QR Codes, An Advertiser's Dream

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Imagine having a magic wand that you wave in front of a product and get information about that item instantly. That's essentially what many people have with their smart phones now thanks to special technology. 

They're starting to pop up everywhere. On business cards, magazines, movie posters. 

They are QR codes.

Funky white and black boxes packed with tiny dots.
 
Charles Jolley of Strobe Inc. explains, "You can store information in the black and white dots, so you can keep a lot of different things in there, telephone numbers, URL's, links to web sites, addresses, even photographs."
 
Scan a QR box with your smart phone camera, using a decoding app and all kinds of information will be revealed on your screen. With more than half of America now using smart phones, it's an advertiser's dream.
 
"You'll see them  in different places where people want you to be able to get access to more information so you can find out the menu for the restaurant that you're attending, a preview for the movie that you're at," says Jolley.
 
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Real estate attorney Alan Knowles has seen them on real estate signs.
 
"So when a couple is out looking at houses and they come across a property, they like that they can just walk up to that property, wave their cell phone in front of the QR code on the real estate for sale sign and call up instantly all the data about that property," said Knowles.
 
It's not something only big businesses can use. 

Anyone can create a QR code for free!
 
"Just go to google, search for a QR code maker," says Jolley.
 
You can print out stickers with the code or business cards or even hats and t-shirts. 
 
The letters Q-R stand for "quick response".

Interestingly enough,  the United States is actually way behind on this technology. QR codes were created in Japan back in 1994. 

Reported by Susan Barnett, CBS 3