The barcode is a machine-readable coding system that is used to store data. It was first developed in the 1940’s by a graduate student named Bernard Silver when the owner of a grocery store in the U.S. requested a simpler way to collect information at the grocery check-out lines and later this technology became one of the most commonly used technologies of today among with some other types of barcodes.
Technically speaking, barcodes are a series of bars with varying widths and spaces. These barcodes are linear, meaning they are one dimensional and thus only allow for a low amount of storage.
QR Code
Because the data stored with barcode technology was one dimensional and rather limited in storage capacity, a newer technology was offered by a Japanese company called QR Code (Abbreviated from Quick response Code) in 1994. QR Code is a type of two-dimensional square barcode, storing encrypted data. A standard QR code can encode 23,624 bits of data, and since each bit has 2 states (0 or 1), it adds up to a permutation of 223624 !
So Qr Codes, with their greater storage capacities, are used for their various functions by many including grocery stores and factories and sectors such as medicine manufacturing, automotives and advertising.
The QR Code Technology Used in Outliers Notebook
Each smart page of the Outliers Notebook has a special QR code that stores page number information while the notebook works in conjunction with the Outliers Android & iOS mobile apps which features a QR Code reader.
By reading those QR Codes, the app picks up the page numbers of the pages you scan and it automatically puts them in the correct order. In doing so, your notes will be in the correct order when you share them as PDFs or when they are sent to cloud services. This way, pages can be easily accessed using a PDF search.
As the Outliers Team, we are always on the lookout to improve our apps with technology that will make life easier for everyone. What do you think? Comment below to share your suggestions with us!
