SFGN First to Use QRCodes in South Florida.

I’m sure you’re asking, “What are those weird pixel graphics I see in the paper? What are they for?” They’re simply: QR-Codes.

QRCodes (Quick Reference Codes) were invented to track products in manufacturing businesses, like automotive parts.  The Japanese, who are years ahead of us in the smartphone market, found a way to make these codes useful and fun, and they have since become a media phenomenon.  They are only now catching on here in the U.S.

Using a smartphone, with a QR-code reader app, you can translate these codes into information, making your smartphone go to a website, read texts messages, or dial phone numbers.  You find them in news stories, advertising, product labels, and even printed on personalized clothing.  Some are now using them on websites and emails.

Smartphones using the AT&T network have their own QR Code Scanner app available for free.  But there are many scanners/readers out there for many different smartphones, free of charge. Just go to your app store and do a search for “QR Code”.

Once installed, it uses your camera to scan and translate the codes. Just point the lens at the code, and the magic happens.

{youtube}zDeOl2opGeY{/youtube}