Tag: smartphone qr codes

QR codes provide access to emergency instructions

| April 23, 2013

qr codesNationwide Platforms, a rental company, has added the quick response barcodes for use by smartphone owners.

The rental company, Nationwide Platforms, has just announced that it has affixed QR codes to its equipment in order to make it easier for smartphone users to be able to lower the risk of emergency situations.

Though print documentation is already available, the barcodes are used to provide this and additional information.

QR codes were selected because they are now recognized by many people, and because the majority of individuals have a smartphone or tablet that is able to scan these barcodes in order to obtain the related info. Most of the fleet at Nationwide Platforms has already been fitted with its stickers, which provide a direct link to guidance to lower emergencies.

The QR codes are customized for each distinct equipment model or group of models across the United Kingdom.

Nearly all of the fleet’s units will have QR codes affixed to them by the end of the year, according to the plans of the program. This includes those that the business will purchase throughout 2013. The barcodes will be printed on stickers that are fitted directly onto the base of the machine.

Beyond using the QR codes as a type of practical tool, the company is hoping that this effort will also have a broader impact that will help to better the awareness surrounding the importance of becoming familiar with the safety procedures associated with the equipment.

Mark Keily, the QHSE director, stated that “Improving the way we manage welfare and wellbeing means improving the way we engage with all of those who come into contact with our products or services. With that in mind, we’re proud to have harnessed the power of technology to give our customers even more opportunities to get the guidance which could truly make a difference in an emergency situation.”

Similarly, Peter Douglas, the operations director, added to that statement, saying that using powered access is being increasingly recognized as among the most effective and safe techniques for functioning with the greatest levels worldwide. He said that as the market leader in the United Kingdom, it has become their purpose to add to and achieve greater safety accomplishments, be that through “innovation, investment, or simply taking the lead in making a difference.” QR codes fit into this strategy quite smoothly.

QR codes to be debuted in mobile payments program

| April 12, 2013

QR codes - Taiwan mobile paymentsChungwa, a carrier from Taiwan, will be launching its service in the summer of 2013.

The latest technology news from Taiwan is that Chungwa Telecom Co., the largest mobile network operator in the country, will be launching a mobile payments program that will use QR codes to allow the transactions to be completed.

This could make a considerable difference in the adoption rate of mobile payments in Taiwan.

In order to use the program, consumers would use their smartphones to scan QR codes so that they can make payments to complete purchases of goods and services while in stores. This, according to a report that was released by the company, itself, announcing the upcoming mobile friendly service.

Pending regulatory approval from the QR codes could start to be used as early as June.

As of the launch of the QR codes based mobile payments service, the program is slated to become available to consumers as of June 2013. The report did not announce how many partner merchants have signed up to take part in the program, so far.

Chungwa is a company that is a part of a consortium that is made up of the biggest mobile carriers in Taiwan. This group has also been looking beyond QR codes and is investigating mobile wallet products that would use NFC technology. They believe that this could help to make mobile payments more appealing to individuals who are carrying enabled devices.

That initiative was launched earlier in 2013, but would not be ready until well after the service using the QR codes has already been implemented. Chungwa had actually launched a trial of an NFC technology based mobile payments service, last year, but the most recent report issued by the company didn’t mention whether that is for a program that would take over for the barcodes, or whether it would run the two types of payment services in tandem with one another.

At the moment, it will be the service using the QR codes that will first become available. Whether it will be temporary to draw attention to this type of smartphone-based payments or whether it will continue to run even if NFC technology is implemented, only time will tell.