QR Codes and UNC CAUSE 2010
If you look around the conference, you’ll notice there are a good number of square bar code looking things (like the image to the right) all over the place. They’re called QR codes, and they’re becoming increasingly prevalent in the US. You may have seen them on signs around town, in magazines, or on product displays in stores.
A QR code is a two-dimensional bar code that can store various types of information – anything from URLs to text to contact information. It’s a really simple way to link a physical object in the world to the internet. They call this a “hardlink” or a “physical world hyperlink.”
Originally, QR codes were designed to track parts of vehicles during the manufacturing process, but they’ve been repurposed in a much wider context to quickly direct people to various types of information. If you’ve got a smart phone, odds are good that there’s a QR scanner application available for you to download.
We’re using QR codes at the conference to provide you with a simple way to quickly get you to useful information on the web. Be sure to scan the various codes you find around the conference to get a map of the hotel, the location of the Henrietta, review conference speakers, or maybe you’ll find something else even more awesome!
If you’ve got an iPhone, we recommend the AT&T Code Scanner or NeoReader. If you’ve got an Android device, it’s got a QR scanner already built in!
iPhone users:
RedLaser also reads QR codes.
Cool! I’d planned on using at least one in my presentation, too, to link to an SMS short code and keyword. Code generation services abound, e.g., http://delivr.com/qr-code-generator.