QR Demo - QRMidlet

QRMidlet

About

Current release version: QRMidlet v1.0 (released on 29. July 2008)

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 the of 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 v1.1, MIDP v2.0 and the Mobile Media API to use this midlet.

There's a list of compatible cellphones available, listing devices where I could verify compatibility myself and including feedback from users. Even if your phone isn't listed, chances are good the midlet will work if your cellphone isn't too old.

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

Visit http://qrdemo.com/m/ on your cellphone. You will find a download link directly on the homepage.
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.
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

After installing and starting the application, you'll be presented with a camera viewfinder.
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.
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.
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:+1234567890), the QRMidlet application allows you to call the telephone number directly. To do so, select "Call" from the menu in the results screen.
If the decoded text is a sms-URL (eg. sms:+1234567890), the QRMidlet application allows you to create an sms message with the encoded number as the recipient directly. To do so, select "Send SMS" from the menu in the results screen. This feature might not be supported universally on all phones.

Troubleshooting

Cameraphone optics are often 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. The "Automatic" setting is the default and generally recommended, however if you're getting errors it might help to experiment with different settings. Lower resolutions typically decrease the time necessary for decoding a QR code, while higher resolutions offer more reliable decoding results.

List of compatible cellphones

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

Nokia N70 (Nokia S60 2nd Edition)
Nokia 6131 NFC (Nokia Series 40 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1)

In addition, users of this midlet have reported compatibility with the following cellphones:

Motorola Razr2 V9
Nokia N95
Nokia 6288 (Firmware 6.43)
Nokia 3500 classic
Sony Ericsson K750i
Sony Ericsson K550i
Sony Ericsson W890i
Sony Ericsson W800i
Sony Ericsson W660i
Sony Ericsson Z750a

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

Changelog

QRMidlet v1.0 (released on 29. July 2008)

New QR Code decoder library: This version of the midlet now uses Open Source QR Code library v0.9 available from http://qrcode.sourceforge.jp/ (the current version as of this writing). Preliminary tests indicate that this new version of the library improves decoding reliability and accuracy.
Improved image capturing process: The videocontrol initialization and image capturing process have been improved to support a wider range of devices. Most notably, Nokia Series 40 devices should now hopefully be compatible with this midlet, however i haven't had a chance to test this extensively. I'm rather confident that this midlet should now work on at least some, if not all, Nokia Series 40 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1 and newer devices.
Improved midlet performance: The previous version of this midlet did several things (such as player/videocontrol initialization and the capturing/snapshot process) in inefficient ways. Changes to these parts should significantly improve overall midlet performance and responsiveness.
Improved midlet lifecycle handling: The midlet should now behave properly when paused (e.g. by an incoming call) and later resumed.
Improved UI: The user interface of the midlet has been streamlined and slightly improved.
Support for sms sending: The midlet now supports URLs following the sms scheme (e.g. sms:+1234567890). If an encoded URL is a sms-URL, the QRMidlet application allows the user to create an sms message with the encoded number as the recipient directly. This feature might not be supported universally on all phones.

License

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