While the concept of using mobile phones to scan QR Codes to gain access to a whole horizon of data and information is encapsulating, one of the major problems faced by QR Code enthusiasts is….stability and consistency in the scanned image. If the QR Code is not scanned properly, the data cannot be read, hence, it sometimes take more than just one try to get the QR Codes scanned properly in order for the mobile phone to decode.

In the face of such a problem faced by mobile phone users, particularly iPhone users, Cambridge-based company, Airsource Ltd, zoomed in on the problem and released a new scanner for iPhone mobile phone users and it's called Optiscan. The company has taken on Zxing, a Google QR Code decoding system, did a few nip and ticks here and there and that's it – a whole new better QR Code scanning technology. They rewrote many parts of the ZXing library and added several new features to make the scan function faster and more accurate. Last I heard, the scan time is as fast as one could wish for it to be.

Another unique thing about Optiscan is that sometimes, due to poor lighting, shaking and alignment while scanning, iPhone mobile phone users may find it a little difficult to figure out whether the scan was completed or whether they need to scan the QR Code another time. Most applications won't tell you that. Optiscan is developed in such a way that if the scan is not good enough, the image will continue to be displayed which means that you'll have to capture the QR Code another time in order to get to the real meat.

This, I imagine, will save iPhone mobile phone users a lot of time and save them from frustration too. Guessing whether the scan is good enough or not, standing there right in the middle of the sidewalk wondering if another scan is required CAN be VERY frustrating! Apparently, (I've not personally tried it out myself) using Optiscan, scanning of a QR Code that leads to a particular information that you're interested in will take mere seconds….8 seconds at its worst case scenario.

On top of that, Optiscan is said to be a much more reliable and user-friendly QR Code scanning application for iPhone because there are literally no buttons to press after QR Code scanning. Some QR Code scanners, I have to say, are really annoying with their 'welcome' message and then 'confirmation' messages, etc. With this new scanner, life for the iPhone user is made much easier.