Geeks in Phoenix

Geek Blog


How to create a QR code

It seems everywhere I look nowadays; there is a QR code. You can create a QR code for all sorts of things from websites, events, and contact information. So here is how to create your own QR code.

How to create a QR code

I first wrote about QR (Quick Response) codes over ten years ago, back when they were just starting to become popular. But with the pandemic, QR codes became an easy way to share information. And you can customize them quite a bit more than a decade ago.

Of course, a decade ago, smartphones were not that smart. In fact, you had to have a special app to read QR codes. Nowadays, both iOS and Android devices have the ability to read QR codes built-in. Just open your camera app and scan away.

Time for a bit of QR code history. QR codes were invented in the '90s for tracking components in vehicle manufacturing and have always been black squares in a square grid on a white background. They can now be customized with different colors, patterns, and logos.

To create a QR code, you must know what information you want your code to display. There are several types of data you can generate a QR code for, and here are some of the more common types of information used in QR codes.

  • Event
  • Contact information
  • Email address
  • Geographic location
  • Phone number
  • SMS
  • Text
  • URL
  • WiFi network

Next, you will want to decide if you want to be able to track the people that scan your QR code. If you wish to track your code, you will need to use a paid service. Several of the QR code generators do provide this service. But if you want to create just a QR code, there are plenty of free QR code generators, and I have included a link to a few at the bottom of this article.

Everything else is entirely up to you. The QR code size, color(s), shapes of the body, eye frame, and eye ball can be customized and you can even add an image too. Here is how I created a QR code for Geeks in Phoenix.

I decided that I wanted a QR code that displays GIP's NAPW (Name, Address, Phone, Website) and include an image. I tried creating codes using vCard and MeCard formats but did not like how the data was displayed.

I then used the text format and got some pretty good results. The text format does have a 300 alpha-numeric character limit but does allow for line breaks. I used a plain old text editor like Notepad to create the text and then just copied and pasted it into the QR code generator.

I then created a horizontal image for the QR code and quickly found out that an image with a transparent background kind of gets lost in the QR code. I then made one with a white background; as you can see below, it worked out quite well.

To include an image, most QR code generator sites require you have an account, except for QR Code Monkey. So I generated a few test QR codes and finally got a code that does look good, and the results it displays are pretty cool.

I started with this text.

Geeks in Phoenix
4722 East Monte Vista Road
Phoenix, AZ 85008
(602) 795-1111
https://www.geeksinphoenix.com

I then generated this QR code.

Geeks in Phoenix QR code with logo

And when I scanned it with my smartphone, here is what the results looked like.

Geeks in Phoenix QR code scan results on an Android device

As you can see, the business name and address appear as text, the phone number turned into a telephone link and the website address turned into a hyperlink with the website title, description and favicon included. Now that is really cool. Here are a few free QR code generators for you to check out.

QR Code Monkey

QR Code Generator

QR Code Generator by bitly

Sources:

Wikipedia "QR Code" August 10th, 2022
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code

Another Android smartphone upgrade

Upgrading my smartphone has never been an easy task for me. Probably because I get so familiar with the way it operates. But there are times when you just have to bite-the-bullet and go for it. So, here's my recent experience upgrading my Android smartphone.

Another Android smartphone upgrade

So, I had purchased my Droid 4 about three and a half years ago, and it worked just fine for the first couple of years. Then it started having battery run time issues and had to be charged every night.

I had thought about just getting a replacement battery, and that would fix the problem. But this was one of those devices that the manufacturer had glued the battery in-place.

Replacing the battery meant I would have to carefully pry out the old battery, ensuring not to puncture the battery casing. Have you ever seen what happens when you puncture a lithium-ion battery? It's right up there with the exploding battery issue.

So, when my Droid 4 could not hold a charge for more than a couple of hours, I knew it was time for a change. But when I tried to get the back cover off the Droid 4, I found that the battery had swollen to 150% its original size, it was time to get a new smartphone.

I took a look at what my carrier offered for smartphones. I had three (3) requirements; a removable/replaceable battery, a micro SD card slot, and it had to be inexpensive (damage from accidentally dropping it is a significant concern).

So, I ordered a new Samsung Galaxy J3 and prepared for the move. Even though the battery in my Droid 4 was malfunctioning, the device itself was still functioning correctly. As soon as I got the new Samsung J3, I started the process of upgrading my smartphone.

  1. The first thing I did was back up everything I wanted to keep from both internal storage and the micro SD card. I had to turn on USB debugging to do this. Even though I am going to move the existing micro SD card to my new phone, I still want to back up the data (photos, music, etc.) I have on it.
    View of my Droid 4 inside of Windows 10 File Explorer
    Since this will be the third phone I am using this micro SD card with, I may just reformat it to get rid of any junk I don't need.
  2. I powered off my existing Droid 4 and removed the micro SD card. Since the battery had started to bulge out, getting the back cover on or off was extremely hard. But with a little finesse, I was able to do it.
  3. I tried to connect the new phone to my existing phone carrier's network. What was supposed to be simple turned out to be a little more complicated, but not much. For a day, in my spare time, I tried powering off my old phone and then powering on the new phone. All I keep getting was an error about not being able to connect to a server and to please try again later. I was in no hurry, but I finally called the support number listed on the error screen. After confirming the order number, my new phone finally was able to make a connection and started to function correctly.

After setting up all of my different accounts (Gmail, email, etc.), all that was left was to install all of my apps using Google Play. This process took a little time to figure out, as I wanted to install the same apps on my new phone that were on my old phone, but there did not appear to be a clear way for me to do it. I did finally come across how to do it.

How to install apps from one Android device to another using Google Play

  1. Bring up Google Play in a browser on your computer (sign-in if you are not already).
  2. On the menu on the left side of the page, left-click on Apps.
  3. On the Apps menu, click on My apps.
    View of installed Android apps listed by device on Google Play
  4. Pull-down the All Apps menu and select your old device.
  5. Left-click on the app you want to install on your new device.
    Google Play app information dialog box
  6. In the lower right corner of the app information, you will see a button that says Installed. Left-click on it and bring up the app installation dialog box.
    Google Play app installation dialog box
  7. On the app installation dialog box, you need to choose a device to install it on. When you pull down the device menu, you will see that there is only one device you can install it on. Left-click on your new device and then left-click on Install.

Switching from one Android smartphone to another

I know that change is good, but sometimes I just fear it. A case in point is my smartphone. I liked my original Droid; it was small enough to fit in my pocket and did everything I needed it to do. But it started to show its age, and newer Android apps wouldn't run on it, so I decided it was time to get a new phone. And the move was relatively easy.

The biggest problem I was facing was the installation of my apps. Some of them were installed before Google created the Android Market, now known as Google Play. I had sync 'd my old Droid with my Google account, so some of my apps were shown as installed inside of Google Play. And there was a couple that was not, and I would have to install them manually.

Both of my Droids appear in My Devices in Google Play
Both of my Droids appear in My Devices in Google Play

Since my Droid survived so long (over four years), I decided to go with a newer version, the Droid 4. The first thing I did was add the Droid 4 to my Google account and then go over to Google Play. It was now listed in my devices, and I could install apps on it. I went to Apps > My apps, and all of my apps showed up.

Apps show they are installed but not on what device
Apps show they are installed but not on what device

But when I selected one, it would show it as installed but didn't show what device it was installed on. When I clicked on the 'Installed' button, I was given a list of my devices to choose from. From there, it was pretty easy to get the apps I had on my Droid installed on my Droid 4.

When installing Google Play apps you have a choice of which device
When installing Google Play apps, you have a choice of which device

The next thing I had to do was get my photos, music, etc., off my Droid and on to my Droid 4. Everything was on the micro SD card in my Droid, and since the Droid 4 did not come with a micro SD card, I just powered off both devices and moved my existing 16 GB micro SD card from the Droid to the Droid 4. When I started up the Droid 4, all of my data was found. I simply connected my Droid 4 as a mass storage device to my computer via a USB cable and moved files in between the internal storage and the micro SD card.

List thing I did was manually install the apps that were not listed in Google Play. Once that was done, I had to do some configuration on the apps I had just installed. This took the most time of all. But when it was all done, my Droid 4 was ready to go and working great.

Sync data between your PC and smartphone with CompanionLink

Like a lot of people, I use Microsoft Outlook as a PIM (Personal Information Manager). And being in the computer repair industry, I need to keep all of my data (contacts, calendar, etc.) synchronized and up to date on both my PC and smartphone. I found I can do all of this quite easily with CompanionLink.

CompanionLink 5 for Outlook setup screen
CompanionLink 5 for Outlook setup screen

I wrote an article a while back about syncing Outlook with my Android phone using CompanionLink on my PC and DejaOffice on my Android. It works because you install CompanionLink on your PC or Mac and install DejaOffice on your Android, iPhone / iPad, Blackberry, etc. You then define what database (Outlook, ATC!, etc.) and what fields (contacts, calendar, etc.) you want to sync.

DejaOffice 2.2 main screen
DejaOffice 2.2 main screen

Recently they released a new version of both CompanionLink (V5) and DejaOffice (V2.2) with more capabilities and features. They have multiple versions for different applications (I use CompanionLink for Outlook). Here's a quote from their website on the products they offer:

Our products work with Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, HP webOS, Palm OS, and Windows devices. We also sync with Google, Gmail, Google Apps, and Windows Live (Hotmail) accounts

CompanionLink for Outlook
Sync Microsoft Outlook with Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, or any Google/Gmail account. Supports two-way sync of contacts, calendar, tasks and notes.

CompanionLink for Palm Desktop
Sync Palm Desktop or Pimlical with smartphones, tablets, or any Google/Gmail account. Supports two-way sync of contacts, calendar, tasks and memos.

CompanionLink Express
Sync ACT!, Lotus Notes, HighRise, or GroupWise with smartphones, tablets, or any Google/Gmail account. Supports two-way sync of contacts, calendar, tasks and notes.

CompanionLink Professional
Sync Salesforce CRM, Goldmine, or any other supported database with smartphones, tablets, or any Google/Gmail account. Includes all the features of CompanionLink Express, plus the ability to sync to from multiple databases, sync with up to 5 devices, and advanced sync options.

CompanionLink for Google
Sync Microsoft Outlook contacts and calendar to Google Contacts, Google Calendar, and Google Tasks. Works with any Google, Gmail, or Google Apps account. Two-way sync is fully supported so you can make changes to data in Outlook or in Google.

CompanionLink for Outlook.com / Windows Live
Sync Outlook with your Windows Live Hotmail account. Supports two-way sync of contacts, calendar, and tasks.

CompanionLink for Time & Chaos
Sync Time & Chaos with smartphones, tablets, or any Google/Gmail account. Supports two-way sync of contacts, calendar, tasks and notes.

CompanionLink FA
Sync Wise Agent, Infusionsoft, SalesJunction, or Respond with smartphones, tablets, Outlook, or any Google/Gmail account. Supports two-way sync of contacts, calendar, tasks and notes.

CompanionLink for Mac
Sync Mac's Address Book and iCal with any Android device. You can also keep Outlook for Mac in sync with Android. Requires OS X Lion (10.7) or Mountain Lion (10.8).

For more information on CompanionLink and DejaOffice, follow the links below:

CompanionLink

CompanionLink FAQ's

Streaming music from the cloud for free with Google Music

Updated November 20, 2020

Note: In October 2020, Google shut down the Google Play Music service and recommended users transfer their accounts to YouTube Music. All of the links in this article have been changed to YouTube Music.

Google recently introduced a new music service into its catalog of products called Google Music. With Google Music, you can store all of your music to your account on Google's servers and stream it back to your favorite device. Google Music gives you space for 20,000 songs, which roughly comes out to around 100 gigabytes of storage for free!

My library on the Google Music website
My library on the Google Music website

You can access your music from any browser with an internet connection, or you can use the Google Music Android app. There are two ways of getting songs into Google Music. You can download free music or purchase music from the Android Market. Or you can use the Music Manager program from Google to download / upload music to / from your computer. A few of the cool features are Auto Playlists (any song you have Thumbs up'd), Instant Mixes (a quick mix of 25 songs), and Playlists. And with free / purchased music, you can share a listen with your circles on Google+.

The Google Music Manager interface
The Google Music Manager interface

Music Manager is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. There is one restriction on types of music files; only MP3 format is allowed to be uploaded. And you will need to have the latest version of Flash for the Google Music website. Here's a quote from the website:

Google Music stores all of your music online so that you can save space on your computers and mobile devices and easily access your collection from anywhere you want to listen.

Use Google Music to browse and search your library, easily create playlists, rate your favorite songs, edit song information, and more. Since your music collection is online, you don’t need to worry about syncing these changes across your devices.

Storage

  • Android Market purchases - Free and purchased music is automatically saved to your Google Music library and does not count towards your storage limit.
  • Your personal collection - You can add up to 20,000 songs to Google Music from your PC, Mac, or Linux computer, free of charge. All you need to do is download a simple desktop application called Music Manager to the computer where you keep your music. Music Manager can upload your iTunes and Windows Media Player library, playlists, playcounts, ratings, and more.

For more information on Google Music, follow the links below:

YouTube Music

Free computer diagnostics

Repairing a PC can sometimes be expensive, and that is why we offer free basic in-shop diagnostics. Give one of our professional and experienced technicians a call at (602) 795-1111, and let's see what we can do for you.

Check out our reviews

Geeks In Phoenix LLC, BBB Business Review

Customer service is #1

Here at Geeks in Phoenix, we take pride in providing excellent customer service. We aim to give the highest quality of service  from computer repair, virus removal, and data recovery.

Bring your computer to us and save

Repairing a computer can be time-consuming. That is why we base our in-shop service on the time we work on your computer, not the time it takes for your computer to work! From running memory checking software to scanning for viruses, these are processes that can take some time.

Contact us

If you have any questions, please feel free to give us a call at (602) 795-1111  and talk with one of our Geeks. Or you can send us a message from our contact page contact page , and one of our Geeks will get back to you as soon as possible. Or you can stop by and see us. Here are our hours and location.

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