A QR Code is a matrix code (or two-dimensional bar code) created
by Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994. The "QR" is derived from "Quick
Response", as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded
at high speed. QR Codes are common in Japan, where they are currently the most
popular type of two dimensional codes.
Although initially used for tracking parts in vehicle
manufacturing, QR Codes are now used in a much broader context, including both
commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at
mobile phone users (known as mobile tagging). QR Codes storing addresses and
URLs may appear in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards or just about any
object that users might need information about. Users with a camera phone
equipped with the correct reader software can scan the image of the QR Code
causing the phone's browser to launch and redirect to the programmed URL. This
act of linking from physical world objects is known as a hardlink or physical
world hyperlinks. Users can also generate and print their own QR Code for others
to scan and use by visiting one of several free QR Code generating sites.
