RFID Tags to be Required at Port of New York/New Jersey

Trucks serving the Ports of New York and New Jersey will be required to use Radio Frequency Identification technology sometime next year. The RFID mandate will require each truck serving the port to be identified through its VIN number and other characteristics to enhance port officials' ability to identify vehicle that may pose a security risk, reports the American Trucking Associations' Intermodal Carriers Conference.

Health Robotics' Launches Embedded RFID Support

Health Robotics announced the general availability of embedded Radio-frequency identification (RFID) for its world-leading Sterile Compounding Automation solutions i.v.STATION, i.v.SOFT, and i.v.STATION ONCO. These RFID upgrades will be showcased at the upcoming ASHP Midyear Meeting & Exhibition (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) on December 2-6 in Las Vegas, Nevada at Booth # 853. At the same time, Health Robotics announced that it entered the Blood/Plasma Automation Industry by leveraging its unique technology benefits across the Pharmaceutical and Blood/Plasma industry sectors.
Health Robotics' RFID solutions provide a wireless non-contact system that uses radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data from a tag attached to an object, for the purposes of automatic identification and tracking. The RFID tags contain rich, electronically stored information, which unlike bar-codes, do not need to be within line of sight of the reader and may be embedded in the tracked object, often resulting in faster scans, hands-free operations, massive scanning of multiple objects, and improved workflow and patient safety.

'Smart cards' to debut in 2013

Starting next month, the Regional Transportation District (Colorado) is leaping into the digital future with the introduction of its new smart card fare payment system for EcoPass holders. Late next year, the smart cards -- dubbed MyRide -- will replace all general bus passes and punch cards throughout the system. For EcoPass holders, of which there are more than 80,000 in Boulder County alone, it means an end to the tiny colored stickers that adorn their bus passes. RTD will instead distribute credit card-sized passes, each equipped with an implanted microchip, that riders can swipe on a reader when they board a bus or light-rail train.

Nadra starts issuing Smart Cards

The (Pakistan) National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) has started issuing Smart Cards, the most secure national identity card of the world, containing 36 security features, sources told ‘The News’ on Monday.

First Smart Card has been issued on the name of Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan, the sources said adding that Director General (DG), Nadra, presented the first card to President Asif Ali Zardari in President House on Monday night. The Smart Card is a 3rd Generation Chip-based identity document that is built according to international standards and requirements.

Omni-ID: Leading the Pack in RFID for IT Asset Tracking

Omni-ID, the original patent holder and supplier of high-performance, on-metal passive UHF RFID tags and visual tagging systems, shared the results of some recent performance testing conducted by the engineers at the RFID Network on a variety of RFID tags for IT Asset Management applications, from multiple vendors.

"The largest data centers in the world are now using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for IT asset management. There are numerous companies claiming to have RFID tags designed for IT asset management. The RFID Network engineers did performance testing of commercially available RFID tags advertised as complying with the FSTC Guidelines for IT asset management...What we found was the Prox NG from Omni-ID had the furthest overall read performance, and more importantly, the least amount of orientation sensitivity..."

Barcelona’s QR Code Shopping Wall

Spanish supermarket Sorli Discau has opened a QR Coded virtual store in Sarrià subway station in Barcelona. 400 products are available and are delivered to the shoppers home. QR Code poster shops at subway and railway stations are not new but what is interesting is that some virtual grocery stores are using QR Codes while others like Philadelphia’s Peapod use UPCs and an app. The question is, in the long run which method will consumers prefer?

Track Students With RFID Chips, Get Rich

Today in the department of bad ideas, we have a pair of San Antonio schools that’s decided to tag its students with radio frequency identification (RFID) chips so that they can track their every move on campus. Starting this fall, the Northside Independent School District will be issuing RFID-equipped identification cards that the kids have to wear on lanyards any time they’re on campus. And then, in some corner of the principal’s office, the students show up as moving dots on a map of the screen like some real life game of Pac Man.

Rutgers Communication School Unveils QR Code Exhibit

Embracing the next step in communication and technology, faculty and students at the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University (SC&I) on Tuesday unveiled a new exhibit embedded completely in QR Codes. QR Codes, those little boxes with puzzle-looking lines that come to life when read with a QR Code reader on a smartphone or ipad, are one of the latest forms of information sharing, showing up in advertisements, on billboards, and have even been embedded in some printed publications.

British mobile wallets NFC venture cleared by EU watchdog

The European Commission gave the go-ahead to mobile operators Telefónica, Vodafone and Everything Everywhere to create a joint venture that will allow customers to make payments via their phone using near-field communications (NFC) technology. The system stores debit or credit card information on handsets and enables payment by swiping the phone near a reader at the checkout.

From iOS vs Android to the timeless PC vs Mac. As Samsung and Apple take the headlines, we look at the other classic battles. The probe was launched in April after concerns were raised by 3UK, which complained to the Commission that the project was "discriminatory" since the three companies involved represent more than 90% of UK mobile subscribers.

Retrofitting Locks to Provide Greater Security

Innovations in hotel locking have been moving full speed ahead since the world’s first mechanical card lockset was introduced in 1979. Door locks with recordable pre-punched keycards replaced metal cutout keys in hotels around the world, providing greater security for guests and operational benefits for individual properties. As time passed, the mechanical card lockset that was once thought to be cutting-edge was replaced with magnetic stripe key systems. Today, new technology has allowed for even greater advances in locking with Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) and Near Field Communications (NFC) options.

Munzee Celebrates 1 Million Captures by Adding NFC Technology to Their Geolocation Platform

Munzee, a geolocation platform featuring gamification elements, has achieved 1 million captures worldwide in just a little over 12 months. Utilizing smartphones, players are rewarded for finding hidden items in traditional scavenger hunt style gameplay, at their favorite business building customer loyalty or at a large-scale event.
To celebrate, Munzee has added new gameplay to the platform utilizing Near Field Communication (NFC), a wireless communication technology. Traditionally, Munzee utilizes QR codes to validate the finding of a hidden object. NFC tags now offer a completely new dynamic to the platform by using a thin sticker that can be captured by holding your phone in close proximity to the NFC tag. While QR codes will still be the dominant technology used, NFC tags will allow for more creative hides in the environment, attached to a restaurant menu or behind a movie poster.
NFC is a hot item with mobile payment platforms and Munzee is excited to adapt NFC technology to their style of gamification. Instead of tapping your phone against a cash register to give someone money, Munzee will reward a player for gaining points and leveling up by tapping their phone against an NFC style munzee.

KMAG Develops New GEMINI Dual Tag

KMA Global Solutions International, Inc. (PINKSHEETS:KMAG) KMAG announces the development of the GEMINI tag, a dual technology, RFID/EAS reusable hard tag, that can simultaneously and seamlessly provide all of the needed functionality of an RFID tag, while also functioning as an EAS tag with complete compatibility with the most common EAS technologies in use today.

Several major national and international retailers have announced a decision to implement RFID systems capable of tracking their inventory at the unit level, and will begin to implement the needed hardware in their stores beginning this year. Many others will follow suit over the course of the next few years. Most will begin to use RFID both for tracking inventory, and to perform the loss prevention duties that have, until now, been provided by their EAS system. Rolling out RFID in these enterprises will be a major undertaking and will proceed simultaneously on relatively small groups of stores until the changeover is completed across all locations. During the transition process, the retailers will continue to use their EAS system until the hardware transition is completed.

KMAG recognizes that there is a significant gap in the transition plans, as each store will require merchandise to bear both an EAS and an RFID tag until well after the process is completed. Applying separate RFID and EAS tags is an expensive proposition, which will be made considerably more economical through the use of the GEMINI tag from KMAG. KMAG has determined a market need numbering in the tens of millions, and possibly hundreds of millions of GEMINI tags over the course of the next few years as more and more retailers begin the technology switch.


Each GEMINI tag contains an RFID element that meets all Gen II EPC standards, as well as either of the most popular EAS elements, and can therefore simultaneously be read by the RFID system, while being detected by the EAS system in use in the store. Applying and removing GEMINI tags follows exactly the same process that the retailers employ today with their EAS tags, using the same equipment that they already own, and therefore requires no learning curve on the part of store employees or special equipment to put the GEMINI into use.

interlinkONE Releases Enhancements to Its QR Code Management Solution

interlinkONE, Inc. has released a number of major new enhancements to its QR Code management software solution, QReate and Track. These features include QR Code location tracking and reporting, an image upload utility for placing a logo in the middle of a QR Code, and additional file formats & sizes for downloading QR Codes.
Speaking on the topic of whether companies should care about QR Codes, or if they should be focusing on other technologies, interlinkONE’s CEO John Foley, Jr. shared a few thoughts. “There is no doubt in my mind that QR Codes are still one of the most effective ways to make print interactive”, said Foley. “Major brands are launching solutions that include QR Codes on a daily basis. Thus, the opportunities for service providers to increase their revenue and the value they provide to customers by offering integrated solutions that include QR Codes are still there… and they are growing.”