A gentle reminder during a Russel Prue presentation and I was again curious about QR codes. Whilst Russell enthused about tags or Zxing ( pronounce zebra crossing) I was reminded of the Microsoft Tag technology I had not got around to testing / sharing. A delicious tag that got away, back in January.
So, what is QR Code?
Look at the square image on the left of a recent DVD release. That’s QR code. QR is short for Quick Response. Its a 2-dimensional barcode developed by Denso. Originally designed for tracking parts in manufacturing, QR code has gained popularity in consumer space these years as a way to encode URL. Unlike the basic barcode which you are familiar with, QR code contains information in both horizontal and vertical direction and can therefore storie a lot more info. Want to try out more QR code? Down the free reader to your phone and you are ready to snap a way. For a quick ‘ create your own’ code, use Googles Zxing generater or Kaywa. Now thanks to Sean from the development team, I can make a small correction, Zxing is an open source QR reader development project that makes use of the QR concept.
Microsoft explains far more creatively than I could. So here is the link. Welcome, back. So there you have it, larger amounts of data shrink wrap and sent via your phone. Microsoft give very practical examples, menus, bus timetables, (quiet handy for school) and there I was think report cards, homeworks extended learning and reminders. Worth investigating that’s for sure.
At present the TAG reader is free, the TAG creators linked to your LIVE account. In both instances, simply download the reader to your phone (easiest very the web browser on your phone) and create your tags. Good luck and thanks Sean.
[qr_code_display]
(I am a dev of the ZXing project.) Thanks for the mention. So there is no confusion — this project certainly did not invent QR Codes. They were developed by Densowave in 1994, and have had a long history of usage in Japan and elsewhere. Readers and generators have been around for ages. This project is not even the first open-source encoder/decoder. But nevertheless we hope you and others find it useful of course.
Sean, wow, thanks for commenting. I did originally mention that Denso were responsible for the QR code concept but now I am thinking how it can be used in schools. Would love to know how to get QR code generaters for more comprehensive data transfer – eg a page of text. Thanks.
You can connect your educational content either to MS Tags or QR Codes (generated by Google) at Vizitag.com
Wanted to send you an update that we just launched an API for Microsoft Tag today – http://bit.ly/YDNxV – if you have any suggestions or feedback let us know.