Wii U controller to feature NFC functionality

The Wii U tablet controller will feature close proximity radio communication technology called Near Field Communication (NFC), which shares similarities to the RFID style Oyster cards used across the London transport network. "The NFC I'm referring to here is the non-contact NFC standard that is compatible with FeliCa and MIFARE, and is expected to be widely used around the world in the near future," said Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.

GovDocs integrates QR codes with new Compliance Check

GovDocs, a state and federal labor law poster and human resources product distributor, has launched a new service that aims to streamline compliance audits by integrating QR codes into the process. The Compliance Check program will be using the codes to help businesses ensure they fall in line with the 200 changes to the U.S. labor law that have happened in the last two years. Businesses are required to make their labor law posting available for all employees and each posting will feature its own QR code so workers can find out more information on a specific law.

TAGSYS Ramps up Its Go-to-Market Strategy for the Americas

TAGSYS, the leading provider of item-level RFID infrastructure, today announced that it is increasing its investment in the North and South American marketplaces, and has appointed a new executive team to ramp up its presence in the Americas.
"With TAGSYS total systems approach, enterprise customers in the Americas can transform the way information is processed across the supply chain and between business partners," said TAGSYS CEO Alain Fanet. "Our renewed focus and commitment in this region will enable TAGSYS to expand reach for our complete portfolio of RFID infrastructure systems, while allowing clients in the Americas to duplicate the successes we have achieved with brands in Europe."
TAGSYS makes RFID simple by providing rapid, easy to install RFID infrastructure solutions that provide a fast return on investment (ROI) and return on effort (ROE). Because the TAGSYS solution set is based on cloud computing technology, up-front investment is low; and since the solutions are plug-and-play, they require minimal effort on the part of internal IT staff to deploy, integrate and support.
To assist with this expansion, TAGSYS has appointed Monte R. Lucas as its Vice President of Sales for North and South America, which the company formally announced on January 18th. Supporting Lucas will be TAGSYS' new Sales Director Chad Ward and Customer Program Director Michael A. Daily.
"I am looking forward to working with the new TAGSYS sales team," Lucas added. "TAGSYS offers industry-leading RFID systems. With the RFID and business transformation experience of this new executive team, I believe that we will quickly see additional growth in the Americas."

Vancouver restaurants adopt QR codes

Several Vancouver restaurants have added QR codes to their menus to promote transparent food practices — so that information such as where your food came from and how it was grown is just a scan away. The code takes you to Foodtree, a social media platform where information about businesses and food producers are profiled and regularly updated. Users can also share pictures and insights.

Next-generation technology advancements nearly double reading speed RFID locking system

VingCard Elsafe, the global leader in hospitality security and part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, announces newly implemented enhancements to the electronics and lock control units of its best-in-class RFID locking systems that are providing an even more satisfying guest experience, while building upon the company's strident security standards.
Recent advancements to VingCard's RFID locking technology-which include, among other improvements, a newly optimized internal antenna-have increased the reading speed of the systems by almost 50% over earlier versions. Similarly, the new platform enables RFID locks to read keycards from more than twice as far.
VingCard Elsafe introduced RFID locking technology in 2006, and has since installed more than half a million RFID locks at properties around the globe. In addition to RFID's many security and operational benefits, one of the key factors in VingCard Elsafe's decision to develop this technology was its ability to eliminate a concern with traditional magstripe keycards. Because magstripe cards are easily de-magnetized by being kept in close proximity to cell phones, guest keycards must often be re-encoded. RFID technology effectively eliminates that issue, and has proven to be a more secure and reliable platform overall.
Due to the company's strong commitment to R&D and implementation of this technology, all major international hotel chains are now adopting RFID for their guestroomlocking solutions, and this industry-wide adoption has made RFID the new locking technology standard worldwide.

Avery Dennison and Xtreme RFID collaborate on durable RFID tag

Avery Dennison RFID, a business of Avery Dennison, and Xtreme RFID, a Cascade Engineering company, have collaborated to create the highly-durable, RFID-based Xtreme Metal Tag. To create the tag, Avery Dennison RFID’s AD-843 is encased in plastic via a custom injection molding process developed by Xtreme RFID. The finished Xtreme Metal Tag is 5.75L x 2.4W x 0.31H inches.
Mike Lewis, Xtreme RFID Business Unit Manager says, “The AD-843 was clearly the best choice for the Xtreme Metal Tag. It meets or exceeds each one of our requirements including a minimum 6-foot read range on metal substrates. Since metal can impede radio waves, we were additionally pleased with the AD-843 performance. And, the AD-843’s ample surface area and robust chip-to-antenna connection provide superior durability during our proprietary converting process.”

UK consumers lack awareness of NFC

The latest research from YouGov's Mobile Wallet study reveals low awareness and usage rates for contactless card technology. Findings indicate that banks and retailers need to do more in order to increase usage of the technology. The study found that 12% of the British population believe they own a contactless card, yet according to the UK Cards Association, there were 19.6 million active cards in the UK in November. Just 8% of the British population

Leo InnoTech and UPM RFID implement large-scale item-level RFID solution for apparel warehouse

Leo InnoTech (LIT) and UPM RFID have carried out one of the largest item-level RFID implementations for a Chinese apparel company, with six million apparel items tagged annually. The solution focuses mainly on warehouse logistics optimization, benefiting the apparel company with significantly lower labor costs and fast delivery. Leo Paper Group (LPG), LIT’s parent company, supplies the printing and lamination of RFID hang tags with embedded UPM DogBone and UPM ShortDipole UHF inlays from UPM RFID.
Leo InnoTech (LIT) has set up a patented solution with gate-in and gate-out tunnels: apparel is passing through accurately and reliably at an average 350 items within 20 seconds. For hanging garments, LIT has setup a 70-meter long automatic conveyor system, where garments are classified and controlled to 28 gates using RFID technology at a speed of 60-90 hanging garments every minute.
Using RFID technology in warehouse management, the apparel manufacturer will achieve substantial savings in labor costs. Meanwhile, when apparel items are passing through outbound logistics accurately and without delay, retail customers receive fast and correct deliveries to ensure better customer service. When mis-shipments and rush deliveries can be avoided, transportation resources are used more effectively and with lower impact on the environment.

Douglas Coupland goes pop with QR Codes

Artist Douglas Coupland has turned computerized Quick Response codes into pop art creations in a video that sends people directly to various local sites such as Grouse Mountain and VanDusen Botanical Garden. Called Vancouver Codes, the videos will be appearing Monday on screens at Canada Line stations as part of the year-long 10 Seconds project curated by Paul Wong. It’s also available now on The Vancouver Sun’s website.

Scanbuy Study Reveals 2D Barcode Adoption and Awareness Rates Strong Among U.S. Marketers

Scanbuy, Inc., the developer of the ScanLife mobile barcode platform, released results from a quantitative study that illustrates high awareness and adoption of 2D barcodes among U.S. marketers across a wide range of industries. Representing more than 100 marketers from both large and small businesses in industries such as healthcare, retail and entertainment, the study showed that 50% of key decision makers are already using 2D barcodes as a part of their overall marketing strategy and 86% plan to use the technology in the future.
Conducted through uSamp's SurveyBuilder platform that includes an audience of over five million panelists from around the world, the study reveals new data from the marketer's perspective that can be used to gain a better understanding of current adoption rates, and how campaigns are being implemented and assessed.  Additional results included the following:

 •Difference in awareness of 2D barcodes between large and small businesses is relatively minimal with 95% and 89% respectively
•61% report using open source code formats with QR Codes leading by a large margin at (45%), Datamatrix (16%), Microsoft Tag (14%), EZcode (12%) and Snap Tag (11%).
•Top three content choices that the codes link to include: product details, promotions and coupon offers
•Top three media placement choices included magazines and newspapers, direct mail and product packaging
 •Of the 50% of respondents currently implementing 2D barcodes, the most important factors for a successful campaign include:
◦Access to analytics from the scans including basic usage and also demographics of users
◦Ability to edit the code or access it at anytime from a web-based platform
•69% of respondents reported using a paid 2D barcode service, while 39% reported using a free service
•When asked if they were happy with their experience, those that used a paid service were 50% more satisfied than those using a freeware generator.

New DENSO AT20B Barcode Scanner

DENSO ADC, the Americas sales arm of DENSO Wave Incorporated, inventor of the QR Code, announced a new, AT20B handheld barcode scanner that offers high-speed scanning, user-friendly operation and high durability, yet an affordable price.
DENSO's Advanced Scan Plus technology gives the AT20B twice the scanning speed of previous models, increasing operator efficiency. A super-deep scanning field allows smooth close-up and distant operation, regardless of the scanner's position. Using the latest DENSO algorithms, the AT20B can scan poorly printed or otherwise difficult-to-read barcodes. The device also allows trouble-free scanning of wide barcodes, such as the ITF-14 and GS1-128 (EAN-128) codes used for utility and medical bills, and Code 39 on EIAJ labels.
The AT20B's compact, lightweight and ergonomically shaped design makes it easy to hold and aim, reducing operator fatigue. An LED guide-light improves the ease of targeting, even when scanning multilevel or very small barcodes.
The AT20B is durable, with a shock-absorbing construction that allows it to withstand being dropped onto a concrete floor 6 times from a height of 1.8 meters or 60 times from 1.5 meters. The device also features IP42 dust- and water-resistant protection, as well as a connector-cable locking mechanism that prevents damage to the connector or cable.
Other features of the AT20B include easy-to-use configuration software and an auto-sense scanning mode. A data-verification function allows verification to be done with a single scanner, while data-editing functions allow simple programming (ADF scripting) for data truncating, sorting and converting. A command-control function enables the scanner to be controlled by a PC for fully automated operation.

IC-TAG Solutions Earns RFID Technology Certification

IC-TAG Solutions, Inc., announced its certification from Alien Technology to use its EPC Gen 2 RFID inlays. Security enhanced products also produced by IC-TAG include wristbands, sensor tags, watermarks, preprinted logos, UV/invisible printing and glow in the dark printing. IC-TAG RFID labels and tags aid customers in safely identifying, tracking and managing vital resources and transactions accurately and more efficiently. Additionally, IC-TAG offers thermal transfer printers to print compliance labeling, baggage tagging, retail labeling and asset tracking.
IC-TAG Solutions, Inc. partnership with Alien Technology aided them in testing RFID labels and tags to ensure high-quality products for customers including the US Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), retail and pharmaceutical companies. Alien Technology’s recent accreditation by EPC Global Inc. Test Center Program (v.2.0) for complying with EPC Global Inc. performance test center specifications for certified services and core technical capabilities illustrates its commitment to provide high-quality products for its partners including IC-TAG™. Their partnership with IC-TAG Solutions also furthers Alien Technology’s dedication to the growing specialty technology markets by strengthening and enlarging the RFID channel to territories in United States, Canada and Latin America, Asia, Europe and Australia. Together IC-TAG Solutions and Alien Technology will continue to keep the price of RFID and other security enhanced products competitive and dependable.

Polycom Releases Voice-over-Wi-Fi Phone With Barcode Scanners

Unified communications provider Polycom Inc. on Monday unveiled its first Voice-over-Wi-Fi handset with 2D barcode scanners for enterprises. The SpectraLink 8452 combines a mobile phone, pager, push-to-talk functionality, barcode scanner and Web access so workers can stay in touch from anywhere within the enterprise Wi-Fi network. The scanner can read 1D and 2D barcode images from up to 34 inches away.
Polycom, which sells through channel partners, also said the SpectraLink 8452 is in the qualification process to work with Microsoft Lync. If all goes as planned, the phone will be able to display and share call and directory information through Lync, and accommodate features including presence and instant messaging. The SpectraLink 8452 targets settings such as hospitals, retail stores, factories and hotels.

QR Codes Gaining Ground With Consumers And Brands

QR (Quick Response) codes aren't new – they've been around for about two decades. But lacking both technology and awareness, consumers haven't known what to do with the quirky square barcodes pasted on product packaging and store shelves. However, a recent Consumer Pulse study by Chadwick Martin Bailey shows that may be changing. Despite the fact that most consumers (79%) aren't familiar with the term "QR Code", the vast majority of shoppers (81%) have seen them and approximately one in five consumers know how to utilize them during the buying experience.

Much More Than Just Cold Chain

When most people think of RFID-enabled sensors, they tend to think of temperature-logging applications within the cold chain to gauge the true expiration date for pharmaceuticals, fruits and vegetables, and other perishable goods. While that is an important application, it's far from the only application within the supply chain. And supply chain applications aren't the only ones we should be considering.
Sensors can help differentiate between isolated occurrences of damage  from ongoing ones -- and help identify the cause. While it may be easy to determine that a computer monitor was broken by the delivery man throwing it over a fence to "expedite" delivery, damage to sensitive materials due to rough handling or excessive vibration during transport is more difficult to identify. While it may be easy to determine that a computer monitor was broken by the delivery man throwing it over a fence to "expedite" delivery, damage to sensitive materials due to rough handling or excessive vibration during transport is more difficult to identify.