Barcodes, QR Codes, and More
Somethings in life are just so small and common that they usually get overlooked. Look at barcodes for example. Barcodes are everywhere and people see them all the time but usually don’t pay much attention to them. However, barcodes are starting to get noticed again. So let’s take a little time to examine barcode and mobile scanning technology.
I want to start by recapping some of the places you’ll find barcodes. Go into any store and you can find hundreds of thousands of barcodes. Every package of food, every movie, every item you can find should have a barcode. Basically if you can buy something it probably has a barcode somewhere on the package. In the past, most people ignored barcodes other than the cashiers who had to scan them.
However, bar codes are getting used more and more these days. Cashiers aren’t the only people who scan barcodes anymore. If you have a newer cellphone, you can probably use apps to scan barcodes. Some apps will tell you calorie information after you scan a food item’s code. Some apps will scan the barcode and then give you a list of stores that offer that product as well as their current prices. And that is just two of the many types of barcode scanning apps.
Why Barcodes Aren’t As Bad As You Think
When it comes to mobile scanning technology, you can’t forget about QR codes. These are small square codes that are very similar to barcodes. You just scan the code with your phone and it will take you to a certain URL. Sometimes it will take you to a website, sometimes to directions to get somewhere, sometimes simply to a social website profile. QR codes are very popular and I’m sure you have seen them before. Many magazines, cereal boxes, and other types of ads and products include QR codes to get you more involved. If you are applying for a job, you could even put a code on your cover letter to let hiring managers visit your social profiles online.
The Ultimate Guide to Scanning
If you want to scan a barcode, there are many options. If you want to check the calories, etc of a certain product you can use certain apps on your phone. Depending on the type of phone you have, you can just browse the app market and choose from many apps. And then of course there are the “real” barcode scanners. You can find them online or at specific types of stores. You can buy rugged outdoors type scanners, small portable scanners, etc and they are usually wireless to be more convenient. Searching the internet is usually best because you have a bigger selection of scanners to choose from.
