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February 12, 2005
QR Codes & Semacode
The QR Code (Quick Response codes) demo that Ai Munakata gave at Seattle Mobile on thursday was pretty compelling. A QR Code is a 2 dimensional bar code that stores information that a mobile phone can read with its camera. QR codes can actually contain enough data to store a small image, but usually store vCard info or a URL for a mobile website. QR Codes basically solve the carrier deck real-estate problem. Anyone can publish vCard information and/or a URL anywhere and anyone with a QR Code enabled phone can read it or jump right to the site by reading the code with their camera phone. QR Codes have become ubiquitous in Japan in the last year. Ai mentioned that you see them on advertisements in the Tokyo subway. I did some research and went down to the bookstore in Uwajamya (a Japanese mega-market in Seattle) and picked up what appeared to be teen magazines (I can't read Kanji) and sure enough they were all over the add pages.
Semacode www.semacode.comis a western version of the same thing. I played around with the semacode reader on a Nokia 3650 back in May of 2004 but was not that impressed with it. It was kind of slow, and required you to take a picture of the barcode. From what I understand now though the engine is much faster and works better.
The whole barcode thing is a chicken and egg problem. It took off in Japan but only after the technology had been embedded in phones for more than a year. Will it take off in the US? I bet it will. Whether QR Code, Semacode or something else. It just solves so many problems.
http://www.mobileresearch.net QR Code
Posted by David Adams at February 12, 2005 01:52 PM