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April 25, 2005
QR codes update
Every so often I get really really excited about barcodes. I mean, who doesn't?
This time it was prompted by going to Japan a few weeks ago, and seeing how QR codes have really become part of life there: business cards, adverts, magazines, any printed media will have a QR code, either for the URL, address, phone number, or even little pieces of content themselves (ringtones, pictures). Each operator has a slightly different way of encoding (surprise!), but there are generators that try to bridge them. The original encoding scheme is NTTDoCoMo's, described here.
What I want is an open source QR code reader for Western mobile phones. It shouldn't be too hard to do, at least for small codes (our Western fixed focus phone cameras can't cope with reading too much up close). In fact, I know it isn't hard to do, as I've had demos of just this from several people in the last year - but each one was doing it just for research, or to sell to operators.
Anyway, there has been a little progress since I last looked. There's a sourceforge project that has released Java code that will decode QR codes. If anyone has the skills to package this up J2ME style for Symbian, you'd make me very happy. There's also plans (I think) to turn the code into other programming languages - again, if you're good at Java translating, then contribute. If you have a Japanese phone, you can download an appli and test it out.
I also found a really good QR code reader for the Mac - it's in Japanese, but isn't hard to figure out. I may try to produce an English interface file for it. Haven't found a good one for the PC yet.
Other things I have found:
A good set of QR code generator programs in all sorts of languages (plus how to encode it, in Japanese, natch).
An open source (standard 1d) UPN bar code reader for Symbian/S60.
Visual codes, a very nice research project, with real demos on S60 (and in Sourceforge). Uses their own encoding format, but nicely illustrates lots of uses for this.
Semacode continues to go from strength to strength. It's now implemented on bus stops in the US, and he's quietly released a server as well. It's a pity Simon doesn't like QR codes - I think they'd add something to the URLness of semacode.
Wikipedia page on QR codes.
Anothr good QR code generator (in English).
QRcodeblog is a weblog, where every entry is encoded in QR code. Also features QR code chocolate.
Colourcodes is a new rival to QR codes - however, with the need to be online (their server does the lookup from code to URL - a business model that fails), and the lack of carrier acceptance, it's unlikely to dent QR code's dominance in Japan.
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Comments
mmm chocolate: http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000267041261/
Posted by: dw ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.anti-mega.com/antimega/nav-commenters.gif)
at April 25, 2005 11:18 PM
Michael Rohs has a Symbian app for reading 2-D codes here: http://www.inf.ethz.ch/personal/rohs/visualcodes/
Although I don't think it's specifically for QR codes. Might be of interest, perhaps, if you've not already seen it.
Posted by: rich at April 28, 2005 04:01 PM
That kind of fragmentation is precisely what I want to avoid. --simon
Posted by: S Woodside at May 4, 2005 03:27 AM
Wow. Remember the CueCat? If only they'd hung around long enough for the cameraphone, rather than relying upon giveaway IR barcode scanners... http://www.cuecat.com/
Posted by: nick at May 9, 2005 03:47 PM
