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Scanners..And We're Not Talking About the Airport! QR Codes

Have you noticed these little black and white "ink blot" boxes popping up in newspaper and magazine ads? They're on billboards and signs, too. Barcodes are no longer just for the supermarket checkout line! QR codes, as they are called, are easily created through several computer programs available and are programmed to link to a particular web address. There are many apps available for mobile phones that allow you to use your camera as a scanner to read these QR codes as well as bar codes on items in stores. You can scan an item's bar code and some apps will show you where to find the best price for comparison shopping! The QR code boxes you see in ads will direct you to a company website or an internet source to give you more information. We've started using these in our ads to direct you to our listings. We'll be integrating them into our brochures and For Sale signs as well. Commercial Realtors have been using QR codes on their signs for awhile - you can scan the code from your car as you're stopped at a redlight and have all the information you need at your fingertips.

The following list provides the best QR Code Reader apps for the iPhone, Android and Blackberry:

iPhone: iTunes app store link

NeoReader(Free)

Red Laser(Free)

Optiscan($1.99)

Barcode(Free)

QuickMark( .99)

ScanLIfe Free

Android: Android Library link

Barcode Scanner(Free)

ShopSavvy(Free)

ScanLife(Free)

QuickMark(Free)

Blackberry: app world link

ScanLife(Free)

BeeTagg(Free)

QR Code Scanner Pro(Free)

Most are about the same as far as their capabilities - the fee based ones claim to be faster. Download one and start scanning to see what you've been missing! QR codes will be everywhere before you know it and you'll be one step ahead!