A QR Code is a two-dimensional bar-code and the name “QR” is derived from “Quick Response”, as its Japanese creator intended the code to be decoded at high speed. QR Codes have been very common in Japan, this popularity due to the fact that the majority of Japanese mobiles can read this code with their camera.
QR Codes can be used to store textual information such as addresses, phone numbers and URLs. Then a user with a phone installed with reading software can scan the image of the QR Code to decrypt its stored information. This act of linking from physical world objects is known as hard-linking.
Users can also generate and print their own QR Code for others to scan. Such as the image on the right.