Esponce – The industry’s most powerful QR Code API 3 is released. To demonstrate the REAL POWER of QR Code API 3, we are delighted to introduce our QR Code plugins for various applications: WordPress (short code & widget), Blender, Adobe Photoshop CS3, Inkscape, Google SketchUp, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Outlook.

How do plugins work?

Esponce QR Code plugins extend supported applications with a QR Code generator. You can generate different QR Code types: vCard, meCard, bizCard, text, URL and change fonts and colors. On the user’s request a window or dialog is usually displayed where the user enters content and clicks a button to generate and insert the QR Code into the workspace. The user can then further manipulate the QR Code, e.g. change size or add overlays.

For simplicity, the Esponce plugin uses web service (API 3) to generate a QR Code matrix, i.e. the position of the black modules in a QR Code. The matrix is then passed to an application to render the final image or object. Input of the QR Code is defined by the content and parameters while output varies among applications.

What are the limitations?

Applications are written for a specific task, e.g. WordPress for writing blog posts, Word for writing printable documents, Outlook for sending e-mails, etc. Plugins are customized to fit into each editor, so there is no general plugin that would work for all applications. The downside is that each plugin must be installed manually for each application, but hey, once the plugin is installed it is easy to use, right?

A version of the base application must also be compatible with its corresponding plugin. There may be some minimum version defined, but this should generally work fine with updates / if you use the latest versions.

Plugins are lightweight and use web service to generate a QR Code matrix, so an internet connection is required. Single transfer takes less than a kilobyte of data!

Supported applications and practical scenarios

Users who frequently create QR Codes want to keep things as simple as possible. Plugins are here to accelerate and simplify QR Code generation. See the demos below.

WordPress plugin

The package for WordPress consists of two features: widgets that are displayed in the side-bar and short codes that are inserted into the blog post through the editor.

Microsoft Office plugins

A package of plugins is available for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Supported only in Windows and Office version 2007 and 2010.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 script

Adobe Photoshop supports .jsx scripts. Scripts are not optimized for speed, but may save some time by doing tasks automatically or repeatedly. The QR Code script is also useful for tweaking or reusing the code in other scripts.

Blender script

QR Code in 3D modelling applications may make less sense but you can create QR Codes as random blocks to play with, e.g. simulations, dynamics, animations, etc.

SketchUp script

SketchUp is frequently used in architecture, to make a quick sketch of a building and put it on Google Maps. Maybe you can find a QR Code interesting feature to include in real-estate…

Inkscape plugin

Inkscape 0.48 comes with integrated features for generating classic barcodes and DataMatrix code. This plugin makes it possible to generate QR Codes.

Where can I get the plugins?

Download QR Code plugins at http://code.google.com/p/qr-code-plugins

Installation instructions are described by each plugin.

Our little square fat book has arrived. Inside you will find our selection of 10 clients logos. Newly released book – NEW TYPOGRAPHY 2 published by Feierabend Unique Books , Berlin, Germany consists of logos, typography, illustration and photography to animation and industrial design from 124 selected designers and design studios.

Here are the snapshots.

How the QR Code scanner works

When scanning a QR Code the reader will recognize the pattern, decode the code, and format the content in a human friendly way. The user can easily click on a link to open a website, open a location on map, view contact card, view video or image… Internet connection is recommended but not always required.

Features

The main feature of the application is the ability to scan and decode a QR code and when you scan the code you have a history tab of all scanned QR codes. The application has a track tab that shows you activity on tracking QR codes (view scans by day, manufacture, device model and location) and as an extra feature it is integrated with an online service QR Code platform. You can also generate QR Codes right on your mobile phone and send it to an e-mail address.

Features:

• Scan code, send via e-mail or save
• Generate code and send via e-mail
• History of all scans
• Track scans
• Geo targeting
• Analytics and graph report
• Vibrates or sounds when scanned

QR Codes are ubiquitous now

We share the opinion of Matthias Galica who “believes that QR codes have changed the way people consume services and products” which he quoted in an article in “Marketers embracing QR codes, for better or worse” on CNN.

Try it out

There are many QR scanner’s on the market already and we are giving our 5 cent worth too.

Give Esponce a try and scan away!
Check the app on Windows Phone Marketplace or scan the code with Windows Phone to download the app!

As many of you may have suspected …we have been searching for a new name for our QR Code platform and after much soul-searching and creativity we arrived at the name “Esponce”.

The name Esponce is derived from the words QR Code which means Quick Response. We had many names that didn’t it make through to the final rounds as the .com aspect and domain name had to be free and available to us. Domain names are running out which means we are having to be more and more creative with name development as the years go on! Thanks to all of you who have offered your help and worked with us in our .com name hunt!

In the near future we will rebrand the whole site with the Esponce name but today we are ready to start showing off some of the new QR Code features we have been working on lately. This update is one in a series and we named it the 3.5 update. Stay tuned for more… it is coming soon!

What’s new in version 3.5?

With all of the new features we believe we have come a big step closer to the QR Code platform we want to build with full v.4 version and there are many more features our users are just itching to use in real life QR Code campaign scenarios.

1. GEO codes
2. Mobile OS codes
3. White labelling for trackable QR Codes
4. White labelling for beautiful mobile apps
5. Resell QR Codes and mobile apps to your clients
6. Protected mobile apps (with password)
7. Multilanguage support for mobile apps
8. Better info on your location metrics
9. Improvements here and there

GEO QR Codes

GEO codes allow you to redirect users to different URL’s depending on their location. A useful option for all nationwide QR Code campaigns as this approach can be a huge cost saver. As a benefit you have analytics and the ability to compare results in one place.

Mobile OS Codes

This is easy solution that enables you to link a QR Code to multiple app stores at once. You can link to the App store, Android store, Windows marketplace or BB store. The code is smart enough to understand the difference between iPhone na iPad as well. Use this code even if you have an app just for one platform as you will get information on how big a user group is on the other platforms. If you can not offer users a download link you can switch to a default destination.

White labelling for trackable QR Codes

You can expose your brand using white labelling option.
QR codes have the information embedded into the code and the information displayed on the mobile screen when the code is scanned is dependent on the QR Code reader the user has. White labelled QR Codes allow you to brand codes such as (vCard, vEvent, Geo location and map, text, e-mail, phone number, SMS).

The white labelled code is set once and then applied many times to the chosen QR codes at your convenience. You can buy white labelling tags and each time you decide what that chosen QR Code will be branded for, you have only spent one tag. If you delete the QR Code or remove the white labelling from it you get your tag back.

Our open pricing structure allows you to buy as many white label tags any time you need them. A white label tag is always connected to the existing QR Code tracking subscription plan.

White labelling for beautiful mobile apps

You can expose your brand using the white labelling option on mobile apps.
This option is the perfect solution for agencies, retailers or publishers, allowing them to take advantage of mobile marketing serving their own clients. The white label code is set once and then applied many times to mobile apps at your convenience. White label tags are dynamic meaning that once the mobile app, that is using the white labelling, is deleted from the system you get your white labelling tag back.

Our open pricing structure allows you to buy as many white label tags any time you need them. A white label tag is always connected to the existing mobile app subscription plan.

Re-sell a QR Code platform to your clients under your brand

Adding clients to your account and making brandable mobile apps was a request that came up time, and time again from our users, marketing agencies, studios and businesses. Now all this is possible on any subscription plan you may have by adding more clients to your account.

We provide custom solutions as well
We provide various solutions and consultancy services to agencies, brands, retailers, publishers and others to ensure that the execution of the final client QR Code campaign is perfect and delivers exactly what is needed for a successful mobile marketing campaign.

Protected mobile apps

You can hide the mobile app from being visible to the public. This scenario can be used if you are working with exclusive services, internal apps or just testing before the launch.

Multi language support for mobile apps

Mobile apps can be customised and translated to any world language. You can edit/translate a default language and customise everything from a contact form to an error page.

Default languages: English, German, Dutch, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Polish, Czech, Slovenian, Hungarian, Serbian and Croatian.

Better info on your location metrics

We have improved many of our existing features but most of all we wanted to give our users a better overview of location metrics. We integrate an interactive map with the location markers of every QR Code scan. While we were creating this map feature we discovered that it required pretty intensive processing and all the data was potentially going to lead to slow page performance… We went back to the drawing board on this and returned with a massively improved 10 x time speed optimization!

Improvements here and there

• vCard – two fields for work phone and mobile phones
• QR code with logo in SVG format
• Better, faster and optimised Mobile apps
• Touch screen Photo gallery in mobile apps and social sharing button
• Improved API 2 for transparency feature

Our Super Dynamic QR Code feature allows you to plan your weekly/monthly marketing activity in advance. You can even specify the exact date on which your specific content will appear, which is perfect for any kind of product launch date, openings or events that are normally promoted through posters, flyers and other marketing activities. You schedule your QR Code once and from then on, it works on its own.

Example

Let’s say your local pub have regular stand up comedy shows on Thursdays and parties on Fridays. For these two days your QR Code can be linked to some different content then automatically revert to the default one. If this is a repeating event then this approach is far easier than setting up a new code or editing its link every week. Normally, the QR Code should be connected to a mobile web app to get more info about shows, events, artists, submissions.

We’re happy to announce the release of a QR Code platform that can help you get on board and take advantage of QR Code technology and truly optimized Mobile apps solutions.

We are working closely with agencies and clients around the world to provide top QR Code and mobile services for brands and businesses. QR Codes and the mobile channel are our passion – good enough is not good enough, we strive for excellence!

QR Codes are the easiest way to transform your analogue marketing into digital, and QR Codes can be the medium that connect your brand with mobile audiences out there. They represent a new communication channel that everyone can afford and they can be easily implemented alongside your current marketing activities. Their huge advantage is the low budget that is needed to enter into the space of mobile communication.

We live in times of mobile and social networks and information has never before been so available and so easily accessible. Everything is going mobile and you should consider how to prepare your future marketing strategy with mobile channels in mind.

Features

Our QR Code Platform allows you to create, manage and track your QR Codes and QR campaigns. All tracking codes are dynamic by default and therefore you can reuse them again and again. With our QR platform you can easily change your code from URL link to vCard or text QR Code, creating any type of trackable QR Code and tracking them in real-time analytics dashboard has never been easier.

You may start asking how to track the scans of QR Codes that don’t have link to your vCard, text, phone, GeoLoaction. We can track all these QR Code types and with our QR Code management analytic tools you can grab and monitor them to see how effective they are.

Check out the complete list of features >

How QR scanning works

First, you need to go to your smart phone marketplace (Apple store, Android marketplace, Windows phone marketplace or Blackberry marketplace) and search for QR Code reader. Most of these QR Code readers are free applications. Then just open the app and start scanning. This is the list of best QR Code scanner apps.

Mobile apps

Connecting a mobile audience via QR Codes should include an optimized mobile web site. QR Codes offer a quick way to connect to your online information for people that are constantly on the move. The majority of them have now have a Smart phone and they don’t need to type a URL into the mobile browser which is a huge time saving and less error-prone way to access information. When they take the effort to take out their phone and scan the code they get all information loaded into their mobile phone browser. When the user has loaded the whole web page into the mobile phone browser they just don’t know what to do: scroll left-right or vertically to view all the content on that page, there is so much information that isn’t relevant and it takes too much bandwidth. At the end of the day this is not the most efficient way for someone to experience your brand, service or other information on a mobile phone. So, you need optimized content that is easily browsable on smart phones and that is exactly what we are providing.

Think mobile
Think how you would feel if someone gave you 100 books and magazines instead of only the publication you asked for. Using generic desktop web pages a QR Code campaign landing page is far from what smart phone users expect to find when scanning the code and in reality poor mobile experiences or connecting a QR Code to desktop web pages is still the Number One mistake made by QR Code advertisers.

Enhance mobile experience with mobile optimized landing web page
An effective landing page should engage potential customers in a positive way. Creating a branded optimized mobile web app that work across all phones and tablets can dramatically increase mobile experience and most importantly your bounce rate can be much more efficient.

Within our QR Code Platform you can integrate proper mobile experience and create mobile web apps that are cross devices/OS platform optimized.

You can enhance your mobile experience with rich mobile content, prize contest, portfolio and social channel integration and custom landing page that can change the way you market your real-world promotions in mobile space. Without a properly delivered message, you can’t expect that people will take any action!

Check out the complete list of features >

Great example how QR Codes can add value!

Tesco / HomePlus is a South Korean grocery chain and they utilized this amazing subway QR Code grocery store in Seoul in February 2011. This is very elegant and peppered with creativity and forward thinking solutions. It is simply one of the best uses of QR Codes in e-commerce in the world so far.

How to create custom QR Code?

Designing custom QR Codes is an Art of it’s own as a designing cool and readable code is not an easy and quick thing do to. One way to enhance the black and white code is to add and overlay your graphic. With this process you can simply sign off your codes with your logotype, image, or graphic. With our QR Code platform you can do just that. You can simply integrate your logo or graphic into the QR Code and you can use live indicator to see if the Code is readable or not.

90+ gallery of custom QR Codes

From implementation of our custom codes two months ago, we were incredibly surprised at how many people were designing and creating their own custom codes. There were a few hundred custom codes generated by brands and business, government, non-profit and individuals… There is no doubt that QR Code technology has penetrated in all sectors of our daily life.

Take a look this unique 90+ gallery of custom Codes from Orange- telecommunication company to FEMA (US. Department of Homeland Security).

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Avivo corporate identity

Bella Sicilia corporate identity