I originally talked about this on Smartspace, but since Kaywa thanked me publicly, I thought I'd blow it on out to a wider audience. You may have heard of QR codes, (the one seen here is the code for this blog's URL). They originated in Japan to tag auto parts, but have expanded to become a way for mobile users with cameraphones to quickly link to online content from print ads, products, magazines, you name it (including booth girls at tech conferences, and Matt Joneses eternal struggle to get a 2D code into icons and all else). Fully half of all i-mode users in Japan have used QR codes, according to RFID in Japan.

So, Kaywa has created a QR code reader that fits nicely in your mobile, and also a code generator so you can create your own code. You can also test it on a few sample codes on their site as well, and download some music if you are so cool as to be in Switzerland, where they are based.

So, let's see if we can spread QR codes beyond the shores of Japan. Personally, I plan to tattoo both my kids with them. It's cheaper than chips!