The proliferation of camera phones such as iPhones, Blackberry, Androids, and similar smart-phones, is driving a radical change whereby these hand-held devices are becoming powerful scanners and readers in themselves and are thus able to leverage QR codes pretty easily. 

QR Codes also known as quick response codes have been around for quite some time and are essentially two dimensional barcodes, similar to the ones often used in automatic classification of content in document imaging systems. There are many other types of barcodes; some are standards based and others proprietary. Most barcodes with the exception of the newly introduced Microsoft tags hold the data in the codes, unlike Microsoft Tags that holds the data in a separate server.The information on a barcode is read and decoded by a scanner/reader similar to the scanners in grocery shops. The more sophisticated and intelligent ones are used to track movement of goods in Supply Chain, such as in inventory control and lot and location management in warehouses, though the latter now relies greatly on RFID than simple bar codes.

Camera phones such iPhones, Blackberry and Androids, are emerging as powerful scanners and readers.   Thus the use of barcodes which until now was mostly confined for businesses, have become easily available for individuals. Think of these tags as tiny-urls that can be printed or reproduced on any medium. Microsoft enables creation of barcode tags instead of VCards that can be printed on business cards or for even could be used for tagging personal assets at home without the need for explicit labeling.

Similar to the benefits of bar-codes, the uses of these tags are endless. For example pet-owners could print out a tag and insert it in the collar belt of their pets, with details of the owner in case the pet gets lost. Companies in LifeSciences/Healthcare could use these tags to provide detailed dosage instructions instead of  cramped up product labels. Some of the other areas include the ability for advertisers to engage participants through a participative, permission based process by attaching these tags to any form of print, television, digital or billboards ads. If interested, the consumer can scan (photograph) the tag and the reader-software in their smartphone will automatically redirect them to the advertisers’ website or can engage the prospect in some call to action, such as download a discount coupon to be redeemed in a nearby store. When used with backlit LCD hoardings these tags provides the opportunity for localized campaigns with potential for greater conversions.