First, you use the app by opening it and holding the phone as if you’re taking a picture of the QR code. Here’s one that goes to the front page of Make Tech Easier:

There’s a box with a red line that gives you an idea of how to center the code.

Hold steady and… BEEP! The code has been interpreted. The app will give you options according to its best guess as to what the code is. If it’s a URL, it will give you the option of opening it in the browser. If it’s ordinary text, it will let you use it as a Google search or send it as an SMS message.

URLs are by far the most common use for QR codes on Android. If a web site wants to publish a link that should be viewed on the phone, or the link is to the Android Market, the QR code is an easy way to transfer this data to viewers’ phones. There’s no laborious typing it in on a tiny keyboard. Just scan and click.

If you’d like to create your own for a web site, business card, poster, flier, or tattoo, you can create one very easily by going to one of the many online QR code generators. Qrcode.kaywa.com is one of these and it couldn’t be easier. Just type in the text that you’d like to appear in the code, choose small, medium, large, or extra large and hit enter. Then save the image to your hard drive by right clicking and going to “Save Link as…” (Firefox). There’s also a permalink to the image that will appear the box right below it.

The Barcode Scanner app will also let you transfer data from one phone to another similar to the old infrared contact swap on Palm Pilots. Go to menu, then “Share” and choose a contact, bookmark, or the the contents of your clipboard. A QR code representing the data will appear on your screen. The person you’re transferring to then scans the screen of your phone.

Android Market Links

If you’d like to share a link to an app on the Android Market, there’s a special protocol that you use that looks like this:

market://search?q=pname:com.NamcoNetworks.PacMan

“com.NamcoNetworks.PacMan” is the package name. There’s also:

market://search?q=solitaire

Put this into the QR code generator and you’ll get a QR code that links to a search for solitaire games on the Android Market.

If there’s a specific app you want to link to, you can get the link and a small QR code from Cyrket.

How to Make Scannable Bar Codes for Android Phones originally published on Make Tech Easier (RSS)

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Unfortunately, Cupcake is quickly becoming known as the update that didn’t show up after the recent announcement and then retraction by T-Mobile. It was officially announced that the random Over the Air (OTA) updates would begin late last week at the rate of about 15% of users each day, but it never came. Reports surfaced that it would be delayed until Monday and then “Early June.”

If you are wondering what version of Android is your phone running and whether it have been updated to the latest version, here is a quick and easy way to check the version on your Android phone:

1. Go to your home screen (push the home button).
2. Push the menu button.
3. Touch “Settings.”
4. Scroll to the very bottom of the list that comes up and touch “About phone.”
5. Scroll to the bottom again and look at the line titled “Firmware version.”

If “Firmware version” says:

1.0 – You’re behind! Call your phone company about getting an OTA (Over the Air) update. You’ve been out of cell phone reception continuously for months. Your phone reboots when you type “reboot.”

1.1 – You have the current version of the phone with update notifications and Maps 3.0

1.5 – You have Cupcake! Congratulations. You’ve received an Over the Air update while you slept and now you can enjoy widgets, on screen keyboards, voice recognition and more. Give yourself a little hug.

1.5 and Model Number “HTC Hero” – You’re very sneaky

What can I do if I am still not getting Cupcake?

Android phone owners are tenacious and impatient. T-Mobile may see a day when versions are released the way they are for desktop Linux starting with Alpha or even pre-Alpha. Clearly T-Mobile would like to prevent root access, tethering, and anything else that may allow unwanted access to their network and customer support, but Android phone owners will be finding a way to install a newer version from Cupcake to Zebra Cake! The company will have to find a happy medium before the standard build becomes something other than the OTA update.

T-Mobile has already made some concessions by hosting manual update threads and links on their forums and simply including a disclaimer instead of shutting the posts down.

If you’re too impatient, you can get the latest Cupcake via the manual update. It’s fairly painless and only takes a few minutes. You have to be willing to completely wipe all the data on your phone and you run the risk of rendering your phone useless (known as bricking). Also, T-Mobile claims that you will not receive OTA updates after a manual install, although a factory reset should bring you back in their good graces.

Download Cupcake here

Image credit: Rachel from Cupcakes Take the Cake

How To Check Your Android For Cupcake originally published on Make Tech Easier (RSS)

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