Tag Archives: qr

Xbox One to let gamers scan download codes using Kinect

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Xbox One to let us scan download codes with Kinect, finally

Many console gamers know the drudgery of entering a download code with a gamepad or keyboard. Now that Kinect is part and parcel of the Xbox One experience, however, they'll always get to skip that step: Microsoft's Marc Whitten has revealed that system owners can scan the codes with the Kinect camera. While this is really an extension of what the original Kinect can do -- Kinectimals takes advantage of QR codes, for example -- it should be a big help for gamers who'd rather be playing than typing.

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Source: Marc Whitten (Twitter)

Periodic Table Gets a New Element You Can Scan(dium) for More Info

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Periodical Table of Elements with QR Code

I love chemistry in ways that few people would understand (unless they also happen to be a huge science geek like me.) It’s the central science, after all, with the rules of order and disorder both working for it at the same time. So what’s note to like?

Unfortunately, school sometimes takes all the fun out of the it by making kids memorize the periodic table and quizzing them about what color flames a certain element causes when it burns. Learning doesn’t have to be such a drag, though, and it doesn’t have to be so taxing either. That’s probably what Yiying Lu had in mind when she came up with interactive QR-enabled Periodic Table of Elements. Aside from each block containing the element’s symbol, name, atomic number, and atomic weight, it’s also got a teeny weeny QR code printed to the side. When you scan the code of the element you’re interested in, you’ll automatically be directed to the Wikipedia entry of that element where you can read all about it and get the bigger picture.

The best part? Lu has made her interactive periodic table free for everyone to download. You can get it here.

[ Walls360 ] VIA [ Dvice ]


Austrian city builds public library with nothing but QR codes, NFC and stickers

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Austrian city builds public library with nothing but QR Codes, NFC and stickers

Strangely, the Austrian city of Klagenfurt doesn't have a public library, even though it hosts the Festival of German-Language Literature. However, an initiative dubbed Project Ingeborg is turning the municipality into a book repository of sorts with 70 QR code and NFC chip-equipped stickers. Plastered throughout town, they direct users to web pages where they can download public domain works, largely from Project Gutenberg. Oftentimes, e-books will be located in relevant locations -- so you'll be sure to find Arthur Schnitzler's The Killer near the police station, for example. Come August, the team behind the effort will partner with local talent to distribute books, music and other digital content too. In an effort to build a stronger bond to the location, the organizers have prevented search engines from indexing the links, so you'll have to visit Klagenfurt to access the curated goods. If you'd like to turn your city into a library, the group hopes to release instructions for replicating their system soon.

[Thanks, Michael]

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Austrian city builds public library with nothing but QR codes, NFC and stickers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 06:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rockin’ Rock the Vote Shirts Let You Register via Smartphone

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It’s always refreshing to see people take a technological approach to everyday stuff, like encouraging people to go register for the elections and vote. You might recall how Rock the Vote created the first telephone voter registration system to encourage people to register to vote by picking up the phone.

Rock the Vote ShirtNow they’ve done it again with their cool Rock the Vote QR code shirts. Each of these tees have a code printed towards the left part of the shirt which directs people to the the Scan to Vote website, where they’re instructed to scan another code that will let them register to vote from their smartphone.

Rock the Vote Shirt1

Pretty neat stuff. If you want to get in on the campaign, you can get one of these shirts for $28(USD) from Threads 4 Thought.

[via Mashable]


Apple demos Passbook, a one-stop shop for tickets and boarding passes

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Apple demos Passbook, a onestop shop for tickets and boarding passes

From airline and train boarding passes to concert tickets, we've seen a variety of tix make their way into the digital realm at venues around the world. With today's announcement of Passbook, the hard copy credential may soon be a thing of the past. Speaking on stage at Apple's WWDC keynote, VP of iOS Software Scott Forstall demonstrated the feature with United boarding passes, Fandango movie tickets and a Starbucks gift card. While none of these examples are making their premiere debut, Passbook will certainly make the QR-code-based stubs more user-friendly, while also increasing awareness among folks who continue to opt for paper while doubting the usability and authenticity of a digital counterpart. Passbook is also location aware, bringing up a Starbucks card as you approach a shop, for example. You can also get updates related to your stored credentials, such as a gate change announcement with a pending United boarding pass. The feature will come bundled with iOS 6, set to launch this fall.

Check out our full coverage of WWDC 2012 at our event hub!

Gallery: iOS Passbook

Apple demos Passbook, a one-stop shop for tickets and boarding passes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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QR codes get gussied up in ‘Beautiful Traps,’ become art (video)

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QR codes get gussied up in 'Beautiful Traps,' become art (video)

Louis Vuitton QR codes not your thing? Leave it up to Yiying Lu -- illustrator of the infamous "fail whale" -- to make QR codes presentable enough to bring home and show the family. As part of an art project called Beautiful Traps, Lu hand painted codes into portaits featuring carnivorous plants. The codes aren't just for show -- scanning them pulls up a video of the painting process, handily viewable on your mobile device of choice. Roll past the break for a timelapse video of their creation.

Continue reading QR codes get gussied up in 'Beautiful Traps,' become art (video)

QR codes get gussied up in 'Beautiful Traps,' become art (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 06:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monmouthpedia: Wikipedia’s very own QR-coated Welsh town (video)

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Wikipedia's credence as a fount of reliable knowledge is indubitably dubious. That said, its penchant for community contribution is what's snowballed the site into a go-to digital destination for most online denizens. But forebear of a QR-indexed, former principality? Surely, there's a limit to the social web's reach. Well, come May 19th, that odd, but apt distinction will officially encapsulate Monmouthpedia, née Monmouth, Wales -- an experiment in informational graffiti. The project, originally born from a Bristol-based TEDx talk, has taken half a year for founder John Cummings to execute given the need for County Council and local business support, the installation of a pervasive, free WiFi network and additional article contributions from site volunteers. And thanks to QRpedia, curious mobile-wielding tourists that chance upon the quaint Welsh town will need only to scan the omnipresent codes for an easy redirect to a corresponding language-appropriate article. Lest you think this web-to-real world experiment is merely a one-off, bear in mind those code-bearing ceramic plates are built to last. Hop on past the break for a French-subbed informational video tour.

Continue reading Monmouthpedia: Wikipedia's very own QR-coated Welsh town (video)

Monmouthpedia: Wikipedia's very own QR-coated Welsh town (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 13:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NewsFlash uses high-frequency light to transmit data from iPad to smartphone, we go hands-on (video)

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MIT's Media Lab is chock-full of cutting-edge tech projects that researchers create, then often license to manufacturers and developers. One such project is called NewsFlash, and uses high-frequency red and green light to transmit data to the built-in camera on a receiving device -- in this case Samsung's Epic 4G. The concept is certainly familiar, and functions in much the same way as a QR code, generating flashing light that's invisible to the human eye instead of a cumbersome 2D square. In the Media Lab's implementation, an iPad is used to display a static news page with flashing colored bands at the top, representing just a few vertical pixels on the LCD.

As the device presents the standard touch experience you're already familiar with, it also broadcasts data that can be read by any camera, but flashes too quickly to be distracting or even noticeable to the naked eye. A NewsFlash app then interprets those flashes and displays a webpage as instructed -- either a mobile version with the same content, or a translation of foreign websites. As with most MediaLab projects, NewsFlash is simply a concept at this point, but it could one day make its way to your devices. Jump past the break to see it in action.

Gallery: MIT Media Lab: NewsFlash hands-on

Continue reading NewsFlash uses high-frequency light to transmit data from iPad to smartphone, we go hands-on (video)

NewsFlash uses high-frequency light to transmit data from iPad to smartphone, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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