Galaxy S II: The Missing Manual

Downloading and Using a Bar Code Scanner

HERE’S AN EVEN NIFTIER way to download apps from the Web: Use a bar code scanner. You browse the Web using your PC or Mac, and when you come across a file you want to download, install a free app for scanning bar codes, point your camera at the onscreen bar code, and the app downloads to your PC. It’s a special piece of download magic that non-Android smartphones can’t duplicate.

First you need to get one of the many bar code scanner apps. One highly rated, popular app is called Barcode Scanner, from Zxing Team. And it’s free, as well.

Note

Barcode Scanner does a lot more than just let you download apps. It can also scan a bar code on a products, identify the product, and send you to web pages with more information about it, including reviews and places to buy.

After you install the scanner app on your Galaxy S II, you’re ready to go. Many web-based Android libraries and developer websites have bar codes next to the app descriptions, so you can easily download them.

When you come across a bar code for downloading an app, run Barcode Scanner, and then point the Galaxy S II’s camera at the bar code, centering it in the window in the middle of the viewfinder. The app quickly recognizes the bar code and shows you information about it, including the web page’s URL. At the bottom of the screen, tap “Open browser,” and the file downloads just as if you ...