I think a lot of hate comes from the fact that I've never encountered a QR code where I couldn't have typed in the URL on my stupid-tiny keyboard faster than the time it took for the QR app to scan the code.

I'm curious if this means my phone has a terrible camera or if yours has a terrible keyboard. Probably both.

It's the error-pronedness - clicks are far easier. Can you always type a lengthy URL without any mistakes or having to make corrections?

Plus, I can't read a poster and a phone without constantly changing whether I'm looking through glasses or not. I type pretty well, but the scan wins every time.

Added in edit: I really, really don't understand the downvotes. I'm offering a point of view as to why QR codes are easier for me. Is your downvote saying that I'm wrong? Is your downvote saying that it's irrelevant? Is your downvote saying that only people who hate QR codes can be tolerated? Is your downvote saying your mind is closed to other points of view? Help me to understand!

It took me 28 seconds to type in this sentence on my cell phone. I didn't use auto-correct, so it's a pretty good match for typing a url, if a little long. That time did include going back through to correct for errors. Comparatively, I've never seen a QR code scan in under a minute, either on my own phone or on one from my friends, family, and coworkers.

I could see the glasses thing being a pain.

>I've never seen a QR code scan in under a minute,

How is it taking you that long to scan QR codes?

I'm using a free barcode scanner with a fairly slow phone (LG Optimus) and I just pulled up a bunch of QR codes to scan.

Every one is done in under a second.

It takes the same amount of time for me to pull up either the keyboard or the barcode scanner, and I definitely can't type a url in under 1 second, so the scanner beats it hands down.

I suspect he's not talking of the time to actually scan the code, but the total time, given one code, of picking up the phone, finding the app, activating the scanner, checking the URL that it brings up, and then hitting "Go".

As I say, I do all that in about 20 seconds. Once the app is open, individual scans are very quick.

Benchmark against NFC though... :P

Running a timer on my desktop, I've just timed pulling my phone from my pocket and scanned a bar code, one handed. Including getting the phone out it took 19 seconds, without any possibility of getting it wrong.

And yes, the glasses thing is a pain, one of the disadvantages of getting old. 8-(

19 seconds? I may have to give QR codes another shot.

I just did it again - yes - 19 seconds. This time I was more leisurely, but already had my phone "home page" open. Click on apps, open menu, scan to bottom, up one, click. Point, focus, open.

Start: Mon Jun 18 23:18:19 BST 2012

End: Mon Jun 18 23:18:38 BST 2012

So you saved 9 seconds.

Think about how much time it takes to find the app, download the app, learn the app, remember the app and use the app. My guess is 100x longer than all of the times you will ever use QR codes put together.

That right there is your problem.

It's on my phone in an obvious place, and I use it a lot. I couldn't type URLs in sub 30 seconds, so it's saving me much more tham a few seconds every time.

And it's error free.

So no, that's not my problem, and I'd take it kindly if people would stopp telling me I'm wrong for finding useful something they don't agree with. Do you bother to listen to your users? Or do you just tell them they're wrong?

I think I was misinterpreted. I meant that's the problem in a general sense.

That unless QR codes are substantially quicker than manually typing a URL it will never take off. Because the fact is that people aren't typing in URLs every day.

I just timed myself, from phone off on the table, to having my phone's browser loading the page in a QR code I displayed on screen. 7 seconds. Pretty much the same amount of time it would take to open the browser at all.

Just tried again after I finally bothered to set my browser as the default link handler (so I don't have to pick from a list) and set my QR app to automatically open links I scan (so I don't have to tap the link) now it's 5 seconds.

Granted, I've found myself using QR codes frequently enough that I can get from my lock screen directly to scanning a QR code by swiping up instead of right (which unlocks the phone normally). So what I actually did was press power, swipe up, point at QR code, and that's it.

Two words: URL shorteners.

That still introduces the problem of surprise, but with the space saved by not posting the QR code, you can provide context about what the URL does provide.

And riddle me: why can't your phone to OCR on a legibly-presented URL any better than it can read a QR code (yes, I know, redundancy and all that, but still).

You've said it yourself - with a shortener I've got no idea where it's going, and now I also have to type a weird, meaning-free string of upper, lower and digits.

And I don't have a reliable OCR app, and OCR doesn't have redundancy.

So it doesn't work, it's hard to type, and I don't know where it takes me. How is that better?

And at least scanning the QR code shows me the URL before opening it.

The QR code takes up enough space that context is precluded. With a short URL, there's at least the option. Mind: marketers providing context generally doesn't happen.

I suppose, client side, you've got the option of previewing the destination URL before going to it either way. Again, not that a naked URL tells you a whole lot, but at least I can see if it's a PDF, HTML doc, or EXE downloadable off the top.