QR codes are the hottest thing since sliced bread in Japan. Ignore the kanji here, and follow the pictures. Scan the QR code from a poster, or web site (2), and that loads the web page in your phone browser (3). From there you can navigate within the site (4).
This solves one of the chronic problems for phones … typing in the http address. The marketing opportunities are huge. There is room for 7000+ data elements in the QR code, and phone numbers, websites, and contact information are easy.
The phone reads QR through the infra red port built in camera.
Whats the opportunity for North America?
Bankwatch 
Isn’t this what Bango have been trying to do for years?
> The phone reads QR through the infra red port.
Are you sure? Doesn’t the matrix code get scanned by the phone’s camera?
In the Netherlands a company called Shotcode is doing the same thing. Amongst others for Heineken and Xbox…
Forget to say: in their product the code (a visual) is scanned through the camera. A piece of software on the phone recognises the code and translates it into a URL and takes you to the website.
Thanks for that. The QR code is in fact read through the camera. You take a picture using autofocus mode, at close range, and the camera interprets the code.
Join the QR Club by downloading the Kaywa Reader;)
http://reader.kaywa.com
available phones:
http://reader.kaywa.com/phones
Create your own QR Code
http://qrcode.kaywa.com
Feed2Mobile
http://feed2mobile.kaywa.com
An interesting commercial and ‘cool looking’ variant of QR codes are shotcodes — http://www.shotcodes.com. I’m not associated with shotcodes but have been looking to use them in a project of ours.
Shotcodes are cooler because they’re circular, but you do have to pay for use.