A BOUNTY OF INFO STORED IN QR CODES

Those amorphous images composed of squiggly lines and squares that are increasingly peering at us from newspaper ads, brochures, books and coupons are unlikely symbols of an enormously powerful tool that is altering the way we do business, the way we educate our students, the way an untold number of tasks involving user interaction with providers of goods, services and information are conducted.

They're called QR -- quick read -- codes, and while they are not likely to win any beauty contests, they have become must-have tools for marketers and anyone else targeting a growing, increasingly tech-savvy population that is rarely farther than arm's length from a camera-equipped, Web-enabled smart phone.

We've long been familiar with product bar codes that have been tagged onto such items as food products, clothing and electronic equipment since the '80s. These newer QR codes can store several hundred times the amount of data of yesterday's bar codes.

Equipped with scanning apps, users simply point their phone at a QR code and the app will lock on it and call up a Web page, dial a phone number, run a video or play a song.

Many businesses hope to draw reader interest with QR codes that link customers to websites or Facebook pages. The most effective ads are those that exhibit a little creativity. Home Depot posts QR codes on gardening products: When customers scan the code on a plant, for instance, they are taken to a Web page with care instructions, temperature requirements, watering schedules and other data that would be impossible to include on a product sticker.

Last winter, JCPenney shipped gifts containing QR codes that connected recipients to recorded voice greetings from purchasers.

These codes have gone to the dogs, as well. PetHub is offering canine collars sporting QR codes embedded with care and dietary instructions for lost pets, along with contact information.

Municipalities are joining the act, too.

In Montclair and Newark, the Parkmobile system lets drivers pay for parking by scanning QR codes posted at designated spots. The Parkmobile app transmits location data, date, time, license and motorists' credit card payment details.

Those traveling over the holidays may have noticed QR codes on their boarding passes. Most major airports now use them.

And at Denver International Airport, a local bank posted codes along terminal billboards that allow waiting passengers to download Sudoku games, crossword puzzles and e-books, all for free.

Earlier this month, the Postal Service said it will offer a 2 percent discount to business mailers who include QR codes on envelopes during July and August.

It's not just businesses taking advantage of QR codes. Schools are exploring innovative ways to incorporate them into their curriculums.

Teachers append stickers in textbooks and classroom boards that allow students to delve into book topics and link to customized references such as videos, Wikipedia entries and instructors' own anecdotes. Codes distributed on answer keys after class exams permit students to receive enhanced answers that include links to newspaper and magazine articles, slideshows or e-books.

You don't need to be a corporation to enjoy QR benefits; individuals can find uses as well, from personal business cards to resumes or flyers offering local services.

One of the odder, but also poignant, uses of QR codes, which I discussed in a column earlier this year, is on cemetery headstones, where visitors can link to online biographies of the deceased, including video, audio recordings and print materials.

Popular scanner apps for the iPhone, all free, include i-nigma, QR Reader, Qrafter, Red Laser, Pic2Shop and ATT Scanner.

For Android, there's QR Droid and Barcode Scanner. You can create your own free QR codes and link to a Facebook page, a Flickr photo, a personal blog or other Web page at these sites: qrcode.kaywa.com, qrstuff.com and qurify.com.

Credit: Contact Peter Grad at [email protected]