Smartphone QR codes

[kenw 293]

I read today that over 20% of smartphone users have downloaded some sort of barcode reader app. Mostly, people are using them to scan UPC product codes to find a particular product on the web, but an increasing number are following QR codes just to see where they go.

 

QR codes are an information dense 2D barcode that can encode far more information in a smaller space than traditional linear codes. They're not human readable (unless you're some kind of geek supermutant), but they don't have to be.

 

I've been directed at work to include an appropriate QR tag on every printed piece that I produce here from now on. It's a good idea, and I suggest anyone who designs and prints brochures or sell sheets for their products consider it.

 

Sample below is NJGF, Point your smartphone camera at it, and the app should take you straight to the website. Very friggin' cool.

 

 

There's a QR code generator here.

[Turboprop21 12]

I see this all over mostly on ad's. It's a pretty neat concept until unscrupulous people decide to hack the icon to direct you to some adult website etc.

[Malsua 1,422]

I read today that over 20% of smartphone users have downloaded some sort of barcode reader app. Mostly, people are using them to scan UPC product codes to find a particular product on the web, but an increasing number are following QR codes just to see where they go.

 

QR codes are an information dense 2D barcode that can encode far more information in a smaller space than traditional linear codes. They're not human readable (unless you're some kind of geek supermutant), but they don't have to be.

 

I've been directed at work to include an appropriate QR tag on every printed piece that I produce here from now on. It's a good idea, and I suggest anyone who designs and prints brochures or sell sheets for their products consider it.

 

Sample below is NJGF, Point your smartphone camera at it, and the app should take you straight to the website. Very friggin' cool.

 

 

There's a QR code generator here.

 

I've been using datamatrix codes here at work for 7 years now. Datamatrix is more dense than QR codes. When we first started including them on our mailings, we got feedback that the post office was going to start using them and gave us rules as to where we could put them. They realized later that our data density was so high, their readers couldn't read it anyway.

 

It is a very interesting technology. I'm seeing 2d barcodes more and more on things these days. It is a very interesting way to convert paper into digital data.

[kenw 293]

I've been using datamatrix codes here at work for 7 years now. Datamatrix is more dense than QR codes. When we first started including them on our mailings, we got feedback that the post office was going to start using them and gave us rules as to where we could put them. They realized later that our data density was so high, their readers couldn't read it anyway.

 

It is a very interesting technology. I'm seeing 2d barcodes more and more on things these days. It is a very interesting way to convert paper into digital data.

Lots of places have been using them internally for a while. It's only since the smartphone explosion that they're becoming more public and mainstream. The Wikipedia entry for QR barcode is an interesting read. Someone wrote an entire book in QR.

[JackDaWack 2,895]

I've used these for BBM. Very interesting.

[kenw 293]

I've used these for BBM. Very interesting.

Better Bowel Movements?

[henrym 19]

Better Bowel Movements?

 

Black Berry Messanger

[kenw 293]

It seems that this would be particularly useful for companies with unreasonably long URLs, or for access to web pages that are nested several layers deep in a website. The code doesn't care what it says.

 

whydontyoubuyyourcrapfromourcompany.com/productsformorons/forthetrailerpark/pinkflamingoes.asp

 

 

Who in their right mind would ever try to type that link in to a smartphone browser?

[simmons 1]

I read today that over 20% of smartphone users have downloaded some sort of barcode reader app. Mostly, people are using them to scan UPC product codes to find a particular product on the web, but an increasing number are following QR codes just to see where they go.

 

QR codes are an information dense 2D barcode that can encode far more information in a smaller space than traditional linear codes. They're not human readable (unless you're some kind of geek supermutant), but they don't have to be.

 

I've been directed at work to include an appropriate QR tag on every printed piece that I produce here from now on. It's a good idea, and I suggest anyone who designs and prints brochures or sell sheets for their products consider it.

 

Sample below is NJGF, Point your smartphone camera at it, and the app should take you straight to the website. Very friggin' cool.

 

 

There's a QR code generator here.

 

 

The biggest thing to remember is that you want to direct people to the mobile version of the site because they are reading the code from a phone. They are cool but it realy just eliminates the step of you typing wwww......

[kenw 293]

It isn't so much about making it easier for the user, although I can say from experience that given the choice, people would rather do less than more, but it makes access to information ubiquitous. Put a code on a t-shirt and see if anyone with a phone passes up the opportunity to scan it. Or on a highway billboard. Or on a shop window. The opportunities are endless.

[JackDaWack 2,895]

Better Bowel Movements?

 

 

Black Berry Messanger

 

Haha, where on earth did u come up with that... yes Black Berry messanger, you just snap a pick of the code instead of having to enter in your friends PIN.

[ivwarrior 1]

I've (obviously, from my avatar) seen them before, but not extensively. I'm wondering if they're going to become more "mainstream" or if something "better" will come along before they really catch on. I like the concept, it's certainly easier to snap a pic of a code than to try and remember or quickly type in a URL on my phone.

[kenw 293]

From what I've learned, QR is becoming the de facto standard for these applications, at least for the time being. If the standard changes, it isn't really any big deal, since very few, if any, of the applications (advertising, social networking, etc.) have any permanence. They'll just move to whatever the next biggest technology will be.

[JackDaWack 2,895]

I've only, so far, seen them used for referencing. If you want to visit a site or wtv it's used for u need the code to scan every time. It's good for referencing, but other then that i fail to see any significance. Like someone said its really good for converting paper into something digital. Other then that if its already digital, copy paste takes the cake.