One thing that mobile devices have championed is the growing use of QR codes to share information, such as weblinks. Most of Nokia’s S60-powered smartphones come with a QR code reader pre-installed, and there are a number of java-based readers available to install, as well. However, I think those are going to change very soon, with the growing popularity of URL shortening services. It’s also telling that most of the newest Symbian-powered smartphones, such as the N97, do not have a built-in QR code reader.
As such, a new shortening service has popped up, with a specific focus on phone-friendly short URLs. You can check it out at MobileTinyUrl.com, and the resulting URLs start with ‘ad.ag/’. Each randomly generated MobileTinyUrl is generated specifically with a standard T9 keypad in mind, to require the absolute least number of button presses. It’s an ingenious idea, really.
Do you think this is a better solution than QR codes? Are you already using a URL shortening service? If so, which one, and why did you pick that one?
