5 Web Apps Which Show Us How To Make Use Of QR Codes Differently

Posted by Sources at 11:18 AM

You must have spotted at least one QR code by now. If not, then you are a certifiable alien from Mars. QR codes are quite the rage. We have them on everything from food labels to car bumpers. And yes, tattoos too!

Well, if you have just taken off your green space suit and wondering what the hullaballoo is all about, check out our very previous What Are QR Codes? Digitize your World & Back Again. It was an emerging technology then which runs rampant now as observed through the sampling of 7 Great Uses For QR Codes & How To Generate Your Own For Free. QR codes are definitely mainstream now, given a boost up the use of smartphones and intelligent scanning apps that reside in them.

So, here are five more web apps which show us how QR codes have gone conventional.

Send a Wikipedia link as a QR Code

If you have a smartphone, QR codes give you the quickest way of opening a link. Take for instance, if you are a knowledge buff and need to send someone a Wikipedia reference. Use QRpedia to generate a quick mobile-friendly QR code. Whatâ€™s great about that you might say as any online QR code generator can do that! QRPedia is a language detecting QR code generator. It displays the Wikipedia page in the language of the mobile that is used to scan and read the Wikipedia article. Of course, a Wikipedia article in that particular language should exist in the first place. According to its own entry, it is currently in use at institutions including museums in the United Kingdom, United States and Spain.

Read classic books on a bar code

We know that QR codes digitize any information. Books2Barcodes is a QR code exploiting web service which miniaturizes entire pieces of classical literature into a 2D QR code and makes the book device readable. The current catalog is limited but Books2Barcodes is an ongoing effort to digitize classics of literature this way and make them available across any device that can scan a QR code.

QR codes are being in fact used by book publishers to connect readers to interactive content like videos, graphics, and music.

Text to speech with QR codes

Think up some creative uses of this text to speech service called QR Voice which takes the generated audio file and digitizes the speech information in a QR code. The audio file is stored online and anyone who scans the QR code is taken to the speechâ€™s URL where they can listen to the converted speech. QR Voice uses Googleâ€™s translation service and supports a range of spoken languages.

Create notes (with photos) and turn them into QR codes

This is the QR code web app which you could end up using the most. QRnot.es helps you transmit a page (with images if need be) via the compact medium of QR codes. You can create a piece of text under 500 words, give it a headline, and attach an image in JPG, BMP, or PNG format. The QR code generated points to this text file. You can print this code, or download it as GIF so that anyone can scan it and reach the byte of information. QRnot.es seems like a simple application to spread some little pieces of information around.

Link LinkedIn with QR codes

A QR code on a business card looks real cool. Of course, it should point to something useful. How about your LinkedIn profile page â€" PingTags helps you do just that. PingTags is a beta QR code service which makes your LinkedIn profile available via a click on a QR code reader. The reader is directed to the LinkedIn profile page, and he can also easily contact you thanks to the contact info provided. He need not key in any information. You can also check out how many people scanned your barcode, what links they clicked, and a map showing exactly where they scanned the code.

Unfortunately, from the time I checked out this app to the time of writing this article, something went wrong as the site is in the bout of a temporary glitch.

Alternatively, you can use this simple LinkedIn QR code generator if the glitch remains unresolved. Or use any QR code generator which takes a URL (in this case, your LinkedIn profile URL) and outputs a QR code.

QR codes are neat little ways to transmit information and catch them using a QR friendly mobile phone. What other web apps do you know of that help you use QR codes in our day to day lives? Send in some in our comments section.

Tagged: barcode â€¢ information â€¢ qr codes