that mimics those a photo-detector of a bar code reader would observe from a reflected source when reading a printed bar code symbol. In another embodiment, an apparatus comprises an electronically reconfigurable, reflective display that is insensitive to a polarization of an incident illumination source, and a circuit configured to selectively configure the display to display a bar code symbol thereon.