The Apple Core

Jason D. O'Grady & David Morgenstern
Home / News & Blogs / The Apple Core

QR code apps for the iPhone (updated)

By | December 9, 2009, 5:48pm PST

Summary: QR codes are those funky two-dimensional bar code or matrix codes (pictured) that are starting to crop up. Here’s how to read them on an iPhone.

http://www.nofont.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/qr_iphone.gifQR codes are those funky two-dimensional bar code or matrix codes (pictured) that are starting to crop up on products, posters and places all over the physical world. These little bar codes are easily created and can link to huge amounts of information when scanned your mobile phone’s camera.

According to Wikipedia: The “QR” is derived from “Quick Response,” as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.

Google will be sending out 100,000 QR code decals to businesses across the USA this week as part of their new Favorite Places on Google project announced Monday. Decals are sent to the 100,000 most searched-for companies on Google.com and Google Maps, hence the name “Favorite Places.”

The idea is for the business to post the decal in its window so that passers-by can quickly scan it and view Google’s place page for more information - ostensibly reviews.

With your mobile phone and these new decals, you can easily go up to a storefront and immediately find reviews, get a coupon if the business is offering one or star a business as a place you want to remember for the future. Soon, you’ll be able to leave a review on the mobile page as well, just like on your desktop…

ZDNet’s Sam Diaz has covered Favorite Places in these pages and Google has posted a YouTube video about how it works.

So what about the apps? How does one scan a QR code on the iPhone? There are dozens of offerings in the App Store ranging from free to $2. Google recommends QuickMark (99 cents) followed by BeeTagg and NeoReader for reading its CR codes. QR app is a free option that reads QR codes and quickly passes you to a Safari page with the content.

This blog post explains how QR codes could be used to promote a better conference experience. QR codes have a ton of potential, I’m just not sure that it’s been realized yet.

Have you ever scanned a QR code? Would you?

Image: NoFont

Update 2009-1210: Semapedia might be of interest. It’s been around for several years and involves people marking “places” with a code. When someone scans it, the Wikipedia page about that location appears. Tip: Gary Price

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily e-mail newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

More from “The Apple Core”

Topics

Apple iPhone, Google Inc., QR, QR Code, Decals, QR App, Jason D. O'Grady

Jason O'Grady is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.

Disclosure

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady is the creator and editor of O'Grady's PowerPage, which has been publishing mobile technology news since 1995. He maintains an advertising relationship with the following legacy advertisers on the PowerPage:

  • Amazon Associates
  • Google Adsense
  • Tekserve

    • Advertising on the PowerPage is brokered by a third-party agency (BackBeat Media) and he recuses himself from these negotiations.

Biography

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984.

He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.

After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.

O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).

When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey.

4
Comments
Add Your Opinion

Join the conversation!

Just In

RE: QR code apps for the iPhone
Eyal_manzoor 15th Oct
I really like the QRBIZCARD application for exchanging contact information. www.QRBIZCARD.org
View in thread
0 Votes
+ -
I love my BeeTagg's
matt@... 10th Dec 2009
I have a tag on the back of my buisness card that will have people the time of typeing in the data. The orginal iPhone and the 3g camera will not capture the code do to focus issues but the 3Gs works fine as does most other phones. I expect they will be used more an more. I like the BeeTagg app and the BeeTagg code the best.
0 Votes
+ -
RE: QR code apps for the iPhone
jackedhacker 16th Dec 2009
Awesome stuff! I really like the mskynet tool for making
qr codes: http://www.mskynet.com/static/maestro.
0 Votes
+ -
QR code on iphone is lousy
grant@... 28th Dec 2009
Qr code readers on the iPhone 3G are terrible, probably because the camera is terrible. to get them to work you need center and the QR code to fill the scvreen make sure you are holding the camera still and snap and hope. it works. it will only work then if the Qr code has relatively little information on it. I have not test the apps recently( 1 tear or so) or with the 3GS so if someone can tell me differently I would love hear it.

Two years ago on the cheapest mobile phone I could buy in Japan I could read a QR code printed in pink on white held at an angle taking up maybe an 1/8th of the screen every time.

cheers,
Grant
0 Votes
+ -
RE: QR code apps for the iPhone
Eyal_manzoor 15th Oct
I really like the QRBIZCARD application for exchanging contact information. www.QRBIZCARD.org

Join the conversation!

Formatting +
BB Codes - Note: HTML is not supported in forums
  • [b] Bold [/b]
  • [i] Italic [/i]
  • [u] Underline [/u]
  • [s] Strikethrough [/s]
  • [q] "Quote" [/q]
  • [ol][*] 1. Ordered List [/ol]
  • [ul][*] · Unordered List [/ul]
  • [pre] Preformat [/pre]
  • [quote] "Blockquote" [/quote]
ie8 fix

The best of ZDNet, delivered

ZDNet Newsletters

Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox

Facebook Activity

Blog Roll

Blog Archive

White Papers, Webcasts, & Resources
ie8 fix
ie8 fix