The other day, I ran across a discarded newspaper on an empty table while I was waiting for my coffee in the corner Starbucks. Lo and behold, there were two QR Codes in USA Today right there on the front page: one was in an ad for USA Today itself and the other was in a FedEx ad. QR Code done right I had a little difficulty scanning the light blue QR code in the USA Today ad, but I think that was more because the AT&T blue (sponsor of the ad/program?) printed a little blurry on this particular paper:   I was hoping that since the ad actually mentioned seeing photos on my smartphone that the...

Outside the Bangkok Art and Culture Center in China sits a giant QR code. BIg deal, right? We’ve all seen big QR Codes before, but this one is a little special, for a couple of reasons.   Details are important First, on each three-dimensional white node there’s a little illustration of a face:     A little more detail: And secondly, it doesn’t work. This QR Code won’t scan, and I tried every one of the bar code readers on my iPhone without success. Initially thinking it may just be the angle of this particular version, I pulled it into Photoshop to straighten...

Even for an obvious QR Code fan such as myself, there’s a point where one should draw the line. For me, that point is when there’s more than a few codes on a page, let alone seven different codes. Let’s enter the latest Verizon Price Plans guide… I don’t know about how your phone works, but the QR scanners (RedLaser and QRReader) on my iPhone 3GS are really sensitive, usually attempting to scan any code within reach long before I feel like it’s lined up. Sure, I can manually snap a photo and let the bar code reader scan it, but unless it’s really giving me...

A few weeks ago, I stopped at Miracle Mile (a local deli chain here in Phoenix) for lunch. When I sat down I was greeted by a table tent with two QR Codes on it: one linking to the Miracle Mile Twitter account, the other linked to their Facebook page. Also printed on the tent is a great, albeit brief case for why I should follow/like them on these two social media channels: exclusive deals. I already followed them on Twitter for pretty much that reason (and because they have some of the best pastrami in town and I want to know if it’s available on sale), so it wasn’t a shock to see that...

In an interesting twist on the whole QR Code idea, the Phoenix Comicon web site is using QR Codes to get people to download a digital Guidebook app. The Phoenix Comicon folks created a digital guidebook for their Comicon 2011 event and the only way to get it is to scan their code. This is interesting because usually you want people to scan your code in hopes that they will visit your web site and be served some specific content. This time, the only place to actually get to that QR Code is from their web site and they’re hoping you scan it anyway. I suspect that there is signage at the event with...

Over the weekend I got the latest REI catalog/advertisment in the mail, and noticed on the back that they have a big QR code on the back, next to the giant 20%-off coupon (which I will totally be using, thanks for that). Expecting to find some kind of map to my closest REI, as I would expect with lead-in text says “To find the REI store nearest you, visit REI.com/stores or scan this QR code with your smartphone:” I happily scanned the REI QR code. Cue the disappointment: scanning this QR code only takes me to their mobile site – no specific page or offer. Not that the effort...