QR Codes
QR Codes offer you a quick and easy way to jump from our magazine content to rich online media using your Blackberry, iPhone, or pretty much any other smartphone.
QR Codes aren't new. In fact, they've been around since their invention in 1994 by Japanese firm Denso-Wave. They've been used for many applications ranging from airport security to component tracking in manufacturing environments, but for Automated Trader readers they revolutionize the way you read our magazine.
The codes allow us to take you directly from the magazine to
relevant web content, audio recordings, video interviews and much
more.
Publishing has been moving towards electronic media for some time
now, and a growing number of Automated Trader readers now access
the magazine via our electronic edition (visit www.fa5t.net/g0),
but a lot of you still like the feeling of a magazine in your
hands. Now you can have the best of both worlds.
What do I need to read the codes?
Firstly, you'll need to download an application to your phone. There are many applications available to download for free, and most load in a matter of seconds. We've found three that work on iPhone's and two of these also work well on recent Blackberry devices. The Automated Trader budget didn't extend to an exhaustive test of all smartphones, but the compatibility list for each application includes most modern phones.
Neoreader
Compatibility:
iPhone and an extensive list of other smart phones, but we couldn't get it to work on Blackberry devices.
How to get it:
From the iPhone app store search "Neoreader", download and install. For other devices open your phone's browser and visit www.get.neoreader.com
Our rating:
The best application we found for the iPhone
More info: www.neoreader.com
Scanlife
Compatibility:
Blackberry, iPhone and an extensive list of other smart phones
How to get it:
From the iPhone app store search "Scanlife", download and install. For other devices open your phone's browser and visit www.getscanlife.com
Our rating:
Worked well on the Blackberry devices we tested, as well as the iPhone.
More info: www.scanlife.com
i-nigma
Compatibility:
Blackberry, iPhone and an extensive list of other smart phones.
How to get it:
From the iPhone app store search "i-nigma", download and install. For other devices open your phone's browser and visit www.i-nigma.mobi
Our rating:
Worked well on some Blackberry devices we tested, as well as the iPhone.
More info: www.i-nigma.com
Note for Blackberry users: Blackberry devices incorporate a number of security devices that enable your IT department to lock down the phone to prevent the download of certain applications. If you have difficulty downloading and installing the application you have chosen, you may need to ask your IT department to allow access to the relevant application.
So, I've downloaded an application to my phone. Now how do I use it?
Open the application you've downloaded, and give it the permissions it requests. Once configured, open the application again. This will activate your phone's camera. Focus the camera on the QR Code you want to scan. With most applications, as soon as the image is focused properly, the code will be recognized and you'll be asked if you want to go online to the website that it's found - easy.
