The ABCs of QR Codes

Never heard of QR codes? Well you are looking at it! It’s a barcode made specifically for mobile phones like iPhones, Blackberrys and Androids.

It was developed waaaay back in 1994 by Toyota and is pretty common in Japan. It’s slowly creeping into the rest of the world. Singapore is catching on pretty quickly too. QR means quick response – as in it can be quickly decoded by devices.

Used back then to catalogue car parts, it is now being used in print (magazines, business cards, etc) to transfer information like names, addresses and URLs to the smartphones.

All users with a smartphone have to do is take a photo of the URL and load a QR-code app to read it. Android-based phones come with a QR-code app feature built-in, and so do Nokia smartphones. Sadly, iPhone users (including the latest iPhone 4) have to download a third-party app for them to be able to scan QR-codes.

This has great potential to bridge the link between print and digital media. Imagine a giant QR code print ad on the train, or a QR code at your event booth, the possibilities are endless. (And yes, we can help create a strategy involving QR-codes of course).

(Go on, snap the QR code above with your smartphone)

For more information visit Wikipedia.