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The Anatomy of a QR Code: How QR Codes Work

QR codes, like the barcodes they enhance, convey information through a graphical code of black and white pixels. Where a barcode is one-dimensional, a QR code is two-dimensional. In this content it means that information is conveyed by reading both the horizontal and vertical locations of the pixels, rather than simply the horizontal position. As such, humans can decode parts of a QR code and translate the contents manually, though it is generally tedious and time-consuming. There is generally far more information included in a QR code than the short numerical strings contained in a UPC barcode, meaning human decoding… Read more

NFC vs Bluetooth: What’s the Difference?

In today’s increasingly mobile world, we love the convenience of using wireless technologies. We want our wireless data to transfer quickly from one device to another without worrying about security. We need access to safe and secure methods of transferring data from one device to another. Who wants to worry about anyone stealing your credit card information while you are paying for your morning coffee? Luckily, there are two different wireless technologies that work in different ways to make these quick, secure transfers possible. These are NFC and Bluetooth. NFC and Bluetooth both make connections between two devices… Read more

What You Need to Know About UFS 3.0 Storage

Over the last decade, smartphone technology has undergone massive improvements and changes. At one time feature phones had no cameras. Today, there are at least three camera modules fit into one phone, all with different functions and zoom. But have you ever thought about what goes on behind the scenes in the storage vault of your smartphone, tablet, or digital camera? For most people this isn’t a priority until they run low on storage space. Fortunately, this vital component’s performance is getting the same progress as charging techniques, and today, high-end smartphones are already running the Universal Flash Storage (UFS) standard. … Read more

What You Need to Know About UFS 3.0 Storage

Over the last decade, smartphone technology has undergone massive improvements and changes. At one time feature phones had no cameras. Today, there are at least three camera modules fit into one phone, all with different functions and zoom. But have you ever thought about what goes on behind the scenes in the storage vault of your smartphone, tablet, or digital camera? For most people this isn’t a priority until they run low on storage space. Fortunately, this vital component’s performance is getting the same progress as charging techniques, and today, high-end smartphones are already running the Universal Flash Storage (UFS) standard. … Read more

It’s Not Just GPS: We Have Six Global Navigation Satellite Systems, and They’re Getting Better

If global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) stopped working, life would get confusing pretty quickly, since we use them for everything from driving directions to keeping computer clocks updated. Even a 13-microsecond satellite clock error in 2016 ended up causing a lot of headaches until it was fixed. Thus, it’s probably a good thing that GPS isn’t the only satellite navigation system in existence – Russia, the EU, and China all have their own satellite constellations, and there are even smaller regional systems that help make coverage of certain areas more precise. In fact, your phone is probably counting on two or three different satellite constellations… Read more