What Is A 2-D Barcode?

haven't really been brought out from it. Airlines use them to store passenger information on boarding passes, shipping companies use them to store shipping information on package labels, and other than that, they aren't widely used... YET! Recently, Google started a marketing effort that involved printing and sending out 190,000 2D bar codes for retail locations to put in their store windows. Click here for the full story.

In Japan, most people have 2-D barcode readers built into their cellphones. The most common use of 2-D barcodes in Japan is among advertisers. Advertisers place 2-D barcodes on almost every surface imaginable including magazine pages, newspapers, and signs at bus-stops. The average person can see an ad for, say, sneakers, scan the 2-D barcode with their cellphone, and be taken to the website where they can learn about, or even purchase, the sneakers.

2-D barcodes are coming to America in a big way. Many new cellphones are starting to be shipped with software to use the cell phone camera as a barcode reader. Other companies are setting up services where users can text a picture of a 2-D barcode and receive a text back with the information contained within. This technology is on the verge of an explosion!