Steve Smith, host of your Technology Questions Answered, talks about the history of the QR Code, its features, uses, and software solutions.
Episode #2-06 released on October 23, 2011
This is Technology Questions Answered. I'm your host, Steve Smith, aka Zed Axis, and today I'll be talking QR Codes, like this one. (Insert QR Code Plate) If you interested in learning its history and how to create your own, continuing listening.
The QR Code, is short for Quick Response Code, which was created in 1994 by Denso Wave, subsidiary of Toyota. It was primarily created for the automotive industry to keep track of vehicles during their construction phrases. This type of technology is normally created to ensure quality control, and allows for easier tracking of all its vehicles.
Now, despite owning the rights to the QR Code, Denso Wave, has to this date chosen to allow everyone to use their technology, which is really awesome because it can contain up to 30% in erroneous data, depending on the type, and the error correction feature that is integrated can compensate for this without losing any data. This means you can modify it to include logos, words, etc... Go to Wikipedia and look up QR Code, as I did, to see such an example.
Now, how does the QR Code work? It allows for information to stored vertically, and horizontally, allowing for several hundred times more information storage than your typically bar code, and including the fact that you can acquire anywhere from 7% to 30% error correction handling, depending on the type of QR Code, this makes this kind of technology perfectly suited for what came next.
As a result, smart phones combined with application like ScanLife, which is available for nearly every popular mobile platform, allows consumers to scan these bar codes and see specials in stores, information stored on hardware, scan other phones to exchange contact information, link directly to web-sites, etc...
Now, it may be great for everyone to know about this technology, but how does one make their own QR Code? I use, like many other people and businesses, a web-site called Scan Life. Their web-site is www.scanlife.com. You can download their scanning application, that scans more than just QR Codes. You can use their web-site, provided you register, and create your own QR Code for your cellphone to allow people to scan you into their contacts, you can create one for your web-site, or like my demo QR Code that I have, create one for a weekly newsletter. If you can find an excuse to create one, you now have a reason to join ScanLife, for free, with a personal account, and create your first personal QR Code.
Now, I'd just like to do my due diligence and state that the term QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED. You may find all my sources on this manner, as well as, show notes, links to downloads, web-sites, weekly newsletter and my mobile applications at www.zedaxis.net.
Now, before I finish this episode off, I have two announcements to make. On October 30, 2011, at 8AM Eastern, I have a live chat on Vokle.com. Your all invited. You can access my direct page by going to live.zedaxis.net, which will bring you to my Vokle.com page. You can ask all your questions live, and I intend to plan 30 minutes for this live show, more depending on user interaction. You can also ask me questions before, by going to ask.zedaxis.net, where you can ask questions for all my podcast episodes, and now, my live shows. I'll take the best questions, plus a few more topics, and start with those.
I, also, have a brand new weekly newsletter, where I include the show notes, links to my Youtube and Blip.tv portals, links to my iTunes channels for video and audio, as well as source notes, links to web-site and our numerous portals. Previous newsletter mailings are available on my front page of zedaxis.net by clicking the newsletter link in the top third of my front page. To subscribe either head over to newsletter.zedaxis.net or the front page of zedaxis.net and click weekly newsletter. You will be asked to confirm your address before being added to my weekly newsletter list. I have done this as a favour to everyone to ensure no one is accidentally or intentionally placed into the list without your explicit permission
Next week, I'll be talking about Mobile applications, and setting you all up with a free and easy way to create your own mobile applications.
So let's see you all here next week, stay safe and online. Many thanks for listening and subscribing. Have an absolutely great day!
Host : Steve Smith | Music : Jonny Lee Hart | Editor : Steve Smith | Producer : Zed Axis Productions