Mobile system to drive cashless transactions

Imagine doing your shopping at a supermarket and when you get to the till, you are not required to pay cash or swipe a card, you simply wave your mobile phone near the till and your bill is settled. Sounds too futuristic? What if, instead of paying a bus conductor in cash you just hold up your smart phone and he uses a scanning device to deduct your bus fare? This is the world of Near Field Communication (NFC) and although it sounds novel, the technology is already present in Kenya and it is just a matter of time before it goes into mass adoption.

Coffee Joe / Location-based print ad

iPhone 5's 'One More Thing': NFC?

The most recent photo of purported iPhone 5 components includes an unknown chip that some believe to support near-field communications. The photo shows an assembly of parts, but with an addition not seen in previous photos of the same assembly. AppleInsider reported, "The square component covered by EMI shielding is in line with the dimensions of currently available NFC packages like NXP's 5 millimeter-by-5 millimeter solution."
 

MoZeus Worldwide Integrates License and Barcode Scanning

MoZeus Worldwide, a mobile-marketing and content-management software company, is proud to announce the integration of License and Barcode Scanning into the iOS version of their SMART Activator platform. This update allows consumers to register for engagements with driver's licenses, attendee badges or and other 2D barcodes.
The license-scanning integration enables brands to capture valid personal data quicker and easier. Using scanners developed by industry leader TokenWorks, Inc., MoZeus is able to scan driver's licenses, badges or other similar items that contain 2D barcodes. The new MoZeus License Scanning Software has proven to be more than 95% reliable in the field, meaning it can read licenses from every state at an almost perfect rate.
"We are very excited to announce that driver's license and other barcode scanning has been added to the SMART Activator on iOS," said Scott Sheppard, President and Chief Technology Officer of MoZeus Worldwide. "These are amazing tools for brands to incorporate into their engagements. The accuracy of the new scanners provides the ability to speed up registration and increase through-put."
MoZeus has worked with approximately 200 brands, agencies and sports properties to leverage the SMART Activator for more than 100,000 event days, which has resulted in ten million unique leads and 25 million survey questions answered. The SMART Activator has become the most-used marketing application in the world by offering a cutting-edge technology platform that allows companies to engage consumers and provide real-time value for brands.

QR Code Location Based Print Ad

Café Joe, a chain of coffee houses in Israel, is using location based newspaper ads with a QR Code (image below) to lead readers to a free cup of coffee. Scanning the code gives the user mapping directions to the nearest branch where they can redeem a coupon for a free cup of coffee and finish reading their paper (video below). The recent Tim Hortons QR Code coffee cup sleeve was also a Y&R campaign although not Y&R Israel.

Falls Creek falls for NFC

Australian near field communications technology distributer, NFC Wireless, claims to have turned the ski resort of Falls Creek into "Australia's first NFC enabled town" after persuading 50 businesses to install its NFC tags and use these to provide customised information. "The technology provided by NFC Wireless enables NFC-ready customers to connect easily to each of the businesses in Falls Creek by simply tapping their handset against a tag at the business premises," it says.

Schindler and KONE agreed to settle a dispute of RFID

Inventio AG, a company of the Schindler Group, and KONE Corporation have signed a settlement agreement regarding Inventio's patent family related to RFID call input technology for elevators, including EP Patent No. 699 617, US Patent No. 5,689,094 and others (the "Patents"). The parties reached the agreement on their dispute over the use of the Patents prior to initiating patent litigation in the matter. The settlement agreement provides KONE a license to use the Patents in its operations worldwide against an agreed consideration. The specific terms of the agreement are confidential.

Flexible and Durable UHF RFID Laundry Tag

GAO RFID Inc. is offering its flexible and durable UHF RFID laundry tag which allows simultaneous reading. Its small, soft and flexible material makes it ideal for textiles, clothing, garments and accessories.
This UHF RFID laundry tag, model 116407, features exceptional durability, complete flexibility, heat-seal capability and withstands repeated washing, drying, dry cleaning and ironing. It provides a read range of up to 2 m thus inventory management can be performed accurately and easily. The tag conforms to the ISO/IEC 18000-6 Type C standard.
The efficiency of check-at-once inventory management and extended read range and accuracy greatly improve receiving, shipping, and tracking of assets keeping costs low by improving workflow.
This small and soft UHF RFID laundry tag belongs to GAO's family of Gen 2 EPC UHF RFID Tags. This family of RFID tags includes a wide variety of RFID tags to meet customers' different needs. Some featured products in this line include 860 MHz to 960 MHz Gen 2 Thin PVC Card-Passive which is ideal for any application requiring small form factor and long read range and 860 to 950 MHz RFID Tire Tag and many other RFID tags.

Co-op Bookshop simplifies QR code sales

The Co-op Bookshop has improved on a trial, conducted earlier this year, using QR codes in a store window to sell university textbooks, and it's now rolling out a revamped process to ten stores. The Co-op Bookshop had painted a wall of QR codes onto a window in the company's Macquarie University store. When students used the QR code for a text book, they would be directed to a page on the Co-op website where they could then buy the book.

E-zwich smart card patronage sees jump

The use of e-zwich biometric smart card saw about a 500 per cent growth in patronage of some of the services in the six months to June this year, data from Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) has shown. Data from GhIPSS across various e-zwich transactions shows that while patronage increased for most services by over 50 per cent on the average between January and March this year, the usage shot up by huge margins between March and June.

APAC Banks Evaluate NFC Models

The face of mobile banking in the Asia Pacific region is set to change in a big way. Be it for Singapore, Australia or New Zealand, going by what’s happening in these countries, new forms of digital payments are finding their way in. International Data Corporation (IDC) has highlighted that now major banks in the region are set go beyond basic mobile banking services. In Singapore, an infrastructure has been worked out where the objective is to let the industry on the whole capitalize on the same considering the open access model for NFC infrastructure. The plan is to support contactless mobile payments.

Apple Receives NFC-like Patent for iOS 6 Passbook App

Almost a year in the works after filing, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) finally published Apple’s patent to disclose that the Cupertino-based tech giant will use it for an “on-the-go shopping list” feature in the final version of its upcoming mobile operating system, iOS 6. The app, as mentioned in the patent filing, will not harness the power of NFC technology to finish a transaction as NFC-enabled Android devices do.

International Wholesale Inc. Launches Barcode App

International Wholesale, one of the premier wholesalers and distributors of dollar store merchandise in the Midwest, has announced the launch of its own iOs app that allows users to experience optimum shopping convenience. The International Wholesale barcode app enables customers to directly scan any item straight from the shelves and build their order all within the application. Using advanced barcode scanning technology, users are given access to real-time inventory and up-to-date product information through mobile devices.

Low cost both positive and negative for QR codes

QR codes, a type of 2D barcode, have seen widespread use due in part to the low cost of producing them, but this carries with it a significant risk: companies can use them as a cheap means of URL replacement and pass it off as mobile marketing, to the detriment of the user experience. "People become engaged once they've scanned [the QR code] if the incentive is high enough...Not if it's a low-value URL replacement," said Mike Wehrs, CEO of mobile barcode specialist Scanbuy. He explained to Total Telecom late last week that it is vital that QR codes link to content that is relevant and optimised for mobile to avoid the pitfall of a bad user experience.

Durable Barcode Label Options from Camcode

The Camcode Division of Horizons Incorporated has added new stainless steel options to its line of durable barcode labels used in industrial environments. These new offerings make it even easier to identify, control and track equipment and other capital assets in harsh industrial environments. The new stainless steel barcode labels include:
Camcode's 304 Alloy Stainless Steel Industrial Barcode Label is ideally suited for applications in chemical, textile, petroleum and food processing environments, or those applications requiring resistance to frequent cleaning with strong caustics. These labels also meet MIL-STD-130 requirements. Camcode’s 304 Stainless Steel barcode label is constructed of ceramic-marked 304 stainless steel (thickness of .018"), with a standard mill finish.
Camcode's 316 Alloy Stainless Steel Industrial Barcode Label is thicker with a more decorative nameplate look and a brushed finish. It is the ideal solution for applications requiring resistance to frequent cleaning with strong caustics, such as food processing, medical and laboratory environments. It is also recommended for marine environment applications which are exposed to salt spray. This label is constructed of ceramic-marked 316 stainless steel (thickness of .024") with a No. 4 brushed finish.
Both types of stainless steel labels are available with high-performance permanent pressure-sensitive adhesive and/or holes for mechanical attachment. In addition, Camcode’s Stainless Steel Barcode Labels will remain readable after exposure in harsh environments, and have excellent resistance to chemicals, caustics, solvents, salt and intermittent heat up to 700° F. Expected exterior life is more than 20 years.
These new Stainless Steel Industrial Barcode Labels join Camcode’s current line of barcode labels for industrial environments, which includes Metalphoto® Barcode Labels, Extra High Temperature Barcode Labels, Premium Polyester Plus Barcode Labels and Paint Mask Barcode Labels.

Singapore NFC services to finally go live

The nation's infrastructure for mobile payments using near-field communication (NFC) technology is ready for launch and will be rolled out in three payment types. Led by Gemalto, the consortium comprising Citibank, DBS, EZ-Link, and the three local mobile operators--M1, Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel), and StarHub--will be launching nationwide NFC services. At the launch the consortium said three types of payment modes--credit, prepaid and stored-value--will be rolled out through NFC-enabled mobile phones in the coming weeks and can be used at 30,000 retail points.

Stop trying to make QR codes happen

Parkmobile Australia announced that it was trialling a new mobile payment service with Yarra City Council in the Victorian suburb of Burnley, using "the latest QR code technology". Once you register with Parkmobile, you can use the app, its website, the QR code, or just call the company to pay for your parking. Given that there are so many options, the QR code seems to be the least efficient method of paying for parking. My question is, why include it at all, let alone make it the main feature to highlight for your new parking tech?

Hersheypark Uses RFID System to Let Visitors Pay Without Wallet

Guests at Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Co.'s Hersheypark won't need to reach for their wallets anymore if they participate in using the amusement park's newly adopted Smart Band RFID Wristband system, provided by Precision Dynamics Corp. (PDC). Those utilizing the wristband can load money into a prepaid account, and then use the wristband's built-in RFID tag to make payments at concession stands and stores.

Champion SynGold Motor Oil Incorporates QR Codes

Champion SynGold full synthetic motor oils are uniquely designed to help provide outstanding levels of fuel economy performance, cleaning power and engine protection, even during extended oil change intervals. SynGold is proven to significantly reduce wear and viscosity breakdown because of its advancements in oil technology.
SynGold’s premium mixture of synthetic base fluids and performance additives outperform all previous engine oils for protection and durability from wear and viscosity breakdown. SynGold’s wide range of viscosity grades fit all types of modern vehicles, including high-performance turbo-charged, supercharged gasoline multi-valve fuel injected engines found in passenger cars, SUVs, light vans and trucks.
QR Code, abbreviated from Quick Response Code, is the trademark for a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular in the automobile aftermarket for its fast readability and large storage capacity compared to standard UPC barcodes. The code consists of black modules (square dots) arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded assists consumers in factual data and purchase decisions.

RFID Revived To Weed Out ‘Colorums’

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in Manila have agreed to bring back radio frequency identification (RFID) in weeding out illegally operating (colorum) and out-of-line public utility vehicles (PUVs) in the metropolis.
LTFRB Chairman Jaime Jacob and board members Al Parreño and Ronaldo Corpus have signed a joint agreement of cooperation with MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino last week to formally “assist each other in implementing technology solutions to enhance vehicle identification and enforcement efficiency.”