On the cutting edge this Daily Mumble is you know.
Look, I can now even provide you with the 2D barcode that is widely used throughout Japan, and will no doubt reach our western shores in about 10 years.
Do me a favour if you’re in Japan – scan this code with your mobile phone and let me know if it brings you back to this page.
Cheers
I’ve received numerous emails from all corners of my fanbase asking me what this code is all about.
Well, to answer your question, Miss G of South Kensington, this is a PR Code.
A PR Code is essentially just a barcode, the same as you find on the prive tag of your Gucci watch or Louis Vitton bag. The only difference is that PR Codes can store a lot more information.
I’m not sure what the limits are, but you can basically type whatever text you want into a special computer program, click on “generate” and it transforms that text into code form, like that seen above.
Then, the code can be read with a PR-code reader. This are just camera-type scanners that are built into mobile phones, or like the kind of scanner you see at a supermarket.
So what uses can these PRCodes be put to?
Well, for example, in Japan, most mobile phones now come with a PR-code reader as standard.
If you are on a train and see an advert for something you are interested in, rather than having to remember the web address / details of the product, you could simply hold you phone up to the PR Code printed on the advert for a moment and press a button. Hey presto the company information is transferred into your phones memory. As your phone is web-enabled, you could then have a look at their website whilst still on the train.
Another use: you’re in the supermarket and can’t decide which cabbage to buy. The big green ones, or the other big green ones? Well, both types have PR Codes on the price labels. Scan them with your phone and you’ll be told all about the farms from which they came. You can then choose the cabbage from the farm that has the most seductive description.
Business cards: put all your contact details into a PR code that is then printed on your business card so that people who you give it to do not have to manually enter your contact details into their mobile / pc, they just need to scan your PR-coded card.
These are just three examples of the uses to which they can be put.
Oh, one last benefit of PR Codes is that unlike standard bar codes they can store data written in japanese script.