Here are two QR Code Readers we have tested.

As mentioned elsewhere, QR Code readers come in two basic flavors; those that use a device's video camera to capture the code and process each frame in near real-time (Active) and those that take a picture and pass the image to the reader (Passive).

While there may be more companies making readers now, the two that we are familiar with who provide active readers are QuickMark and 3GVision. Each offers their reader as a downloadable .CAB file but the QuickMark offering requires you download the file to your computer and then transfer it to your phone, while the 3GVision reader is directly downloadable.

We certainly believe 3GVision's claim that they have over 120 million users and recognize they have a significant head start. Even though most of these users are in Japan, 3G have operations underway in Europe and Australia. They have attracted major advertisers like Pepsi and are involved in outdoor advertising, in-store displays, newspapers, packaging and other media.

At the same time, people with interest in QR Code technologies should also consider a small company in Taiwan called SimpleAct and their reader called QuickMark. On the mobile devices that we have tried both products on, it is our opinion that the QuickMark reader has had better performance; however, you should try each of them on your own device before making a choice since the reader's performance is dependent on camera tuning.

QuickMark certainly leads the QR world in their applications functionality and it is important for people to recognize what that means. The QuickMark reader can accommodate QR Codes that represent a URL/Website, a Telephone Number and a Bookmark or Favorite. It can also queue up and send an SMS message or an Email. It can save a contact as a vCard or meCard and in addition to managing encryption, it can utilize geographical coordinates from a QR Code.

These guys are the clear winner, when it comes to understanding that the reader can be much more than just a device to redirect to a website. Their work goes to understanding that the utility of the mobile device that will drive their application sales. And they certainly have some interesting applications that people should check out.

If they have any failing, it's their size. As agile as small companies can be it will be difficult to compete with the millions of developers that will have access to TAG. In the end we believe it will come down to a simple matter of scope and scalability, both of which TAG will have in abundance.