What are Quick Response (QR) Codes?

You must have seen black square mazes of odd patterns in a white square box in newspaper or magazine advertisements. It is not a fancy box to add beauty to ads. These fuzzy boxes are known as QR Codes. They contain useful information such as contact details and information about the product or company. It can also direct persons to a web address or give them some information such as contact numbers, some message or any such details as text when one decodes it using a code reader.

QR Code is a kind of matrix bar code and contains more information than the Universal Bar Codes (UBC)—you must have seen white and black striped UBCs on the back of books and greeting cards or for that matter even on the packet of a washing powder or biscuits. The usage of QR codes began in the automobile industry to identify vehicles while manufacturing in 1994. Later, these codes became popular for their usability and utility.

QR codes are used everywhere in the USA and European countries. People use them even in business cards these days. A non-profit organisation in the USA used QR code to provide walkers information about a park and make them aware about their environment. Similarly, artistes use in their paintings to give art lovers information on painting and artiste. There are several other usages of QR codes and different people use it in different ways to suit their requirements.

The easier readability of these codes has made them popular. QR codes can be decoded using QR code readers in smart phone camera and a code-reading application. Many Android, Nokia, Blackberry handsets and other smart phones with high-end operating system are available with pre-installed QR Code readers. It is the first time that the bar code readers have become handy. Mobile users those do not QR code readers can download free code reader applications like QR Droid, Scan Life and Red Laser to their phone from Internet. You can download free QR code readers for Android phones from http://market.android.com; for Apple phone from http://appshopper.com and for Blackberry phones from http://appworl.blackberry.com.

There are many sites where you can create your own QR codes providing needful information you want to give in a QR Code. There are several sites where you can generate QR code for your company. A few useful website for generating QR codes are http://qrcode.kaywa.com , zxing project, delivr, QR stuff, maestro, etc.

Some websites provide features such as allowing users to add colours or pictures to these codes.  There is a website http://qrhacker.com where you can create a colourful QR code and can even make one uploading a picture and feeding information into the given dialogue boxes.

Here is a QR code that will provide readers with contact information of Yuva Sambad.  (Picture: YS QR CODE)