What Is A 2-D Barcode?

Unknown to many people, 2-D barcodes are a growing part of the future. Compared to traditional barcodes, 2-D barcodes can hold much more information. They are rarely seen to consumers in America, but are industry standards for airlines and shipping companies. 2-D barcodes are also widely used in Japan for various reasons.

Here in America, the 2-D barcodes have their own niche and 

In Japan, most people have 2-D barcode readers built into their cellphones. The most common use of 2-D barcodes in Japan is among advertisers. Advertisers place 2-D barcodes on almost every surface imaginable including magazine pages, newspapers, and signs at bus-stops. The average person can see an ad for, say, sneakers, scan the 2-D barcode with their cellphone, and be taken to the website where they can learn about, or even purchase, the sneakers.

2-D barcodes are coming to America in a big way.   Many new cellphones are starting to be shipped with software to use the cell phone camera as a barcode reader.    Other companies are setting up services where users can text a picture of a 2-D barcode and receive a text back with the information contained within. This technology is on the verge of an explosion!