We see these virtually everywhere, from storefront windows, to billboards, straight to many business cards! They’re called QR codes, or Quick Response codes, and they’re designed to help people navigate to a website, a Twitter, phone number, or even email within seconds. It utilizes your smartphone, camera, and internet connection to provide you additional information.
This guide from OneBigInternet.com perfectly explains how QR codes are used to grab your attention as a consumer.
QR-codes have become a growing platform for sharing digital information and may quickly become a standardized medium. In 2011, this technology will become a standard for business and social interaction.
Quick Response Code was originally developed for use in the car industries in Japan by a company named Denso. QR Codes are now the Asian standard code for mobile tagging. In Japan it is tagged50 million times daily.
Advantages of Using QR Codes
- QR-codes are open sourced
- Quick Response means they scan quickly
- Compact
- Error Tolerant
- Data not limited to just text. Include images and video
- Can make a QR-code Dial a phone number
Here are the apps I mentioned on this edition of App Central (Episode 13):
ScanLife – FREE – iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android.
- To start with the “QR craze,” download an app, like the free ScanLife app for your iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android.
- Simply put, you use the app like barcode scanner.
- ScanLife utilizes the camera to take a picture of the QR barcode, decodes it on the phone, and take you to the website, email, text, or Twitter attached to the barcode!
RedLaser – FREE – iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android.
- Another application I recommend is the RedLaser app, again for most smartphone platforms.
- What’s really unique about this application, is that it allows you to scan not only QR codes, but a wide range of barcodes including UPC codes on things like books, so you can comparison shop and potentially save money!
- Many stores are accepting this as a method to price match too!
What this means to everyday consumers…
They’re very useful, and as a student as well, I’m starting to see them in textbooks where you can scan the code to “bridge” you over to the internet and social media space! If you have a smartphone, you should definitely check it out! At the end of the day, what that means is that you’re able to take advantage of the capabilities of your smartphone to potentially make your life easier, and even save time.
Repost from AppCentral.ca
