First there was the barcode, which was mainly useful for retailers. Now there are QR codes, which are useful to us all. QR stands for Quick Response. QR codes are those boxes containing little black and white squares that you often see on printed posters. If you have not activated a QR code reader on your smartphone - and it may be confusing for first-time users - it’s time to try one out. There’s a wealth of information waiting to be unlocked. Think of QR codes as bridges between the printed and the online worlds. The clump of squares can be scanned in a flash with a smartphone’s camera. The codes are also pretty easy to create and implement. “QR codes create an analogue bridge to the digital world,” says Christian Wolf of BasicThinking.de, a technology blog. “Their biggest strength is their multi-functionality, paired with simple execution and affordable production.” The codes can contain numbers, letters or symbols, though in a form that most humans cannot read. “The codes are often used to encode Internet links: scan the code and you can save yourself from typing out the URL,” says Thomas Mueller of Eco, the Association of the German Internet Industry. They’re not limited to Internet addresses. The codes can also contain small documents, contacts, appointment information, Wi-Fi access data or news. A lot of companies have begun to use them in addition to bar codes, for production and logistics. The technology has been around for 20 years - created in 1994 by Japanese automobile supplier Denso Wave, to manage inventory in warehouses. They caught on sooner in Asia (than in Europe and North America). Even though the clump of pixels seems random, “the pattern actually contains information in binary format, which can be read with a camera and then interpreted with decoder software,” says Wolf. The amount of data a QR code can hold depends on the number of squares. It can vary from 11 x 11 to 177 x 177 elements, says Wolf. The most comprehensive code can contain up to 7,089 numbers and 4,926 characters; and it can be further expanded by combining multiple codes. Even if a code is smudged or torn, it often remains readable, thanks to an integrated auto-correction function. All that’s needed to scan a QR code is a smartphone with a camera resolution of at least 2 megapixels. “You can make your own QR codes - black and white, or coloured, with your choice of contents - quickly and cheaply. Use special websites or an add-on like QRCodeR for Firefox, and then save it as an image file. The codes can then be uploaded to websites, tucked into emails or printed out onto business cards. Don’t make the boxes too small, or else basic mobile phones with poor quality cameras will not be able to read them, recommends Eckstein. “In most cases you’re on the safe side with 2 x 2 centimetres, though a QR code can be smaller.” The more complex the code, the bigger it should be, to make sure it’s readable. “That’s even more important if the code could be put in situations where it might be damaged, like on a flyer that gets folded, or in an area with bad lighting - like in clubs or the subway,” explains Wolf. Be careful not to scan every code you come across. “It’s possible that a code could be a link to a phishing site or a website with specific smartphone malware,” says Wolf. “Be on your guard with QR codes coming from non-transparent or less-reliable sources - like on a sticker along the street or on an unknown flyer,” says Wolf. Also, if you see a QR code that’s had another one stuck over it, it should be a warning sign. No poster printer would correct his work with a simple sticker. It’s more likely the sticker has been put onto the poster by someone that has an evil intent. Once a QR code is scanned, the creator would technically be able to plant cookies onto your smartphone.
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