QR-Code

qrcode.es - ATIC 2a

Last Saturday November 27th we took part in  “VI Jornades de la Informació i la Comunicació″ held simultaneously at Tortosa, Tarragona y Cornellà. From qrcodes.es we want to thank and congratulate both organizers and sponsors Universitat Roviera i Virgili, Ajuntament de Tortosa and Secretaria de Joventut del Departament d’Acció Social i Ciutadania de la Generalitat de Catalunya), and specially people form ATICTES for an excelent job and event where we were able to present our project and see some other projects mobile internet related.

Conferences were streamed live (via ustream.tv) and Q+A closed each session between different venues. You can see the  programme  and our intervention as well (language: catalan).

QR Codes in public transportation. Berlin case.

Modern information technologies are a rapidly advancing field that can facilitate new effective means to reach consumers. Mobiles technologies offer another opportunity to provide sustainability information to consumers. The BVG is using this platform since the beginning of the mobile internet, starting with the Wireless Application Protocol (commonly referred to as WAP), pushing the BVG-mobile internet with i-mode and now currently using the Extensible Hypertext Markup Language XHTML for the new BVG-mobile platform. To enable a more convenience-oriented application aimed at mobile phone users the BVG is now using the QR code. QR codes, or Quick Response codes are an open source mobile phone read bar code type technology which originated from Japan.

QR codes which are readable by a mobile phone camera are affixed onto a product or package and direct the user to online information via wireless internet enabled mobile phones. All you need is a reader-software to scan the image of the QR Code causing the phone’s browser to launch and redirect to the programmed URL. The BVG will be using QR codes in future to ensure more convenience regarding the usage of mobile passenger information.

Via: BVG.DE

Vueling uses QR-Codes (and more)

So far in Spain we have just seen shy tries on 2D Code usage and without using all the possibilities of QR amb mobile internet. To innovate has its price and its risk, but those who have done so and have sone it right are starting to see the payback (payback, nice word on recession times).

Today we found out (thank you Jose Luis) that Vueling has launched an QR-Code based on-line check-in system. 

Summary: you buy your ticket online, recieve an MMS with a QR-CODE on it. When going through security  control and check-in showing the MMS will be enough. You’ll still have to carry an ID/Passport until we tatoo our front-heads with a QR-Code ;).This will save lots of paper-stuff and make the process more efficient (another great word nowadays).

Vueling has gone a little bit further. Other companies in Spain and all over the world started MMS check-in based strategies (ej. Spanair), but through Vueling you can now buy tickets through you mobile phone (http://m.vueling.com or straight thorugh a QR-Code).

We are sure we will soon see QR-Codes on printed media (newspapers, walls, etc.) showing links to mobile versions of ecommerce sites and direct offers (Ex. Fly BCN-MAD for 50€. Capture this code now!).

Unique!

We just discovered through Kaywa’s blog a project called “Code Unique”. It’s supposed to be a futuristic hotel with QR-Coded facades.

Both the website and the .pdf are worth watching.

• Code Unique, Studio City Hotel
• PDF (Espectacular!)

qrcode.es visits ELISAVA

Last tuesday we were invited to give a class at graphic design master for editorial projects at ELISAVA.

Thaïs and Christian (thank you both) asked us not to get too focused on technical issues like readers, standards, etc. but to give a quick presentation on this technology and show as many uses as possible for the editorial world.

So we did tried.  In our behalf it was a very interesting chat to prepare and the practical excercises were also very encouraging beacuse of the good attitude of more than 50 students and teachers. It made us all think about the next generation books, magazines, newspapers, etc. which will probably “grow” some QR-Codes very soon.

We really hope we presented them a useful  asset for their future jobs and projects.

QR-Codes are already in college. Next stop: they will hit the road!

PS: As usual we didn’t take photos :(

QR-Tales. And the winner is…

Our jury has finally made up their mind, and the winner is: Joaquín Suárez from Carbajal de la Legua, León (España) for his QR-Tale “Gourmet”.

Gourmet
“Those mushrooms tasted delicious. However, gnomes clothes were a little difficult to digest.”.

Here you can read all the 475 tales we have received.

In behalf of the organization we would like to thank all contestants for their work that has exceeded our expectations once again and thay have shown us that in less than 100 characters and in very little space can fit great stories.

We also want to thank to our blogger friends the amazing word-spreading job thay have done about our contest.
See you next year in the III Edition!!

More tales in qrcodes
(QR-TALES CONTEST 2009!!)

Last year, when we had the idea of organizing the First international QR-tales Contest (tales that fit in a qrcode) we couldn’t imagine it would reach a minimum success to consider the possibility of a second edition.

But, a year later, here we are, announcing the second edition of the most freaky contest of the literary scene:

The guilty, is all the people who last year racked one’s brain to write a tale that fits into a qrcode, despite it means contain just 100 characters. The result was 332 tales from more than 15 different countries. To all of them, qr-writers, thanks!

Read more

Educational Qrcodes

A few days ago, we were surprised about the great number of ideas going around on internet on the uses of qrcodes in educational environments. Is seems that teachers have recently discovered the eyecathing power of qrcodes and they start using them to liven up learning activities.

So, we decided to write a post about this topic commenting some of the best and most curious proposals about qrcodes pedagogical possibilities. Here they are:

The periodic table of chemical elements

An italian university student designed a curious poster based on the classic periodic table but adding a qrcode to each element. The code containes the complet name of the element, its atomic weight an its density.

Read more

PEPSI AND QRCODES

Last november, Pepsi annouced they’re launching of a marketing campain in the United Kingdom based on qrcodes. The codes would be printed on 400 Million cans, and they would drive you into a especially designed for mobiles Pepsi website , offering games, rigtones and wallpapers…

Some months after, through  2D Code Blog, we heard about the last news related this campain. Pepsi signed up the model Kelly Brook to explain what qr-codes are and to promote them on different signs:

Read more

HAVAS welcome QR-Codes

One of the latest big companies we have found out they are using QR-Codes is Havas, one othe largest communication and consultancy groups worldwide. They recently added a QR-Code in their flash intro.

Our point of view…

- Good copy work, but…
“Papel & Pixeles. Quand Gutemberg rencontre MacLuhan” is quite clever, but a  little bit “technology elitist” since it doesn’t tell what the code is anywhere. Read more