Clever New Thing – QR Codes

You are looking at the latest piece of technology to have worked it’s way out of Japan and into western markets. Quick Response Codes or QR codes basically work like barcodes. They can appear on all manner of material, from magazine or bus shelter adverts to business cards, t shirts or web pages.

If you scan them with the camera on your internet capable mobile phone they can automatically open a web page on your phone (so you don’t have to go to the trouble of typing in long addresses on a small mobile handset).

While they have been a common feature in Japanese advertising for several years they are just starting to appear in the US and Australia.

SmartPhoneToday.com report that “In San Francisco, CitySearch magazine and Antenna Audio, are posting codes in restaurant windows and at tourist attractions. Users who download and install the ScanLife software on their phones can point the camera at a code, click one button and instantly be taken to a Web page with reviews of the restaurant or information, including streaming audio clips, about the attraction.”

Depending on the commercial success of various trials you may see these strange little boxes appearing more frequently in New Zealand.