Have you noticed the new 'Bookmark barcode' in the right sidebar?  "What's that?", I hear you ask.  Well it's a 2D barcode that was designed over 15 years ago, which has suddenly become very popular with the introduction of powerful smart phones that can easily read them.

They can be used to store any data and the mobile phone Vcard is a great example of a good use for them.  A persons contact details (name, phone number, email address and so on) can be encrypted into a barcode which can be scanned with any suitable phone (like an iPhone or Android phone).  The phone then easily stores this data as a contact.

URL's can also be stored which is what I'm using them for on this site.  As you visit each page, the barcode changes to represent the URL of the page you are viewing.  This can then be scanned and saved on your phone as a bookmark, or shared with others via SMS or Bluetooth.

I think they are a great way of easily transferring complex data and I'm sure we'll see them everywhere in the future.

You can create your very own barcode right now on this site!  Enter the text you want encoded in the box below and then press the 'Generate' button and your barcode will magically appear in the box.  Give it a try and scan it to see it working.

Barcode text:

Members could create an amusing one, copy it and then post it as a comment below to share with everyone who has the technology to read them. Happy barcoding!