Real title: New '2D barcodes' puts info at the tip of your camera phone. But the post title is a reasonable comment. I actually had a CueCat, which read URLs in the form of barcodes. It was a real bust. I dont see the future they see in the article. Reading UPC codes to get product information or price comparisons? Sure. 2D codes to phone downloads? It's seems so 20th century, compared to GPS based inquires and the like.
GPS won't help you enter a URL from a magazine ad. QR is a nice idea, fills a niche, and since you don't need a standalone barcode reader like the CueCat anymore this might have a chance here in the USA.