Thursday, March 17, 2011

QR-Code Readers

QR-Code Readers

If you are looking to download a QR-Code reader (software) so that you can scan and read mobile barcodes (QR-Codes), you have come to the right place. We have compiled a list of the best QR-Code reading software available to download on the internet. If the QR-Code reader is not on our list, it's not worth worrying about.
Please find below available reading software and information about how to download and install the QR-Code readers.

Barcode Scanner

Barcode Scanner

Nokia ReaderNokia Reader

Alternatively, if you do not have the software, you can use the following method to download it; please visit the Nokia N80 device page on the Nokia website. On the left hand menu, select 'Phone Software', then 'Smartphone'. Scroll down the page until you see 'Barcode reader'. Follow the link and instructions and you can download the software to your PC. You will then need to download the Nokia PC Suite in order to transfer the files to your mobile phone.
Additionally, if you have the download application on your mobile phone, you can use that to get the reader.

Compatibility

From the Nokia website, it appears that only the Nokia N80, N93, N93i, N95 and E90 support the reader. This will more than likely change as new phones are released with better image capturing software.



Android Reader



Download QRdvark from the Android Market right now and install it on your phone. An alternative is to download and install the .apk file QRdvark-1.0.apk manually yourself.







iPhone Reader



Download QR app from the itunes application market right now and install it on your phone. An alternative is to download link

Software

Please select a software vender from the list:

History

QR-Codes originated within the technology hungry country of Japan and have merely only recently began to become popular within the Middle East and Europe.
Barcodes that you see on any commercial product are extremely beneficial as their reading speed, supreme accuracy and their functionality are key.
As barcodes reached their peak and began getting used worldwide, the need for more data and characters types to be stored was inevitable.
Developers began tying to expand on the current amount of bars within the barcode and how their positioning to allow further data capacities. The need for smaller barcodes also was another defining factor in their development.
Such developments failed as reading and printing implications caused more problems than solutions. The 2D barcode was then born.
Development Life cycle
Show picture of barcode -> 2D code with staked barcodes -> 2D matrix type

Overview

QR-Codes first hit mainstream when they were initially used for tracking parts by vehicle manufacturers. After a while, companies began to see the scope for where QR-Codes could be used elsewhere within the world. The most commercial use for QR-Codes is in the telecommunications industry where the mobile phone seems to be the biggest driver of their popularity.

Mobile Phones

With the technology of mobile phones constantly expanding, especially within mobile internet, QR-Codes seemed the perfect solution to quickly and efficiently bring mobile phone users onto the mobile web. QR-Codes can be used to store all kids of data including such data such as a URL (Universal Resource Locator) or as most people know them; web addresses. This then allowed offline publications such as:
  • Magazines
  • Papers
  • Business Cards
  • Buses
  • Signs
  • T-shirts
Or basically any medium that can accept the print of a QR-Code to advertise their online product which would then direct the user to the medium.

How They Work?

Take a mobile phone such as the iPhone; nearly ever mobile phone has a digital camera in today’s world. The camera, along with decoding software can be used to capture a picture of the QR-Code of which the QR-Code software decoder and then transform the data held with the QR-Code to a meaningful action for the mobile phone:
  • Connect to a web address
  • Download a MP3
  • Dial a telephone number
  • Prompt your email client with a sender address
This can all be done within a matter of milliseconds making the transformation from a user’s mobile phones browser to the mobile web instantaneous.

Standards

The Japanese standard for QR-Codes devised by Denso Wave is JIS X 0510 which was released in January of 1999. The corresponding ISO International Standard, ISO/IEC 18004, was then approved in June of 2000. The standard was then updated back in 2006. (ISO/IEC 18004:2006).

Data Capacity

QR-Codes are capable of handling of sorts of data, including numbers, alphabetic characters, Kanji, Kana, Hiragana, symbols, binary, and control codes.
A total of 7,089 characters can be encoded in one symbol alone.
QR-Code Data Capacities
Numeric only Max 7,089 characters
Alphanumeric Max 4,296 characters
Binary (8 bits) Max 2,953 bytes
Kanji, full-width Kana Max 1,817 characters

Barcodes vs. QR-Codes

Barcode
Picture of Traditional Barcode
QR-Codes have become more popular than the typical barcode as the typical barcode can only hold a maximum of 20 digits, whereas the QR-Code can hold up to 7,089 characters. This makes the use and diversity of QR-Codes much more appealing than their older counter part, the barcode.
Partially part of the reason QR-Codes can hold more data, is because if you compare a typical barcode to a QR-Code, you can see one major difference; barcodes only span horizontal whereas QR-Codes can span horizontally and vertically.
Statistic – QR-Codes are capable of encoding the same amount of data in approximately one-tenth the space of a traditional bar code. Such minute QR-Codes are called Micro QR-Codes.

Position

A great feature of QR-Codes is that you do not need to scan them from one particular angle. QR-Codes are capable of omnidirectional (360 degree’s) high-speed reading. QR-Codes scanners are capable of determining the correct way to decode the content within the QR-Code due to the three specific squares that are positioned in the corners of the symbol.
QR-Code scanner uses three corners as markers, regardless of 
pistion scanned

Multiples

QR-Codes can be combined into one large symbol. One symbol can then be divided into 16 separate symbols making the data capacity extremely large.

References


Useful Links

Below we have compiled a list of useful links that we have found on the web that may be worth visiting regarding QR-Codes:
  • Wikipedia - quality wiki about QR-Codes.
  • Denso Wave - everything there is to know about QR-Codes.
  • MC2 - the Mobile Codes consortium.
For a full list of QR-Code related websites, see our useful links page. Got a useful website our readers would benefit from visiting? Please send it to us and tell us why you think it should be added to our website.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

യൂണിക്കോഡ് ടെപ്പിങ്ങ് ഉപകരണം


ടൈപ്പ് മാസ്റ്റര്‍ എന്ന യൂണിക്കോഡ് ടൈപ്പിങ്ങ് ഉപകരണം.
ഇതുപയോഗിച്ച് ഗൂഗിള്‍ ടോക്ക്, മെസഞ്ചര്‍ തുടങ്ങിയവയില്‍ മലയാളത്തില്‍ ചാറ്റ് ചെയ്യാം
വെബില്‍ അനായാസം മലയാളത്തില്‍ എഴുതാം ഇതിന് പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് ഫോണ്ട് ഇന്‍സ്റ്റാള്‍ ചെയ്യണമെന്നില്ല.
ഇന്‍സ്ക്രിപ്റ്റ്, ഫോണിറ്റിക് രീതികളില്‍ യൂണിക്കോഡില്‍ ടെപ്പ് ചെയ്യാം.
കംമ്പ്യൂട്ടറില്‍ അഡ്മിനിസ്ട്രേറ്റീവ് പെര്‍മിഷന്‍ ഇല്ലെങ്കില്‍ കൂടി ടൂള്‍ പ്രവര്‍ത്തിപ്പിക്കാം. അതായത് ഈ ടൂള്‍ പ്രവര്‍ത്തിപ്പിക്കാന്‍ ഇന്‍സ്റ്റാള്‍ ചെയ്യണമെന്നില്ല. ISM പോലെയാണ് ഇതിന്റെ പ്രവര്‍ത്തനരീതി.
ഡൗണ്‍ലോഡ് ടൈപ്പ് മാസ്റ്റര്‍ യൂണിക്കോഡ്

Monday, February 7, 2011

Neflone Creative Lab Products







മലയാളത്തിലേക്ക് ഒരു പുതിയ യൂണിക്കോഡ് ഫോണ്ട് കൂടി. അരുണ എന്ന പുതിയ ലിപിയില്‍ തയ്യാറിക്കിയ ഫോണ്ടാണ് (അക്ഷരം) ഇത്. www.4logics.info എന്ന സൈറ്റ് പൂര്‍ണ്ണമായും അരുണ എന്ന ഈ പുതിയ യൂണിക്കോഡിലാണ് റണ്‍ ചെയ്യുന്നത്. 

എന്തുകൊണ്ട് പുതിയ യൂണിക്കോഡ്?
   മലയാളത്തില്‍ നിലവിലുള്ള മീര, രചന തുടങ്ങിയ ഫോണ്ടുകള്‍ പഴയലിപിയില്‍ കോഡ് ചെയ്തിരുക്കുന്നതിനാല്‍ പലപ്പോളും പ്രശ്നമാകാറുണ്ട്. ഉദാഹരണമായി 'കു' എന്ന അക്ഷരം ചെറിയ ഫോണ്ട് സൈസില്‍ തിരിച്ചറിയാന്‍ വളരെ ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടാണ്.
2. രൂപയുടെ ചിഹ്നം യൂണിക്കോഡ് ഫോര്‍മാറ്റില്‍ തന്നെ ഇതില്‍ ഉള്‍പ്പെടുത്തിയിട്ടുണ്ട് .
3. ഗൂഗിള്‍ ക്രോം ഉപയോഗിക്കുമ്പോള്‍ ലില്ലക്ഷരങ്ങള്‍ " ല്‍, ള്‍, ര്‍" തുടങ്ങിയവ "ല്, ള്, ര്" എന്നിങ്ങനെ പഴയ യൂണിക്കോഡില്‍ പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെടുന്നത് അരുണ ഫോണ്ടില്‍ പൂര്‍ണ്ണമായും പരിഹരിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്.
4. യുവത്വം തുളുമ്പുന്ന നവീന ഡിസൈനിങ്ങ് ശൈലി വായനക്കാരെ പെട്ടെന്ന് ആകര്‍ഷിക്കുന്നു.