What to Do With a QR Code?

QR Code

What is a QR Code?

You have seen a square code here and there for the past year or so on the billboards, coupons, flyers, magazines, business cards, etc. It's called a QR Code.  It's sort of like a bar code. But you can add a lot more information in it. In fact, I use it almost every day! This can be your best friend if you like to try the online recipes at home. I'll explain why and how later.

So, what do I do with a QR code?

Well, you scan it with your smartphone or iPad or tablet computer thingy, then it'll give you information like the website address or a map or a message or anything!

Then, how do I scan the QR code?  Ya, I know, they don't tell you how to do it!


The thing is
YOU NEED AN APP FOR THAT!! And it's free!

I have QR Droid. It is for my Android phone (sort of obvious). I think it still has some little bugs but so far I LOVE IT!  This can scan bar codes, too. But you don't have to use this one. Go to the "Market Place" on your phone, search for "QR code scanner", get the one with lots of stars! ;)

For iPhone peeps, too, just look for the QR Code Scanner app. There are many of them and they do pretty much the same job. I would get the one with good reviews ;)

If you find the QR code on the billboards, coupons, flyers, and magazines, it probably contains a website address because "they" want you to open their website from your phone!


Here's how to scan the QR Code or retrieve the website address:

1. Open QR Droid or any QR Code scanner app
2. Click (touch?) "Scan from Camera" or something similar and your phone becomes like a camera mode.
3. Now scan the code like you are taking a picture of the code but you don't press anything. It'll scan it automatically and retrieve the information from the QR Code for you.
4. Your phone will show you an website address. Just click (touch) it. Your phone will open the website.

The advantage of the QR code is that you don't have to type the long website address.

Try to type this one: http://terumihugsocean.blogspot.com/2012/01/price-of-eco-friendly-laundry-detergent.html

Or Scan the QR Code above

Which is easier? ;)

If you want to create one for your website, here's one of the free QR Code generators I like:
GOQR.ME that is very simple and gives you a high resolution one or low res if you like.

Now let's take an advantage of the QR Code and the QR Code scanner in your phone or tablet thingy at home!

For iPad & tablet people, it's probably easy to search for and browse the recipe.  But for smart phone people, it's pretty uncomfortable to search for the recipe on the smartphone. You'll be surprised how many websites do not have mobile sites. I mean, what's wrong with you, Food Network! So I personally want to browse the recipe on my desktop computer. How about you?

But the disadvantage to the desktop computer is that it is not easy to move it to the kitchen then bring it back to my desk later. "Dang! I wish I had the tablet thingy!" Don't you ever wish that, people without table thingy? Or "Dang! I wish there's an app for transferring the website I am reading right now to my smart phone in a second and take it with me!" Yes?

I also don't want to print out the recipe when I know I can find it easier online than from a stack of printed out recipes. We shouldn't use the paper whenever we can avoid anyway. I mean, printing out stuff on paper is so 20th century, right?

So what do I do?
TRANSFER THE RECIPE FROM THE DESKTOP COMPUTER TO THE SMART PHONE USING THE QR CODE GENERATOR!

"Generate QR Code" button

I found this fantastic app for Google Chrome!
QR CODE Generator

This will add a "Generate QR Code" button right-click menu!

The first thing, you have to use Google Chrome which I think is a lot better than Internet Explorer or Safari or Firefox. And it's free, of course. Then you'll add QR CODE Generator extension. if the link doesn't open, search for Google Chrome Store and on Google Chrome Store search for QR Code Generator.

Once you have found the recipe you want to try, move your mouse to anywhere on the page - preferably a blank area - right click and click "Generate QR Code" then tadah! It'll give you a QR Code!

For Internet Explorer or Safari or Firefox, copy the URL, go to GOQR.ME, paste the URL and general the QR Code!

Maybe Internet Explorer and Safari and Firefox have similar app like QR CODE Generator for their browsers . Let me know if you know!

ta dah! An instant QR Code!

Now you scan it with your phone and take it with you to the kitchen and gather all the ingredients, start prepping, cooking, and the whole nine yard! Woo hoo!

After you eat it and you liked it, why don't you share it with your friend by sharing that QR code with the website address to your recipe!

Go back to the QR Code you just scanned by pressing and hold the home button on your Android phone that'll show you the recent apps you have used so click the QR Code scanner (QR Droid in my case) which should still show the last QR Code information you have scanned. There should be a button for "share" (if not, get QR Droid!), click it and select "facebook" or maybe text messaging or maybe email.

Your friend can scan the QR Code on the desktop or laptop computer screen or download the QR Code image from text message or email in his/her phone and then scan it within the phone In QR Droid  (or your QR Code scanner), select "Decode saved QR image (or similar)" instead of "Scan from Camera," your photo gallery opens so pick the QR Code.

Some people are saying QR Code is dead. But I don't think so. I see more QR Codes and we all know a lot more people use smart phones now. They just need to know the convenience of it!

Like the QR Code on the business card, instead of typing in name, address, phone numbers, email address, website, etc. in your contact on your phone, scan the QR Code that'll show you all the info on your phone and save them in your contact with one click! Not only that, when you see the address, it'll give you a link to the google map!

Next time I make my business card, I'm thinking about ordering it from GreenerPrinter.com. They use 100% recycled papers made in U.S.A. with minimum 30% post-consumer waste, soy / veggie ink, has FSC certificate and all, their BBB rating is A+, and I thought they used wind power but maybe it was another company I looked at, it is in California, and add a QR code, too! I already got the samples from them. I'll talk about this sometime soon.

Feel free to leave a message here and ask me questions about the QR code! I'm not an expert. But this really is great stuff.  Just play with it and have fun!