QR codes disappoint Westland Peppers in the Netherlands

The low response that they achieved from their barcode campaign for consumers let them down. Fresh produce companies have been rapidly implementing campaigns where they use QR codes on their marketing and directly on their product packages and stickers, to encourage consumers to learn more about where their food comes from, how it can be used, stored, and prepared, and why it is a part of a nutritious diet. However, while other companies have enjoyed positive results, Westland Peppers does not consider themselves among them.

Forget Your Farecard and Use One of These Hip RFID Rings Instead

Farecards are annoying. They're usually flimsy and easy-to-lose, and depending on what city you live in, they can be impossible to swipe. Why not integrate a more high-tech solution into the system? And hey, why not make it a little bit fashionable too? Well, that's exactly what these MIT students did.

QR code streamlines work order submittals

The airmen dormitory leaders at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., have implemented a new process to increase the ease and efficiency of submitting work orders. The process includes the use of a quick response code that allows airmen to submit work orders from anywhere on the dormitory campus via a free QR code scanner smart phones. A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode, which is attached to an item and records information related to that item. Data can be stored in the QR code related to a website, a digital business card or even an email address.

PayPal seeks to make mobile payments more secure

When it comes to mobile payments, security is a major issue. Mobile commerce has garnered a significant amount of attention from consumers around the world, but it has also attracted the interests of malicious groups that seek to exploit financial information. Hackers have begun infiltrating the mobile commerce scene, and this has made many consumers concerned for the security of their financial information. PayPal, which has established a prominent place in the mobile payments sector, has begun testing new technology that could make the mobile space more secure.

NFC stickers have been introduced into the burger chain's restaurants, creating an in-house playground for its smaller customers in Asia. The NFC stickers were introduced by Samsung last year, allowing businesses to programme them to perform a specific function, and thereby give customers speedy access to convenient services.

RFID to track private buses

For the first time in the state, the (Indian) Motor Vehicle Department is set to introduce Radio-Frequency Identification Device (RFID) in private buses in the city while doing away with the conventional punching system to ensure that they run on time. RFID is the wireless non-contact use of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data, for the purposes of automatically identifying and tracking tags attached to objects.

Student Suspended for Refusing to Wear RFID Chip Returns to School

A Texas girl suspended for refusing to wear a student ID card implanted with a radio-frequency identification chip is being re-admitted to her former high school where fall classes begin Monday, her lawyers said today. The flap concerns Andrea Hernandez, who will be a junior at John Jay High in San Antonio. She was suspended in January and sued the Northside Independent School District on privacy and religious grounds.

AzonMobile Launches Full Mobile Platform that Brings Together QR Code Tracking, Custom QR Code Generator & Mobile Web Builder

AzonMobile continues to dominate mobile marketing tools and services with its integrated platform: Custom QR Code Generator, QR Code Tracking and now an improved Mobile Web Builder. The new mobile web builder has a trial version. With a quick registration, users can experience this drag-and-drop mobile Web site creator and have their own AzonMobile hosted mobile Web site. Further, AzonMobile unveils the traditional Chinese and Spanish versions of its platform.
AzonMobile is the same company that currently brings a unified mobile platform that allows users to create a customized QR code and track them. Now with the Mobile Web Builder, users can fully have an integrated solution for their mobile marketing needs.
AzonMobile’s Custom QR Code Generator allows users to generate QR codes that are not like those boring black and white QR codes. Users can change the QR code’s colors, use a different body shape and even incorporate own logo into the customized QR code simply and easily!
The company is behind the QR code campaigns of some of the world's biggest brands, including Sony Music, L'Oreal, and Veuve Clicquot.

Artist Embeds RFID Chip in His Hand to Spread GIF Art

Redmond abandons Microsoft Tag. Where does QR Code go from here?

Recently Microsoft made the not-so-surprising announcement that it would no longer be supporting its Microsoft Tag system. Rest easy, all you Microsoft Tag fanatics out there— the technology will continue to live on in the hands of a company called Scanbuy. But Microsoft’s involvement with it will formally end in two years, on Aug. 19, 2015. The name may not ring any bells, but chances are you’ve seen the garishly colored boxes dotted here and there on the Web or in magazines. Microsoft Tags are/were the software giant’s response to the QR Code, usually (though not always) built out of impossible-to-miss primary colors (cyan, yellow, and magenta) and specifically designed so that the companies that created them could easily track the types of users who were scanning them. It sounded like a good idea, but the technology never took off, undoubtedly due to competition from QR Code and rank user disinterest.

Is It Possible to Perform RFID Location Tracking With a Smartphone?

Some smartphones come with a Near Field Communication (NFC) reader. NFC is a short-range form of RFID technology designed to have a limited read range, since it can be used for financial transactions, so it has limited use as a location-tracking solution. There are passive readers that can plug into a smartphone, as well as software for managing tagged objects. RFID Journal worked with Microelectronics Technology Inc. (MTI) and Enso Detego on such a solution, which we called RFID Journal's Find-IT. Other solutions exist, including one from U Grok It (see U Grok It Wants to Help Consumers and Small Businesses Find Their Stuff). - See more at: http://www.rfidjournal.com/blogs/experts/entry?10697#sthash.TzxdU9HX.dpuf

Improved RFID Technology in Smart Guns Threatens Second Amendment

The development of RFID (radio frequency identification) chips (here shown next to a grain of rice) has advanced to the point where gun makers will shortly be offering “smart guns” for sale in the United States, according to Anthony Gucciardi, who has been watching the movement with increasing concern for years. The advancement will allow the manufacturer and the federal government to “turn off” the firearm and render the weapon useless at any time, a tactic that will be used "to take away legal firearms from the hands of law-abiding citizens,” according to Gucciardi.

The dangers of QR codes for security

Criminal hackers use malicious QR codes for the same reasons they use any attack on mobile devices: the mobile market is outpacing PCs, creating a bigger target; and, these newer, mostly end-user devices (especially smartphones) are the least likely to carry any security software. A malicious QR (Quick Response) code contains a link to a website embedded with malware. "It doesn t matter how the user scans or collects the QR code, eventually the device translates it to a link," said David Maman, Founder and CTO, GreenSQL, who also speaks at conferences on the dangers of malicious QR codes.

New Strategic Portal System Enables RFID ASAP

Strategic Systems & Technology Corp., a leading integrator of enterprise-level RFID hardware and software solutions and a Motorola Premier Solutions Partner, today released its Strategic RFID Portal System and in doing so, offers an intelligent approach for breaking down two of RFID’s most common barriers to entry: time to deployment and customization expense.
“There are some business functions that are absolutely, ideally suited for a packaged RFID solution,” explains David Bissonnette, Executive Vice President of Strategic Systems & Technology. “Asset tracking is a prime example of an application where many businesses can start benefiting from RFID almost immediately.”
The Strategic RFID Portal System – which comprises a Web-based application that runs on a networked server and a fixed portal application that runs on Motorola fixed RFID readers – tracks RFID-tagged assets as they pass through a threshold or other choke point. With exportable reporting, the system provides intelligence on items’ last known location, location history, and time in process. This can reduce time spent searching for lost items, improve inventory visibility and asset utilization, and more.
“With more than 10 years of experience in creating RFID solutions, we recognized that there was a huge need for this type of RFID framework in the market,” Bissonnette continues. “We designed the application to satisfy several of the most common user scenarios so that it can be installed and up and running quickly.
“We’ve already done the heavy lifting on the programming side,” he adds, “so the prospect of RFID suddenly becomes much more accessible to businesses that might not otherwise have the resources or need for a custom solution.”
The Strategic RFID Portal System uses Motorola Solutions hardware components, including fixed and handheld RFID readers and antennas. “The Motorola and Strategic Systems partnership is a great fit,” says Jeff Crosby, a Motorola Solutions Channel Account Manager. “RFID can be complicated, but Strategic really understands the technology and the benefits that Motorola’s product line brings to their system. “

NFC service unites bank, carrier

Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPDB) and China Mobile have launched a near field communication (NFC) service which allows customers to use their smartphones to make mobile payments, the two companies announced late last week at a press conference. The collaboration marks the first time a bank and a telecoms company have teamed up to offer such a service on the Chinese mainland, although media reports say that China CITIC Bank and China Unicom are at work developing a similar service. Alipay, the third-party payment service provider operated by e-commerce titan Alibaba, is also reportedly creating an NFC application for use on public transportation services.

RFID Boosts Medical Equipment Usage at U.K. Hospital

During the 18 months since Addenbrooke's Hospital installed a solution that uses active radio frequency identification tags to track medical equipment, the 1,100-bed medical facility reports that it has more than doubled its asset-utilization rate, thereby reducing the need for excess rentals and purchases, as well as the amount of time employees previously spent searching for missing items. By the end of this year, the hospital expects a total of approximately 10,000 pieces of equipment to have been fitted with active tags. In addition, the facility is piloting the use of ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) passive tags for some of its other lower-value or less-mobile goods. - See more at: http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?10916#sthash.j8t6MAio.dpuf

RFID system for all commercial vehicles soon

The Indian Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) will introduce Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system in all commercial vehicles in the State to streamline toll-collection methods, Transport Commissioner Rishi Raj Singh has said. The manual punching system could thus be phased out gradually, he told mediapersons on the sidelines of an MVD adalat at the PWD Rest House here on Saturday. The facility would be in place from next month, he said. “The RFID will help motorists to enjoy ‘automatic toll payment’ as vehicles approach the toll booths,” he said. “In the process, vehicles would be issued RFID tags, to be affixed on the windshield and the manufacturing and operational part would be handled by private firms in the sector,” Mr. Singh said.

40-year-old bar code evolves for the digital age

Today, the beep of UPCs being scanned is heard more than five billion times a day across the globe. The data that accompanies the bar code spans continents, economies and markets to create a global language of business—a language for identifying, capturing and sharing information automatically and accurately.
The new paradigm for the global supply chain is based on business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) interaction, combining manufacturing and distribution data with consumer data for an "omni-channel" that works in both the physical and digital world. An "omni-channel" is indispensable in this digital age when consumers can get information directly from manufacturers or retailers and make purchases via phone, internet or in the physical space.

Mastectomy mix-up leads to barcode system costing $450K

A new barcode system replacing the program that led to a Nova Scotia woman receiving an unnecessary mastectomy will cost the province about $450,000. The Capital District Health Authority confessed on Monday it made mistakes in two separate instances, both involving cancer patients. A woman in her 60s had a breast removed when the process was unnecessary and the other patient, who needed surgery, was not scheduled for the procedure until after the mistake was caught.

Tablet App Enables RFID Tracking of Aircraft Safety Equipment

After successfully completing four beta tests with three airlines and an aircraft safety equipment manufacturer (OEM), MAINTag, a provider of radio frequency identification technology to the aerospace industry, plans to release a solution for tracking and maintaining cabin equipment aboard aircraft via an Apple iPad or Android-based tablet, using an RFID reader connected to the tablet. \

Barclays launches new services for Pingit app that include QR codes

Barclays, one of the largest financial institutions in the United Kingdom, has announced that its mobile payments application, Pingit, can now be used to support charities. The application has been updated with a new “donate with Gift Aid” feature that will allow consumers to contribute money through Gift Aid in a convenient fashion. Gift Aid is a tax incentive from the United Kingdom government that allows charities to receive additional financial aid for every donation they receive from within the UK.

Upgraded Line of Powerful Handheld Barcode Readers

The line of DataMan 8000 series industrial handheld barcode readers now comes with a major performance boost to both reading robustness and speed. The powerful handheld readers are now equipped with proprietary Cognex Hotbars image-analysis technology for fast 1D barcode reading performance and Cognex 2DMax+ algorithm for decoding of 2D printed and DPM matrix codes. The new features also include a rapid dual-focus image acquisition routine, which enables the readers to decode a wide range of barcode sizes even faster.

American Apparel implements RFID tool from Impinj

UHF Gen2 radio frequency identification technology provider Impinj Inc. announced that retailer American Apparel is using a a fully automated Senitron inventory visibility solution powered by Impinj to significantly improve inventory accuracy and on-shelf availability. The wide-area RFID system brings immediate benefits to American Apparel's operations by improving in-store visibility and security and by eliminating manual cycle counting, which will empower in-store staff to dedicate more time to customer service and sales-related activities, according to a company press release.

Skytron Announces Latest RFID Advancement for Healthcare: SkyTrac Smart Cabinets

Skytron, LLC introduced SkyTrac as the latest addition to its offering of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies. SkyTrac is a line of RFID-enabled smart cabinets that help healthcare facilities automatically track consumable items used for patient care.
SkyTrac smart cabinets use RFID technology to automatically track products such sutures, stents and implants. The cabinets eliminate the need for manually tracking inventory and can send alerts for recalled or expired products. With SkyTrac’s data collection and analysis, hospitals can avoid under- and overstocking and capture critical product use data for patient billing. This latest RFID technology is designed to reduce loss and misplacement of supplies, all while improving efficiency and patient safety.    
SkyTrac smart cabinets feature exclusive technology by WaveMark, Inc. (http://www.wavemark.com). WaveMark reports that individual hospital departments with its technology have saved over 500 staff hours, reduced on-hand inventory by as much as 30 percent and experienced savings of $350,000 to $750,000 per year.

Uruguay forces businesses to reveal tax payments via QR codes

We recently saw how US restaurant Harney Sushi is teaching its customers about sustainability in the fishing industry through edible QR codes placed onto its meals. In another campaign to offer transparency to consumers, the Uruguay Tres Milliones scheme is now making it mandatory for high street stores and restaurants to place QR code stickers on their premises, detailing information about how they pay tax.

Steve Simpson Remixes the Ubiquitous Barcode

Check out these seriously fun remixes of barcode design from Irish illustrator Steve Simpson. Actually, “barcode design” is almost a misnomer, completely overlooked by everyday designers. The ubiquitous symbol is simply looked at as a necessity. Simpson says we should forget that idea and get more creative. Just look at the many ways he’s reworked the vertical lines required for the barcode to work: they can become crocodile teeth, a sushi mat, Latin American style birds (or at least their legs), and even a convincing cactus forest.

Near Field Communication (NFC) Workshop Added to RFID in High Tech 2013 Conference

RFID Journal announced today that a workshop focused on Near Field Communication (NFC) has been added to the conference program for RFID in High Tech 2013. The conference and exhibition, focused on the use of radio frequency identification technology within the high-tech value chain, will be held on Oct. 2-3, at the Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront Hotel, located in San Francisco, Calif.
Radio frequency identification technologies are delivering benefits along the entire value chain in the high-technology sector. Therefore, RFID Journal designed RFID in High Tech to help product and application designers, electronics retailers and other businesses understand how the technology is being used to improve operations and enable product differentiation in the highly competitive world of consumer electronics.
NFC, an exciting short-range wireless-connectivity technology, dramatically simplifies the way in which consumer devices interact with one another, and helps people speed up connections, receive and share information, and make fast and secure payments. The NFC Workshop, sponsored by RFID Academia, will explain how companies can employ the technology to engage customers, enrich data collected to learn more about their audience, and enhance products and the consumer shopping experience.
RFID in High Tech will bring together existing and potential end users, as well as vendors, looking to learn about the benefits that RFID technology can provide for their operations. What's more, the leading hardware, software and services providers will be there to demonstrate their latest solutions.
In addition, the conference will feature Fast-Track RFID Applications Developers Training on Oct. 2. This instructor-led course, offered as part of RFID4U's Fast-Track series, teaches software application developers how to build the next generation of rich, interactive applications for passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID readers and peripherals.

Google Wallet dropping NFC loyalty points and gift cards Mobile

Google is fundamentally changing how an aspect of Wallet works. Again. On August 21st, Mountain View is turning NFC functionality off for Wallet-stored gift and loyalty cards and recommends spending any gift card balances before the deadline later this month (i.e., within 12 days from now). However, if you still have the physical cards, you're in the clear and can use them without worry. The search giant stressed that it's working with retailers on other options for gift and loyalty card redemption, and that this latest change would not affect other aspects of the Wallet service, including its ability to handle debit or credit card transactions.

Nigerian Company Insists on Copyright Ownership of RFID Solution

Haynes-Worth International Limited, a Nigerian Company has insisted it is the legitimate copyright owner of the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tracker solution in the offshore oil and gas industry.

Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Joseph Afenikhena Imonikhe, stated in a release that the company had completed all its necessary obligations to secure the copyright of the product through the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC). According to him, "Haynes-Worth International Limited was confirmed as the copyright owner of the RFID tracker in the oil industry in Africa. This was duly granted to us on the 18th of July of 2013, by the NCC."

GSK rolls out 2D barcodes for vaccinesI

GlaxoSmithKline has become the second vaccine producer to roll out 2D barcodes as part of a program to improve the accuracy of vaccine immunization records. The move follows its participation in a pilot project by the Centers for Disease Control with Sanofi Pasteur that ended earlier this year. It also comes at a time when healthcare facilities are racing to implement electronic health records with some struggling with the challenges that go along with that process.

Intermec Partners with Lowry Computer and SRA International

Intermec, In announced it has been chosen to provide the U.S. Army with Intermec’s industry-leading line of RFID, mobile computer and printer products in partnership with Lowry Computer Products and SRA International, Inc. for the U.S. Army’s Movement and Identification Solutions (AMIS) pRFID II (passive RFID) contract.
Together with Lowry Computer Products, the leading enterprise mobility solutions provider and systems integrator of barcode, software and RFID data collection solutions, Intermec will work in conjunction with SRA International, Inc., which was selected as the prime contractor for the Automated Movement and Identification Solutions pRFID II contract. The pRFID II award is an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract valued at $30 million over five years.

PDC Launches New SecurLock RFID Wristband

PDC has announced today the release of its new, patent-pending SecurLock wristband closure, successfully launched at one of southern California’s largest annual music festivals. SecurLock, developed by and sold exclusively through PDC, is a one-way sliding closure with a dual-thread design and gripping teeth, that if twisted, engages the woven wristband fabric to prevent transferring among patrons.
PDC provided more than 350,000 RFID-enabled wristbands, featuring the SecurLock closure, at a major So Cal 2013 music festival. More than 25 types of PDC’s Smart® Woven RFID Wristbands were used to grant access to certain areas for different tiers of attendees including general admission, VIP, staff, artists, production, and more. The wristbands were also used for social media integration, allowing fans to “check-in” on Facebook at their favorite stage throughout the duration of the event.
“PDC has been delighted to design the high-security wristbands for such a well-acclaimed music event,” said Robin Barber, vice president of leisure and entertainment for PDC. “SecurLock is an aggressive, tamper-proof closure that helped this massive festival be another success story for PDC’s RFID Solutions Group.”
Since its launch in 2001, PDC’s Smart Band RFID Wristband System has been used by leading music festivals and venues to deliver unique and convenient applications that help redefine the guest experience, while reaping bottom line benefits to the festivals that use them. Applications include: cashless point-of-sale; cashless arcade and vending; social media integration; keyless hotel and locker access; electronic access control; photo management systems; and customer loyalty programs. Additional PDC RFID Solutions include PDC Smart® Cards, Key Fobs, Badges, Lanyards, and Parking Passes. For more information, visit http://www.pdcsolutions.com/en-us/rfid

NFC-Enabled Refrigerator Shares Data With Mobile Phones

Korean electronics and home appliance firm Dongbu Daewoo Electronics is selling a Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled refrigerator in Korea that allows users to track the condition and efficiency of their kitchen appliance, by means of an NFC smartphone loaded with a Dongbu Daewoo application. The fridge comes with sensors and a processor that track the conditions within, wired to an STMicroelectronics (SMT) M24LR NFC RFID tag that transmits that data when interrogated by an NFC reader. The system, known as Klasse Smart, is just the beginning for the incorporation of NFC technology into home appliances, predicts Sylvain Fidelis, STMicroelectronics' marketing manager.

How QR codes are morphing into artificial reality

There may be no better example of the phrase “hindsight is 20/20” than the QR code. Once touted as the “next big thing,” those funky little squares never quite lived up to the hype, finally coming to rest as a little more than a groan-inducing memory amongst marketers.  In fact, according to a comScore study on QR codes, in 2011 only 6.2 percent of the total mobile audience in the United States had scanned a QR code on their mobile device. This leaves a whopping 93.8 percent of the total mobile audience out of the QR loop.

RFID Chip Maker Uses RFID to Boost Efficiency, On-Time Deliveryf

Global silicon chip manufacturer TowerJazz not only produces high-memory radio frequency identification chips used by the aerospace industry, but it is now employing Wi-Fi-based RFID technology at one of its own fabrication facilities to track work in progress. The solution, deployed at TowerJazz's fabrication plant in Newport Beach, Calif., consists of AeroScout's battery-powered Wi-Fi tags, exciters to better pinpoint a tag's location, and software to determine at which workstation or on what rack wafers are located during the manufacturing process, based on read events, and to then share that information with the company's dispatch-management system. - See more at: http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?10882#sthash.L26q3bJ1.dpuf

Tire Manufacturers Roll Forward With RFID

Beginning next year, all 35 million tires manufactured annually in Korea by Kumho Tires will come equipped with a passive EPC Gen 2 ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification tag to enable it to be tracked at Kumho's factory, through the supply chain, at stores and by owners, such as fleet managers. Working with one of its sister companies, Asiana IDT, a developer and provider of IT products and services, Kumho developed a slim, rectangular patch-type UHF EPC RFID tag that is embedded inside a tire's inner liner during a high-temperature and -pressure manufacturing process.

QR codes allow QSR to provide truly fast food

The appetite of these restaurants for quick response barcodes is proving to be a growing one. If there’s one thing that the top quick service restaurants (QSRs) have in common other than fast food, it appears to be the use of QR codes for a number of purposes ranging from mobile commerce and payments to marketing. Despite the fact that there are even newer technologies than the barcodes, they still have their appeal.

Nedap expands RFID production for retail sector

Nedap announced the construction of a new production facility in the East of the Netherlands for their Store !D RFID readers to read RFID on item level. At the new facility, Nedap produces readers for retailers in Europe, Middle East, Asia and the United States. The RFID products manufactured at this location include handheld readers (!D Hand), POS readers (!D POS), overhead antennas (!D Top) and pedestals (!D Gate). The first 4.000 pieces are scheduled to be produced in the second half of 2013.
The !D Gate is a floor-mounted pedestal with an integrated RFID reader, which can trace incoming goods, the movement of goods from the back room to the sales floor and goods leaving the store. The !D Gate can also be used as a hybrid EAS (electronic article surveillance) system at the store entrance that offers both RF and RFID detection combined in one free standing pedestal. The pedestals can either be installed as hybrid EAS systems right away or upgraded later by adding a clip-in RFID reader. It is also possible to equip the
!D Gate with integrated sensors to count customers and detect foil-lined bags.

Isis to finally bring its NFC mobile payments nationwide later this year

Just when it looked like the hype around NFC mobile payments was finally beginning to die out, Isis has announced it’s rolling out its service across the U.S. by the end of the year. The NFC mobile payment joint effort from AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon was announced almost three years ago, but suffered delays before it eventually hit its test markets of Austin, Texas and Salt Lake City last fall.

QR codes have their place but aren't effective in advertising

One of the first apps I downloaded when I bought my smartphone was a QR code reader. I couldn't wait to unlock the mysteries behind all those crossword puzzle-like squares. Turns out, I wasn't missing much. I've used the app less than 10 times. QR (quick response) codes became all the rage a few years ago as a cool way to revolutionize advertising. The technology wasn't new, but it opened up fresh ways to reach mobile-savvy customers.

Should I Employ RFID to Manage Inventory at My Retail Shops?f

Presently, most retailers take a complete inventory count of everything within their store once or twice annually, and also perform periodic cycle counts. Inventory accuracy is typically around 65 percent, which means there are items on the floor that a retailer does not know are there, and items missing that the store thinks are there. This leads to out-of-stocks and lost sales. Moreover, replenishment is often carried out in a haphazard way. Items are sold and a replenishment list is generated, but when staff members are helping customers, they don't have time to replenish. So when the store is at its busiest and potential sales are highest, goods are often not being replenished, with no way to confirm that they have been. If workers indicate on their handheld terminals that they have picked items and brought them to the floor, the system will assume those goods are available to customers, even when they are not.