QR Code is a computer code used in various devices, created in 1994 in Japan. It contains data in both vertical and horizontal directions, can handle alphanumeric characters, symbols, binary and other code types, and has an error correction capability. It is superior to barcodes and is used in camera phones, business cards, and magazines.
Computers are widespread, with a lot of things computerized, including things we don’t normally think of as computerized. These computers, big and small, doing tiny and massive jobs, work with codes of varying complexity. One such code is QR Code. Given the lack of imagination of people who name computer codes, it is perhaps unsurprising that the term stands for nothing more interesting than Quick Response Code. Such code can be found today running thousands of things from cars to camera phones.
Despite its many uses, QR Code is just plain old QR code. It’s limited to two sizes, so you can’t see an actual picture of it. The QR Code was produced with the intention of decoding it at very high speeds, so the third dimension was not deemed necessary. It is also a relatively new code, having been created in 1994, in Japan. That country, by the way, still sees its prevalent use, although much of what it feeds is exported to the rest of the world.
QR Code was created as a step up from a barcode. It contains data in both vertical and horizontal directions, whereas a barcode has only one data direction, usually the vertical one. The code may also contain additional information accordingly. It is easily digested by scanning equipment and, because it has potentially double the amount of data as a barcode, can increase the effectiveness of such a scan.
Further analysis shows that the QR code can handle alphanumeric characters, symbols, binary and other code types. It can contain up to 7,089 characters in a single symbol. This is just numerical, of course. The alphanumeric character limit in a QR Code symbol is a respectable 4,296. In addition to being denser than binary code, it’s also much smaller, showing Moore’s law at work. The QR Code also has an error correction capability, whereby the data can be brought back to full life even if the symbol has been trashed. All these features make it far superior to the barcode.
Camera phone manufacturers in Japan have started including QR code reading software in their products, making it much easier for users to store and retrieve data, and much more. This code has also migrated to other non-traditional media, including business cards and magazines.
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