QR scanning for most of us may already seem to be an archaic practice. With NFC, tags, Android Beam, Google Wallet, etc, many of us have moved away from scanning altogether. Many still feel it's important however to keep a good scanner application on their phones. Recently I wrote about the updates that came with Barcode Scanner, a staple for many of us who have had an Android phone for years. Many of us still make it a priority to install that after a clean wipe or firmware update. I have been looking at another application, though. Scan allows us to do much more than just scan QR codes.

Scan caught my attention after reading that it had over 25 million downloads on iOS, Windows Phone, and Android. It has received over a million in venture funding from Menlo and Google Ventures. The application itself has recently undergone a major revamp and is poised for growth. Scan was founded in January of 2011 by developers Garrett Gee, Ben Turley, and Kirk Ouimet in Provo, Utah.

At application launch, Scan provides a minimal design for scanning barcodes. With recent Jelly Bean UI updates, the interface is smooth and simple as an application like this should be. Unlike Barcode Scanner, this application seems lighter and less bloated which is an added bonus. Scanned barcodes quickly load in the browser or any designated application. Overall, the interface is very fluid and fast. Simple details such as the screen staying on are noticed as well.

Scan does go beyond the consumption of barcodes. They own the scan.me domain as well. With their code generator, we can create a QR code to take friends to a website, view text, or provide our contact information. That's always handy. On top of that, though, we are able to create social actions which would allow friends to scan a QR code to find our Twitter account, or Like a page or check in on Facebook. One can even create a QR code which would allow house guests to log into password protected home wifi with a simple scan.

On their page, we have the ability to view our scan history, view all created QR codes, and an account page to link social networks and manage personal information. Now, instead of a simple barcode scanner, an entire ecosystem is created for not just the reading codes and consuming content, but creating and sharing them as well. I have always sided in favor of having a larger symbiance between my mobile devices and the browser, and Scan does it all seamlessly.

I could find few flaws within the app. I look forward to more social interactions within their QR code generator. I can only create interactions with Twitter and Facebook. I do not see interactions for Foursqure, Google Plus, Linked In, or other sites that I frequently use. I hope in time that functionality is all added. I'd also like my WiFi password to not show once that code is scanned. I would much prefer to see stars or dots instead.

I believe Scan is worth checking out. I also recommend creating a few QR codes for sharing. I found myself turning on my printer and making a few for my house. That's an achievement in itself. I never turn on my printer.

Has anyone else checked out Scan? I realize that barcode scanning has become passe in our Android NFC culture, but sometimes we need to provide data for our friends on iOS who are still way behind us. Do share your thoughts about Scan or app scanning preferences in the comments.

Scan is free in the Google Play Store