QR, Bridging the Gap Between the Physical and Digital Worlds

QR Code for the Sparksheet Newsletter

This is a cross post of an article I wrote at Sparksheet

Now that smartphones have gone mainstream, mobile technology is moving toward deeper interaction with the physical world. People share their locations on Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook. There are taxi-sharing apps, apps that help you find parking spots, apps that recommend nearby restaurants and attractions.

Meanwhile, an increasing number of brands and media outlets are experimenting with QR, a decade-old technology that seems tailor-made for the mobile era. The QR code is basically an advanced bar code, with the ability to store much more information than a standard bar code. The Quick Response aspect of the code makes it a convenient way to serve up content to people on the go.

Here’s how it works. Download one of the many free QR readers to your camera-equipped smartphone. With the app open, take a photo of the code. This will point your browser to a website containing related information, images or video. It can also send a coupon or an SMS to your phone.

The idea is that scanning a bar code is much faster than typing a Web address on your tiny smartphone keyboard or touch screen – and way cooler. These black and white boxes may not be the most visually arresting technology, but it’s what they can do, where they can be placed and how they’re being used that makes QR codes fascinating.

Continue reading at Sparksheet and see some great examples of QR codes in action…