00:00Hey there do-it-yourself technicians. Have you seen those square dot patterns
00:04attached to buildings and manuals and signs and things around the place? Well
00:10these little fellas are called QR codes and they can be really handy. Stay tuned
00:15to find out more. Quick response codes or QR codes are a type of matrix barcode
00:23that were first designed in Japan in 1994 by a company called Denso Wave, a
00:29Toyota subsidiary that used them to track automotive parts. The design, especially
00:34the three big squares up in the corners, allowed for high-speed scanning and
00:39scanning at odd angles which was really useful for parts going past on a
00:43conveyor belt. Soon the technology moved past just automation and manufacturing
00:47and out into the mainstream. Outside of factories far and away the biggest use
00:51of QR codes is links to URLs or website addresses, although you can also use them
00:58to score payment information, virtual business cards, Wi-Fi logins and much
01:03more. One of the great features of QR codes is error correction which allows
01:08them to still be read even if they're damaged. For that reason I can stick my
01:12face in the middle of a QR code like this and you can actually still read it,
01:16although it will just link back to this episode so there's probably no point
01:19scanning it. So how do you read a QR code? On the iPhone it's as simple as opening the
01:25camera app and pointing it at the QR code. A box will pop up at the top of the
01:29screen giving you the link and you can tap that and off you go. Other phone types
01:33require a specialized app which you can find by searching QR code in your app
01:38store of choice, although it seems fairly likely it will be added to future
01:42versions of the Android camera app as well. Now that we know how the next
01:47question is why? Lots of reasons. For example I have a heart rate monitor that
01:52connects to my smartphone. In the box that it came with are the QR codes to go
01:59straight to the iTunes store and the Google Play store to download the app
02:02that connects them. Really simple. Sometimes QR codes can provide links to
02:07online manuals or help forums for devices or even more information about a
02:12location on a self-guided tourist walk. I'm currently writing a PC
02:17troubleshooting booklet and it will have a plethora of links via QR code to
02:22various websites and videos including this one so people with a printed copy
02:27can scan their way directly to a link rather than having to type in a web
02:31address. I've also seen them used in educational settings where a teacher
02:34printed out six QR codes and made them into a dice which the students then rolled
02:39and picked a different activity based on which QR code came up top. Companies in
02:45Japan and the USA are even making tombstones with QR codes built into them so
02:50that loved ones can scan a link and see a website dedicated to the person who has
02:54passed away. Of course with technology there is a downside as well. Not all QR
03:00codes are perfectly harmless. There have been codes found with links to malware
03:04that may attack your phone or attempt to send a premium SMS message costing you
03:09money. That said these sorts of issues are very few and far between and quickly
03:14shut down soon after they're found. So please don't let them discourage you from
03:18using this wonderful technology. If you want to create QR codes of your own there's a
03:23bunch of websites that will allow you to do it for free. I use QR code hyphen
03:27monkey.com which you can see a link up here or just scan this QR code here. I like it
03:33because it's free, it allows me to customize the QR code in a whole bunch of
03:37different ways and it's really easy to use. For a web link all you do is put in the
03:42URL you want to link to, create the customizations and hit generate QR code
03:48and you can then download the PNG file of the code and print it out or put it in
03:53whatever document you need to. Alternatively you can download SVG, PDF or EPS files
04:00with your code depending on what sort of use you want to put them to. Each of those
04:05formats will allow you to create giant images without it going weird. There are
04:10also tabs at the top for creating a dozen or more different types of QR codes
04:14from email, SMS, Wi-Fi, virtual business cards and Facebook links. Have you seen a
04:21QR code used in an unusual way or created one yourself? Let us know in the comments
04:26below so we can check it out. The TechDoctor Network exists to help you
04:30become your own technician and navigate your technology maze. There's a link down
04:34here to subscribe to the YouTube channel. There's also a link up here to
04:38subscribe to a weekly newsletter to find out more about what's happening in the
04:41tech world. There's also some videos here and here that you might not have seen
04:45before. Thank you so much for watching and have a great day.
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