QR Code Review: Two for Tuesday.

The magazine American Rifleman gave me two codes on the same page. The first one isn't anything special and only links to the NRA store, not a mobile site, just the regular web page of the holster bag, $169.95. Scan the code to get to http://tinyurl.com/3bkbb4r which redirects to http://www.nrastore.com/nrastore/ProductDetail.aspx?p=HO+22606&ct=e . At least they know enough to shorten that URL before they generate the QR code.

The second code is much better as it links directly to a video for the Heckler & Koch .22 LR with some hardcore rock music blasting and some hardcore dudes in black tactical gear busting out from a garage in slow motion into the falling snow to sneak up on and blow the hell out of some empty soup cans. Groovy. I watched it through twice.

But it crashed my browser on my Android phone. FAIL. And it didn't play in IE8, but it played in Firefox. The code scans to http://goo.gl/luDnd which directs to http://web28.streamhoster.com/umarexusa/americanrifleman/hkmp5.mp4

I always say that video is a great way to jump in to using QR codes. Most companies have video of their products, video reviews, product tests, slow motion somebody's doing something to music... this is where you want your codes. Give me a 30-second commercial for your product that you could never show on television. And I will watch it over and over again.