QR Codes Out, LED Blinkers In (2013)
Over in Asia you’ll see QR codes on everything from billboards and bus stops to newspaper ads and websites. Every single time we post one on Phandroid at least one person asks – “what is that square looking barcode thingy”. Half of you are scrolling down the comments to copy/paste that quote while the other half are wondering, “No. Seriously. What is that thing?” First of all… this is a QR Code:
If you were to scan the above with your phone’s barcode scanner, it would launch Phandroid.com. It is awesomely useful for a variety of instances where you want to launch/visit/get something specific without the hassle of searching/finding/typing. North America has yet to make this method popular and we might just skip over it altogether – by 2013 a new method of passing such information may prove much easier.
Blinking LED lights. Put your phone within 5 meters of a blinking LED light and point your handset towards it and bingo bango – your phone will translate the light into code that it understands and acts upon. Pretty cool, right? But I have two questions:
- What if you don’t want to attach a blinking light to whatever the heck you’re advertising? Pretty obvious concern.
- What if this technology, by 2013, has an even more superior alternative?
I have a feeling this won’t get too far because of the restrictions of requiring a blinking light wherever the code is needed/wanted. If security concerns could be alleviated, I would think Bluetooth would be a far more reasonable solution. Do you have a genius solution yourself? Share in the comments. Or make your little “What is a QR Code” funny joke that I’m sure you can’t resist making. Jokers.
[Via MobileCrunch]