QR CODE

 

 

QR Code (abbreviated from Quick Response Code) is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside the industry due to its fast readability and large storage capacity compared to standard UPC barcodes. The code consists of black modules (square dots) arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be made up of four standardized kinds ("modes") of data (numeric, alphanumeric, byte/binary, Kanji), or through supported extensions, virtually any kind of data.

Invention

The QR Code was invented in Japan by the Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994 to track vehicles during the manufacturing process, and was originally designed to allow components to be scanned at high speed. It has since become one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes.

Unlike the older one-dimensional barcode that was designed to be mechanically scanned by a narrow beam of light, the QR code is detected as a 2-dimensional digital image by a semiconductor image sensor and is then digitally analyzed by a programmed processor. The processor locates the three distinctive squares at the corners of the image, and uses a smaller square near the fourth corner to normalize the image for size, orientation, and angle of viewing. The small dots are then converted to binary numbers and validity checked with an error-correcting code.

Standards

There are several standards in documents covering the physical encoding of QR Codes:

• October 1997 – AIM (Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility) International
• January 1999 – JIS X 0510
• June 2000 – ISO/IEC 18004:2000 Information technology – Automatic identification and data capture techniques – Bar code symbology – QR code (now withdrawn)
  Defines QR code models 1 and 2 symbols.
• 1 September 2006 – ISO/IEC 18004:2006 Information technology – Automatic identification and data capture techniques – QR Code 2005 bar code symbology specification
  Defines QR code 2005 symbols, an extension of QR Code model 2. Does not specify how to read QR Code model 1 symbols, or require this for compliance.

At the application layer, there is some variation between most of the implementations. Japan's NTT DoCoMo has established de facto standards for the encoding of URLs, contact information, and several other data types. The open-source "ZXing" project maintains a list of QR Code data types.

Uses

Formerly only for industrial uses, they have in recent years become common in consumer advertising and packaging, because the popularity of smartphones "has put a barcode reader in everyone's pocket" for the first time. As a result, the QR Code has become a focus of advertising strategy, since it provides quick and effortless access to the brand's website. Beyond mere convenience to the consumer, the importance of this capability is that it increases the conversion rate (that is, increase the chance that contact with the advertisement will convert to a sale), by coaxing qualified prospects further down the conversion funnel without any delay or effort, bringing the viewer to the advertiser's site immediately, where a longer and more targeted sales pitch may continue. Although initially used to track parts in vehicle manufacturing, QR Codes are now (as of 2012) used over a much wider range of applications, including commercial tracking, entertainment and transport ticketing, product/loyalty marketing (examples: mobile couponing where a company's discounted and percent discount can be captured using a QR Code decoder which is a mobile app, or storing a company's information such as address and related information alongside its alpha-numeric text data as can be seen in Yellow Pages directory), and in-store product labeling. It can also be used in storing personal information for use by government. An example of this is Philippines National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) where NBI clearances now come with a QR Code. Many of these applications target mobile-phone users (via mobile tagging). Users may receive text, add a vCard contact to their device, open a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), or compose an e-mail or text message after scanning QR Codes. They can generate and print their own QR Codes for others to scan and use by visiting one of several pay or free QR Code-generating sites or apps. Google has a popular API to generate QR Codes, and apps for scanning QR Codes can be found on nearly all smartphone devices.
QR Codes storing addresses and Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) may appear in magazines, on signs, on buses, on business cards, or on almost any object about which users might need information. Users with a camera phone equipped with the correct reader application can scan the image of the QR Code to display text, contact information, connect to a wireless network, or open a web page in the telephone's browser. This act of linking from physical world objects is termed hardlinking or object hyperlinking. QR Codes may also be linked to a location to track where a code has been scanned. Either the application that scans the QR Code retrieves the geo information by using GPS and cell tower triangulation (aGPS) or the URL encoded in the QR Code itself is associated with a location.

                                                               QR codes have been used and printed on   Chinese train tickets since late 2009.

 

In June 2011, the Royal Dutch Mint (Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt) issued the world's first official coin with a QR Code to celebrate the centennial of its current building and premises. The coin was able to be scanned by a smartphone and link to a special website with contents about the historical event and design of the coin. This was the first time of a QR code used on currency.

Use in mobile operating systems

QR Codes can be used in Google's mobile Android operating system using Google Goggles or 3rd party barcode scanners. QR Codes can be used in iOS devices [iPhone/iPod/iPad] via 3rd party barcode scanners. The browser supports URI redirection, which allows QR Codes to send metadata to existing applications on the device. Nokia's Symbian operating system features a barcode scanner which can read QR Codes, while mbarcode is a QR Code reader for the Maemo operating system. In the Apple iOS, a QR Code reader is not natively included, but more than fifty paid and free apps are available with both scanning capabilities and hard-linking to URI. Google Goggles is also available for iOS. With BlackBerry devices, the App World application can natively scan QR Codes and load any recognized Web URLs on the device's Web browser. Windows Phone 7.5 is able to scan QR Codes through the Bing search app. They can also be used on the Nintendo 3DS.
There are a number of websites that provide QR Code decoding. The lack of functioning tools for decoding from image files or webcams within either the MacOS or Linux PC-based operating systems make this standard unpalatable as a data-backup method for storing private data, such as passwords or encryption keys.

Uses in retail

Recently there has been a move away from traditional magnetic card, stamp or punchcard based schemes to QR code based loyalty programs.One prominent example is the US-based Punchd, which became part of Google in 2011. Others, like MazeCard, have offered similar applications of QR codes in other continents.

URLs

URLs aided marketing conversion rates even in the pre-smartphone era, but during those years faced several limitations: the ad viewer usually had to type the URL, and often did not have a web browser in front of them at the moment they viewed the ad. The chances were high that they would forget to visit the site later, not bother to type a URL, or forget what URL to type. Friendly URLs decreased these risks but did not eliminate them. Some of these disadvantages to URL conversion rates are fading away now that smartphones are putting web access and voice recognition in constant reach. Thus an advert viewer need only reach for their phone and speak the URL, at the moment of ad contact, rather than remember to type it into a PC later.

QR Code Virtual Stores

During the month of June 2011, according to one study, 14 million mobile users scanned a QR Code or a barcode. Some 58% of those users scanned a QR or bar code from their home, while 39% scanned from retail stores; 53% of the 14 million users were men between the ages of 18 and 34.The use of QR Codes for "virtual store" formats started in South Korea, and Argentina, but is currently expanding globally.Big companies such as Walmart, Procter & Gamble and Woolworths have already adopted the Virtual Store concept.

Design

Storage

The amount of data that can be stored in the QR Code symbol depends on the datatype (mode, or input character set), version (1,...,40, indicating the overall dimensions of the symbol), and error correction level. The maximum storage capacities occur for 40-L symbols (version 40, error correction level L), and are as follows (where character refers to individual values of the input mode/datatype, as indicated):

Numeric only	Max. 7,089 characters (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
Alphanumeric	Max. 4,296 characters (0–9, A–Z [upper-case only], space, $, %, *, +, -, ., /, :)
Binary/byte	Max. 2,953 characters (8-bit bytes) (23624 bits)
Kanji/Kana	Max. 1,817 characters

Here are some sample QR Code symbols:

• 

  Version 1 (21×21). Content: "Ver1"
  
• 

  Version 2 (25×25). Content: "Version 2"
  
• 

  • Version 3 (29×29). Content: "Version 3 QR Code"
    
  • 

    Version 4 (33×33). Content: "Version 4 QR Code, up to 50 char"
    
  • 

    Version 10 (57×57). Content: "Version 10 QR code, up to 174 char at H level, with 57x57 modules and plenty of error correction to go around.
    
  • Version 40 (177×177). Content: "Version 40 QR Code can contain up to 1852 chars. ..."

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using android as scanner

WHAT IF CAN SCAN DOCUMENT USING YOUR ANDROID PHONE???? 

yes you can scan documents using your android phone..!!!
this can be done using an app named "CAMSCANNER" which you can find on  google play.

application is available in both free and paid versions...
either get the free app from google play or you can get the later from aptoid{get paid apps for free}

HOW IT WORKS>>
actually the documents are not scanned..bt u take a pic/snap of the document using CAMSCANNER using ur phone's camera..open it in camscanner...and it enhances the pic(there are many modes available for enhancement) in such way that it look as if it is scanned!!!

another interesting thing is that u can save the scanned document in several sort of formats eg- pdf, jgp etc.

so get the app now and get more out of your android...:)
 

root android device

What is “Root”?

Android is based on Linux. On Linux and other UNIX-like operating systems, the root user is equivalent to the Administrator user on Windows. The root user has access to the entire operating system and can do anything. By default, you don’t have root access to your Android device, and certain apps won’t function without root access.
With root access, you can disable the bloatware that comes with your phone, manually deny app permissions, run a firewall, access the entire file system, or tether your device, even if tethering functionality has been disabled. You’ll find many apps that require root access in the Google Play store (formerly known as the Android Market), although they won’t function until you root your device.

-Rooting doesnt have any adverse effect(if u dont do anything wrong urself)
-I hv two android devices and both are rooted. 

here i am describing one of the easiest way to root your SAMSUNG GALXY Y:

Steps Required in Rooting your Samsung Galaxy Y S5360

1. Download the Required Root Package HERE
2. Connect your Device Samsung Galaxy Y S5360 to the computer only via USB. (Forgot about Bluetooth)
3. No Extraction is required. Copy the Zip file to the root of the SD card and remember not to paste in any folder as it would cause an interruption.
4. Never Unplug your Device Samsung Galaxy Y S5360 while rooting
5. Switch off your Smartphone to enter into recovery mode
6. Keep pressing The Volume Up Key, Home key and Power Button  to enter the recovery mode.
7. Now, as you are in the recovery mode only Volume up and down would work to select the file. So use those  buttons and select Update.zip .
8. The rooting will start taking place after you have selected on Update.zip. It would usually take about 10-15 mins
9. After rooting the device will automatically restart and then normal booting will take place. The rooting of your Phone is now done!

Also Read : How to install Ice Cream Sandwich update in Samsung Galaxy S2

Congratulations! You have successfully rooted your Smartphone Samsung Galaxy Y S5360

Also Read: How to check if phone is rooted or not

 Now you can add any applications without any limitation as well as you can even install Custom ROM or Cyanogen Mod, if you wish.

Serge Haroche, David Wineland Win nobel in physics

Nobel Prize In Physics 2012: , Win For Inventing Methods To Observe Quantum World

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A French-American duo shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for inventing methods to observe the bizarre properties of the quantum world, research that has led to the construction of extremely precise clocks and helped scientists take the first steps toward building superfast computers.
Serge Haroche of France and American David Wineland opened the door to new experiments in quantum physics by showing how to observe individual quantum particles without destroying them, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.
Haroche and Wineland, both 68, work in the field of quantum optics, which deals with the interaction between light and matter.
"Their ground-breaking methods have enabled this field of research to take the very first steps towards building a new type of superfast computer based on quantum physics," the academy said. "The research has also led to the construction of extremely precise clocks that could become the future basis for a new standard of time."
Through "ingenious laboratory methods," the two scientists have managed to measure and control fragile quantum states that were previously thought to be impossible to observe directly, the judges said.
Wineland traps ions — electrically charged atoms — and measures them with light, while Haroche controls and measures photons, or light particles.
Haroche, of the College de France and Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, said he was out walking with his wife when he got the call from the Nobel judges.