In technology, there’s always something new for start-up companies to get excited about. This summer, it may be QR codes. According to GigaOM, these black and white scannable squares will be the next hot industry. The theory is this: as the weather gets warmer, more people (and their smartphones) will be out and about, interacting with any QR codes they run across on posters and billboards and thus giving new companies opportunities to capitalize on this activity.
In their most basic form, QR codes are a scannable way to convert data. When a smartphone takes a picture of the pattern, scanner software reads the data and performs the functions embedded in the code, most commonly opening a website address. As smartphones are reaching critical mass, QR codes become an increasingly feasible way to promote anything from businesses to events.
GigaOm‘s article features two LA-based start-up companies, ShareSquare and Paperlinks, ready to watch the market grow; however, they admit not everyone expects QR codes to gain popularity. Google shut down its year-old QR code initiative this March to focus on near field communications (NFC) technology, QR code’s more elaborate sibling. Read more from GigaOm.
