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Five awesome QR code tricks
QR codes have infiltrated our daily lives quickly, shacking up in coffee shops, Web sites, and business cards all over the world. They're still works in progress, and there are all sorts of cool ways to use them.
QR codes are everywhere, and for good reason. They're easy to make, easier to scan, and are terrific for delivering info quickly and broadly (or narrowly, if you like). It seems likely that they're evolving, but they're still superuseful right now, and smart folks are uncovering all sorts of cool ways to make the most of them.
Before we get to the tricks, make sure you check out Nicole Cozma's great post for a smart overview and handy guide to creating your own QR codes.
- Share Wi-Fi access. I wrote this up a while back, but it's pretty great: Wifi Joiner lets you create and post a QR code that embeds access info for your wireless network. This is great for home networks, coffee shops, and plenty of other places. For the moment, though, it's Android-only.
- Create scannable T-shirts. Amanda Kooser wrote up ScanMe a few months ago, and it's still going strong. Some of the designs are nifty enough to wear without even worrying about the info contained therein.
- Quickly get codes for shortened links. Both bit.ly and goo.gl link-shortening services offer a really neat feature: just append ".qr" to the end of any one of the URLs to get a QR code that links to the same site. This is by far the easiest way to get QR codes for Web sites, though for now it's limited to these two services, as far as I can tell.
- Create multicolor codes with logos embedded. This is pretty cool, and incredibly easy. The French site Unitag lets you turn URLs, text, and certain other data into colorful QR codes with embedded logos for free. As Nicole says, make sure you try it out before sharing it!
- Get reminders as you leave the house. If you use an online task manager like Google Tasks or Remember The Milk, it's easy to create a tag called "Leaving the House," "Leaving Work," etc., then create a QR code directing to that page. Post it at the door, or anywhere else you'll be sure to see it when leaving, then scan it for reminders of things you need to do before leaving. At the very least, you won't forget your phone anymore!
Wifi Joiner
(Credit: Screenshot by Rob Lightner)
Unitag
Have you come up with some awesome uses for QR codes? Let us know.
