QR Codes 101
Those mysterious squares you may have seen on Android-related sites will not 
all turn into Mayan demons in 2012 (I don’t think). At least until then, they serve as a no-typing method of getting links to the new apps you see featured in Technorati's Essential Android Apps reviews.
These barcode squares are called "QR codes" and store information such as URLs. QR (Quick Response) codes are two-dimensional bar codes (also known as matrix codes) that are mainly used to let mobile phones read information with their cameras. They are most commonly used in Japan, but now are seen in many parts of the world and in many businesses. They can be found in such large-scale manufacturing as vehicle assembly, but more often in objects such as magazines, on signs, buses, and business cards. Anywhere a business wants to gets its message across, a QR often works better and faster than a URL or even a bar code. But how do you read them?
My first thought was, “Oh, no, I’ll have to print these out,” but that’s not necessary. Download the Android app “Barcode Scanner” - I searched on “scanner” and it came up at the top of the list.
Bring the QR Code that interests you up on your screen, start Barcode Scanner, and point your cell phone camera lens at the screen. It may take a 
little moving in and out to get the QR Code in focus, but once it is, Barcode Scanner will load the URL and ask you if you want to load the app. It’s easy. You can also use ScanLife or Google Goggles (both free from the Android Marketplace). Other well-regarded QR-scanners are Bee-Tagg, I-nigma, Mobiletag, Neo Reader, and QuickMark.
If you want to know more about the technology of QR Codes, visit here The QR code at the beginning of this article – which reads technorati.com – was created using the generator software there.
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