The Code of the Future

A QR Code is short for quick response code, which is a two-dimensional code that is only readable by dedicated QR barcode readers:

It was created in 1994 in Japan, by a Toyota Subsidiary named Denso-Wave. Since then it has quickly started making it’s way around the world, and it just recently hit the US and has been spreading like wildfire. It was initially used to track parts in vehicle manufacturing, but has since broadened its uses to both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications that are aimed at cell phones that have the QR barcode readers (such as iPhone, Android, and HTC).  

For example, if you look at a USA Today newspaper, on the front page of each section, it will have a QR Code that the reader can scan with their cell phone, and it will automatically bring up information relating to the given section. This immediacy makes it much more convenient for users to read what they want instead of flipping through the newspaper. (Read my earlier post on the future of print, and you can see how dangerous this new technology will be)

It is also used on advertisements, such as on bus stops, soda bottles and even t-shirts:

 

This new technology enables us to spend an even smaller amount of time searching for information, letting us have that little extra bit of free time. One downside is that due to its aim at mobile phones, it could slowly be making us more dependent on our cell phones.

 

I’m interested to see what you guys think, so let me know!