Seems Google is rewarding businesses that are popular with the Google search service by sending out some 100,000 decals for shop owners to place in their window so visitors can quickly and easily grab a weblink via QR code using their mobile… i have to wonder how many mobile users (in the USA) are familiar with QR codes and how they can scan them! Myself being a long-time Symbian device user (like many Europeans) am familiar with QR codes which are easily scanned using a scanner that comes with most Nokia smartphones, however, users of Blackebrry, iPhone, and Andoird devices common in the USA may have to grab themselves an app so they can access the data stores inside the image.
This from the Google blog… We’re calling these businesses the “Favorite Places on Google” and you’ll now start to find them in over 9,000 towns and cities, in all 50 states. You can also explore a sample of the Favorite Places in 20 of the largest U.S. cities at google.com/favoriteplaces. Each window decal has a unique bar code, known as a QR code that you can scan with any of hundreds of mobile devices — including iPhone, Android-powered phones, BlackBerry and more — to take you directly to that business’s Place Page on your mobile phone. With your mobile phone and these new decals, you can easily go up to a storefront and immediately find reviews, get a coupon if the business is offering one or star a business as a place you want to remember for the future.
For a litttle more on QR codes, here’s a demo video I shot using a Nokia E71 and the barcode reader app that comes with the device.. QR codes are a handy way to store and share business info, web links, and even coupons! Here’s a handy tool you can use to generate your own QR codes!