“And then the invasion slowly started, deeply burying its roots in the neuralgic points of major industrial cities, before it spread all over the World.
And there they were, all around us, before we realized it was too late.”
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To that point you are maybe wondering if this is some kind of stupid joke like the Crop Circles, a punk movement like the Army of the Twelve Monkeys or if this is real and we are under the threat of an Alien-like invasion.
“None of them” you’ll say. And you’re damn right and clever! Those weird drawings are only QR Codes.
Very common in Japan, QR Codes or “Quick Response Codes“ basically look like this:
Yes I do agree, not so attractive.
Technically speaking, QR Code can be described as a two-dimensional barcode which can be decoded quickly by cameras, especially those in mobile phones, supporting the codes.
Most cell phones * (see the list at the bottom of this article) are today able to scan QR Code and open the associated resource in the cell phone. The resource is usually a website but can also be a phone number, sms or text. Anyone using a cell phone to open websites can imagine how much faster and comfortable this method is.
I’m using this technic for the day to day business, as for instance I featured a QR code at the back of my own business cards (print and digital)
Some print publications also started to include QR codes in their magazines to provide their readers with a better experience, and every articles in the print version of this blog features a QR code so that readers are able to access them online from a mobile phone Internet browser.
If until that point you’re lost or not convinced by the good of QR Codes, this video will clear all your doubts.
A nice illustrated story by Kaywa is also available here
You got it now: a QR Code Generator allows anyone to create QR Codes easily. Websites such as Kaywa, BeQRious and QR Jumps offers this functionality. The good thing about Kaywa and BeQRious is that there is no need to register to create new QR Codes (which is unfortunately not the case for QR Jumps). Both sites distinguishes between basic and advanced QR Code and Damatrix generation. The basic form contains of course fewer options. But it is still possible to use the basic QR Code form to create url, sms, phone number, text resources and RSS feeds for mobiles!
Indeed, most Blogs or websites have an RSS feed, but content is still unadapted for mobile devices. Feed2Mobile will simply let you create a mobile version of your content and make it available to mobile visitors. For instance, by scanning the below QR Code with your mobile phone, you’ll be able to easily reach and bookmark the mobile version of of 52nd & West
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Kaywa also offers the possibility to download a 2D Barcode Reader for your cellphone. The Kaywa Reader is a 2D Barcode Reader to install on your mobile phone. Once installed, you can scan 2D Barcodes and the content of the 2D Barcode is then immediately resolved on the phone.
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The URL is certainly the most interesting type of information which can be encoded. After scanning the 2D Barcode, you get a connection to the mobile site.
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The user selects the content type at the top and enters the information below. Creating a QR Code for an url would mean to enter an url in the form. The generator will then create the QR Code image which can be created in various sizes and the two image formats jpg or png.
Easy, isn’t it?
BeQRious regularly publishes interesting news on how QR codes are used around the world. You can access them from here
So next time you see a QR code-like art in the street, don’t freak out, unless you see this…
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muuuuhahahahahhahahahah
***
* Compatible OS include: Symbian 2nd Edition, Symbian 3rd Edition, Symbian UIQ 2.x / 3.x, J2me, windows Mobile 5.0 / 5.5 / 6 / 6.5, Android, iPhone, Blackberry, Palm (Palm OS / Windows Mobile) Windows XP / Windows Vista (Webcam Reader).
Online resources:
- http://reader.kaywa.com/
- http://www.beqrious.com/
Don’t have a cell phone with embedded QR code reader? Dowload a QR Code Reader for your mobile here or use an online QR Code Decoder.
Perfect timing for this great article.
This week has been released the first book using QR code in it (the concept is called “hyperlivre” (hyperbook) – in partnership with Orange,
it’s a book which enables interactive from the printed book to access a wider field of play (music, video, updating, interactivity) or on the internet his mobile phone.
Le sens des choses, by Jacques Attali.
http://www.amazon.fr/sens-choses-Attali-Jacques/dp/2221111605