QRMidlet

About

QRMidlet is a J2ME application for your cellphone which enables you to take photos of QR Codes and decode them. If the decoded QR Code contains a URL, it allows you to access that URL directly on your phone. It uses a modified version of this open source qr code library. So far this midlet has only been tested on a few cellphones - if it works on your phone as well it would be great if you could .

Download & Installation

You need a J2ME-capable cellphone with integrated camera and support for CLDC v1.0, MIDP v2.0 and the Mobile Media API to use this midlet.

So far, this midlet has been successfully tested and verified to work with the following cellphones:

  • Nokia 6630
  • Nokia N70
  • Motorola e1000
  • Siemens CX70

Even if your phone isn't listed, chances are good the midlet will work if your cellphone isn't too old.

There are two options for downloading and installing QRMidlet on your phone:

  • Access the following URL on your cellphone for direct OTA-installation:
    http://qrdemo.com/qrmidlet/QRMidlet.jad
    This method requires data transfer over your cellular network. Your cellphone must be set up for data transfer over your cellular network for this to function properly. Depending on your cellular network service provider and contract, your cellular network service provider might charge you for this data transfer.
  • Download the QRMidlet.zip archive to your computer and install the QRMidlet application manually. Depending on your phone you may do so e.g. by sending the QRMidlet.jar file contained in the zip archive to your phone using bluetooth or an infrared connection.

Getting Started

  1. After installing and starting the application, you'll be greeted by a launch screen. Select "Camera" to launch the camera pane.
  2. Once in the camera pane, point your camera at the QR code you're trying to read. Make sure that it has good black-and-white contrast and occupies as much space in the viewfinder as possible without cutting portions of the code off. When you've aligned phone and QR code to your satisfaction, press "Capture". Depending on your phone you might be asked whether to allow the QRMidlet application to use your phone's camera or not.
  3. A stand-by screen appears letting you know that your phone is busy decoding the QR code. Depending on your phone this may take several seconds.
  4. When your phone has finished decoding the QR code, the results screen showing the decoded text will appear. If the decoded text is a http-URL (eg. http://www.google.com/), the QRMidlet application allows you to access this URL directly in your phone's browser. To do so, select "Open" from the menu in the results screen. If the decoded text is a tel-URL (eg. tel:+3585551234567), the QRMidlet application allows you to call the telephone number directly. To do so, select "Call" from the menu in the results screen.

Troubleshooting

  • Cameraphone optics are still of rather poor quality and don't perform very well in low lighting conditions. Make sure that your QR Code is well lit and shows up with a good black-and-white contrast in the viewfinder.
  • Try to hold your cellphone flat in front of the QR Code when taking a picture. Make sure that the code occupies as much space in the viewfinder as possible without cutting any portion of the code off.
  • Try to hold your phone as still as possible and avoid excessive hand movement when snapping the picture.
  • You can take pictures of and decode QR Codes printed on paper or displayed on an LCD-display. Decoding QR Codes displayed on a CRT-display won't work.
  • You can change the picture resolution using the "Settings" menu option in the camera pane. There are two options available, 160x120 pixels capture resolution and 320x240 pixels capture resolution. The default setting is 320x240 pixels. Lower resolutions typically decrease the time necessary for decoding a QR code, while higher resolutions offer more reliable decoding results.

License

Copyright © 2005, 2006 Christoph Wimmer

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA.

Source Code

Download the QRMidlet source code