Orange establishes center to encourage new NFC services

Orange has launched its NFC Service Center, which is designed to support companies in developing and deploying new NFC-based services. The operator says the center can take a range of activities and enable them for NFC, including public transport fares, loyalty card usage, access badges and entry to public infrastructure, such as swimming pools or libraries.

Forestry Company Expands RFID Deployment

For the past four years, Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods (HLH) has been planting koa and other indigenous species of trees on former pastureland located on Hawaii Island (the Big Island). The company operates a for-profit division that plants trees for harvest, while its nonprofit division, LegacyTrees.org, plants koa trees for the purpose of permanent reforestation. Investment trees are sold in lots of 100, at a one-time cost of $9,380, for the 2013-14 planting season. Central to the company's operation is an RFID and GPS technology solution that makes it possible to identify every tree as it grows from a seedling at a nursery to a tree in the forest.

NFC gains traction among end users

The use of near field communications-enabled smartphones as access control credentials is a major topic among security professionals. For those not familiar with the technology, NFC provides simplified transactions, data exchange and wireless connections between two devices that are in close proximity to each other, usually by no more than a few inches. Many smartphones currently on the market already contain embedded NFC chips that can send encrypted data a short distance to a reader. NFC technology is being added to a growing number of mobile handsets to ultimately enable mobile payments as well as many other applications.

Bag Maker Adopts RFID Solution to Prevent Counterfeits

German messenger-bag manufacturer Bagjack is deploying a new RFID-based anti-counterfeiting solution from Berlin startup Serfides, intended to help confirm the authenticity of goods, as well as identify instances in which the product may have undergone an unexpected channel on its way to consumers. This past summer, Bagjack piloted the technology by tagging its high-end products with Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID tags, and by then reading those tags as they left the manufacturing site. But now, the company intends to instruct some of its dealers in Japan, as well as its own international scouts, to begin reading the tags, to ensure that the bags stay on the expected supply chain route. - See more at: http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?11021#sthash.kDEw30tz.dpuf

10 Creative Ways to Use QR Codes for Marketing

If you are not aware of what a QR code is then… it is a two dimensional barcode, also referred to as a “Quick Response Code”. The code can be scanned by a Smartphone camera for transferring the information directing onto your phone. QR codes can be used to redirect the user to a website, deliver a vCard and even make a phone call. You can also paste the QR codes at different places, for instance, if the QR codes are applied on the Dell Vouchers, people will get the benefit of many deals and offers by scanning the code related to the active vouchers at that time.

RFID: Embedded Everywhere?

You may have come in contact with RFID (radio-frequency identification) at some point in the past year. Maybe you have realized it, attaching an RFID-enabled ID badge to yourself at work or even on your child as you send them off to school. Or maybe it has been more obscure, embedded in a wristband you donned when you hit a theme park or concert this past summer. The trend, as of late, is clear: RFID is blending into our everyday lives.

Trending Topics: Future of mobile commerce may be NFC-free

NFC technology has been getting a lot of attention lately, especially as the technology becomes more common in smartphones and tablets. NFC has been gaining momentum in marketing for some time, but also forms the backbone of most mobile commerce platforms. The technology facilitates data transfers over short distances, which is quite useful for people looking to share pictures, music, and videos with their friends through their mobile devices. NFC supports mobile payments through the same process of data transfer. Though NFC has been gaining ground with consumers and has helped mobile commerce becomes a global phenomenon, the technology may soon be dethroned by none other than Apple.

Saks' RFID Deployment Ensures Thousands of Shoes Are on Displayf

With 4,000 individual shoes on display at any given time, Saks Fifth Avenue's flagship store in New York City has the mammoth task of ensuring that the correct shoe styles are in the proper locations, and that none are missing. With the use of a radio frequency identification system provided by Tyco Retail Solutions, the store has raised its display compliance rates from 65 percent to nearly 100 percent. That means that if a style of shoes is available in the backroom, a sample is on display for customers.

The Death of the NFC Mobile Wallet?

While mobile wallets certainly get a lot of hype, actual usage among U.S. consumers has not grown to a significant level. That's due to a number of factors -- such as giving consumers a compelling case to ditch their plastic cards -- but also because the mobile wallet space has yet to shake out a clear winner.

There are a number of different wallet providers, and, perhaps most importantly, some wallet products are NFC-based while others are cloud-based. However, could there be a tipping point in that last case? Last week, Google Wallet decided to move further away from its NFC origins as it released an updated version of the app for all Android phones version 2.3 and higher, and to AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon subscribers, which will not have an NFC component. Initially, only Sprint customers could use the Google Wallet app.

NFC explained

It is believed that the technology behind NFC was first discovered by English scientist Michael Faraday, in 1831. However, it’s disputed that it was in fact Francesco Zantedeschi who discovered it in 1829. The discovery was electromagnetic induction, a method of sending energy over a radio wave – something similar to what we see today in wireless charging on devices such as the Nokia Lumia 920, and the DT-601.

Aerospace Company Tests RFID Solution for Tracking Cell Phones

Guard RFID Solutions (also known as GuardRFID) is marketing a 6-millimeter-thick active 433 MHz tag that it claims is the lowest-profile active tag currently available on the market. The tag was designed at the request of a customer in the aerospace industry that required an active tag small enough to be attached to cell phones, according to Zahir Abji, GuardRFID's president and CEO. That customer piloted the new tag with GuardRFID's software and readers. - See more at: http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?11002#sthash.gPjMuhK9.dpuf

The misunderstood power of QR codes

When it comes to marketing, QR codes sometimes receive a great deal of criticism. The tech-savvy have been slow to warm to QR codes because of their simplistic nature and relatively low flexibility when compared to other technologies, like NFC and augmented reality. Consumers often consider the codes to be garish and unappealing as well, and others simply do not know what the codes are for and avoid them. The criticism that QR codes attract has not dissuaded marketers from making use of them, however, and there are several campaigns that have used the codes to great effect in recent years.

Airlines Could Benefit From RFID-Enabled Baggage Handling

SITA, a global communications and IT services provider for the airline industry, has released its ninth annual study regarding baggage handling. The news is both good and bad. The number of mishandled bags dropped from 8.99 per 1,000 to 8.83 per 1,000. That's pretty good, given that the airline industry handles 3 billion passengers annually—but it's unclear whether that decline was due to fewer people checking bags, or to operational improvements. But there is some bad news as well: It costs the airlines an estimated $100 per mishandled bag. So 26 million mishandled bags would represent a cost of $2.6 billion. - See more at: http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?10992#sthash.shuJ8zqU.dpuf

Estimote taps Apple iBeacon for micro-location-based shopping

Taking advantage of Apple's decision to embrace Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), US start-up Estimote has been showing off its Beacon technology, which allows retailers to communicate and interact with customers in-store. Earlier last week, as part of the iOS 7 launch, Apple unveiled iBeacon, enabling Bluetooth-enabled devices to communicate with iPhones and opening up the potential of micro-location-based services to retailers.

Internet of things will save the US from the great stagnation

Innovation guru Michael Mandel figures that the “internet of things”—the increasing number of machines equipped with internet-connected sensors—will expand the US economy by $600 billion and $1.4 trillion in 2025, roughly the equivalent of boosting GDP by 2% to 5% over the intervening time period. That could be the difference between so-so growth to the kind of stable growth that drives down debt and unemployment.

GuardRFID intros ultra low profile active RFID tag

Guard RFID Solutions Inc., RFID technology solution provider has announced the release of the lowest profile Active Tag available in the market, dubbed the "Active Label". Under 6mm in height (about 0.23"), the tag is about the thickness of three US nickels stacked together, allowing the tag to be unobtrusive and discrete when placed on any object, said a press release. It offers a battery life of up to 24 months, virtually eliminating significant maintenance costs associated with frequent tag battery replacement or charging. "One of the primary goals that GuardRFID has had is to offer the smallest tags possible, while not compromising on battery life, as size does matter in most applications of the tags," said Zahir Abji, GuardRFID's president and CEO.

ThreatTrack Security: QR Codes Deliver Boxer Malware

ThreatTrack Security Labs researchers recently came across a Web site hosting fake Android apps that leads users to page where they can purportedly download games. Users who visit a game page will see a description along with a QR code that redirects them to a fake download page.
Notably, the researchers found that the URLs can only be accessed from specific locations in the world -- users outside those locations are simply redirected to Google. In one example, the researchers visited the page for a fake Angry Birds Space app -- the QR code points to a fake APK, which is downloaded without requesting user permission. Other page for games ranging from Bloons to Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour also lead to similar APKs.

GoToTags Releases High-Speed NFC Encoder, Software

Encoding Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID tags can be a time-consuming task, especially for commercial printers and other companies that do not typically sell NFC-enabled products in large volumes. Such businesses often send their tags or labels to NFC service providers, such as GoToTags, which will encode the tags for a vendor prior to shipping them to its customers. Now, GoToTags is marketing a solution consisting of its own encoding software, known as NFC Encoder, and a reel-to-reel RFID tag encoder that makes the process easier and less expensive for both small and large users, as well as for NFC tag providers. The company claims the reel-to-reel solution can encode tags at a rate of up five per second.

What Is the Most Important Comparison Between RFID and Bar Codes?

That is an interesting question. I guess I would have to say the biggest difference is that RFID does not require line of sight, as bar codes do. This allows you to read all tags on items within a box, for example, to protect a data carrier by embedding it in a plastic container, and to automate data collection. With an RFID system, a person could walk past a reader portal carrying five or six clothing items on hangers, and the tags could be read automatically.

Omni-ID Named Customer Value Leadership Award Winner for RFID in Manufacturing by Frost & Sullivan

Omni-ID, the original inventor of the on-metal tag and leading global supplier of high-performance, RFID tags and ProVIEW visual tagging systems announced that it has received the Customer Value Leadership Award for RFID in Manufacturing by leading global research organization Frost & Sullivan.
"Omni-ID has demonstrated a strong ability to innovate and introduce newer and more unique RFID solutions; which has consistently been Omni-ID's key differentiator in the global RFID industry," said Ram Ravi, Senior Research Analyst, Auto-ID & Data Capture for Frost & Sullivan. "It has laid greater emphasis on innovating new and unique solutions, with the aim to address emerging and unmet customer requirements."
Omni-ID, along with other leading technology companies from around the globe was recognized during a formal ceremony held in San Jose, California last night.
"We're honored to receive this award recognizing our demonstrated ability to develop innovative Auto-ID solutions for the Manufacturing Industry," said George E. Daddis, Jr. PhD, CEO of Omni-ID. "More importantly, we were recognized because our solutions create value by substantially improving our customers' efficiency, and because we have a clear focus on understanding their business. At the end of the day, we're improving the return on the investment they're making on technology, allowing them to be more competitive in an increasingly challenging market."
The report published by Frost & Sullivan, highlights Omni-ID's focus on innovative solutions for the manufacturing industry -- with an aim to address emerging or unmet requirements. The report also features Omni-ID's Manufacturing and Logistics product portfolio -- including its ProVIEW visual tagging system. To access the complete research report -- visit the Frost & Sullivan website at www.frost.com.

Once again, Apple bypasses NFC in its new iPhones

Apple has once again dismissed the mobile wallet and data-sharing capabilities of near field communication (NFC) technology. Meanwhile, NFC is being used in dozens of new Android phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4, and in phones running the BlackBerry and Windows Phone operating systems. Apple's decision is clearly the result of a long-term competitive strategy based on a projection of how the mobile payments business will evolve. The move serves to benefit Apple most of all, analysts said.

Octopus to offer NFC payments

Hong Kong's Octopus stored value cards will be available on NFC phones by the end of 2013, chief executive Sunny Cheung Yiu-tong has told the South China Morning Post. The company will allow customers to pay for goods up to the value of HK$1,000 (US$129) with their mobile phone

Chipped reality: Fulfilling NFC’s promise beyond payments in air travel

Air travel IT and communications specialist SITA remains bullish on the promise of NFC chips in air travel. And with 1 million NFC-enabled Android devices shipping per week, the promise of NFC is most certainly very bright. What’s lacking is the infrastructure, and industry-wide vendor support of the technology.

MYQROsites Offers New App for Mobile Marketing With QR Codes

The world of mobile marketing can be overwhelming for already-busy small business owners. But the explosion of smartphone use over the past few years is proof that it’s worth looking at the options. According to recent reports, mobile marketing will generate $400 billion in sales by 2015. MYQROsites offers one option to reach customers through a device they already use – their smartphones.

A New EPC on the Block

Automotive manufacturers have been using RFID to manage operations in closed-loop applications, but the industry has never had a standard way to track materials and goods in the open-loop supply chain. Until now.

GS1 has just published Version 1.7 of the Electronic Product Code Tag Data Standard, which will enable auto manufacturers to receive RFID-tagged components and parts from their various suppliers. The consumer industry has been using EPCs to uniquely identify items in manufacturer-to-retailer supply chains.

Electronics retailer opens NFC and QR shopping walls in Russian subway

Electronics retailer Media Markt has begun testing 'shopping walls' at a Moscow subway station, in partnership with the Moscow Department of Transportation. The concept makes use of both NFC and QR codes and will run until November. Eighteen columns located across Vystavochnaya station on the Moscow Metro have been decorated with posters designed to look like the shelves of a Media Markt store. The price tag on every product displayed contains an NFC tag and a QR code.

Will iPhone 5S act as an electronic wallet?

While we’re all expecting the iPhone 5S to have a fingerprint sensor embedded in the Home button, suggestions that the phone might include NFC were considered less likely. There’s been far less talk of it, and while contactless payment is now mainstream in the UK, mainland Europe and South-East Asia, it hasn’t yet seen such widespread adoption in the USA. Apple generally prefers to wait for technologies to mature before getting on board

California Abruptly Drops Plan to Implant RFID Chips in Driver’s Licenses

Following complaints from privacy groups, California lawmakers on Friday suspended legislation to embed radio-frequency identification chips, or RFIDs, in its driver’s licenses and state identification cards. The legislation, S.B. 397,  was put on hold by the state Assembly Appropriations Committee, despite it having been approved by the California Senate, where it likely will be re-introduced in the coming months. Had the measure passed, it would have transformed the Golden State’s standard form of ID into one of the most sophisticated identification documents in the country, mirroring the four other states that have embraced the spy-friendly technology.

Kathrein RFID Shows 3rd Generation UHF Systems at the RFID Conference

For the second time Kathrein RFID presents itself as exhibitor at the RFID Conference which will take place in Dusseldorf on September 10, 2013. The focus is on the latest UHF RFID systems using the KRAI-technology for a wide range of applications from the point of sale to logistics, to application in hazardous industrial environments. Thomas Brunner, head of sales, Kathrein RFID, points out use and functionality of the KRAI product family and explains how the antenna technology enhances the reading rate and reduces the number of antennas.

McDonald’s launches new augmented reality campaign

Fast-food giant McDonald’s has been making an aggressive push into the mobile space. The company has fashioned many of its campaigns to be accommodating to mobile consumers and has even tested NFC-based mobile payments this year. Now, McDonald’s has set its sights on augmented reality. The company has teamed with AR pioneer Metaio to develop a new campaign. This campaign will not be focused on marketing the company’s products, however, as it is meant to raise awareness about the environment.

What’s with the hold up in mobile NFC payment options?

There’s been much talk of the possibilities of using NFC to pay for things in-store, but there seems to be a general lack of options available. So what’s the hold up? Mobile payments is a growing industry, and it’s a confusing one at that. While using your phone to make a bank payment or even browse eBay are fairly common mobile payment options, using your phone to get through the train turnstile or pay for a coffee still, in general, seems like a fairly alien concept.

Banco Santander and Movistar enlist Oberthur for Chilean mobile NFC project

Banco Santander and telco Movistar Chile have brought in Oberthur Technologies as their trusted services manager (TSM) for a mobile NFC payments project. Banco Santander and Movistar will run a small trial of the technology in the Santiago area before a country-wide roll out involving 5000 compatible payment terminals by the end of the year. Oberthur will deploy and manage the service over-the-air (OTA), provide NFC SIM cards, a Mobile PayPass payment application and a digital wallet allowing customers to activate their cards and view their transaction history from their Samsung Galaxy S3 phones.

Local Marketers Weigh-In on QR Codes

Remember when those odd-looking, square symbols started popping up everywhere on ads, products and signs? QR (quick response) codes hit the digital marketing world a few years back as the next big way to engage consumers. Just whip out your smartphone, marketers told us, scan the code, and you’re on your way to a “mobile experience.” Or not. Many in the tech world are now singing QR codes’ swan song, while some statistics show increasing usage.

NYCC’s Gonna Track Us All With New RFID Equipped Badges

Okay, so it may not be the big deal that San Diego Comic Con is, but The Mary Sue’s biggest hometown con, New York Comic Con, has a special place in our hearts. It’s also approaching with a speed that has caused only a few moments of panic so far (stay tuned in the next few weeks for info on our meetup and our panel), and with an approaching con comes the shipping of badges. NYCC has a new trick up its sleeve to combat both overcrowding and counterfeit or scalped badges (notorious problems for the event): RFID tags. They’re also planning on using the badges to monitor traffic flow. In other words, if having your location within the Javits Center tracked creeps you out, you might want to read the instructions that come with your badge very carefully.

RFID-controlled power strip only turns on when you're nearby

Whether it's from convenience, habit, or forgetfulness, we tend to leave our devices plugged in and on (or on standby) throughout the course of the day, which can account for a significant amount of wasted power over the long run. But there's a new device that aims to automate the process using smart proximity sensing, which could possibly cut your electricity use by up to 35%. The Pinch, from Birkeland Current, is an active RFID-controlled device that promises to make it easy to conserve energy at home or the office, without any other effort, and is currently in a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.

How QR Codes Can Deliver the Internet of Everything

We’ve often heard the term “Internet of Things,” and immediately most of us think of devices possessing the ability to connect to the Internet and deliver services in one way or the other. Most IoT devices do just that, allowing people to track items, connect with other people, navigate, get a better sense of their well being and so on, but what if there was a way to turn IoT into the ‘Internet of Everything’, paving the way for the enterprise to better cater to its customers? Doc Searls of the Harvard Business Review may have finally hit on a way of doing so. The researcher believes there’s a way the IoE can be leveraged to benefit more people – and it can be done so by leveraging something as simple as QR codes.

Patent Awarded to The Marlin Company for QR Codes in Workplace Digital Signage

The Marlin Company of Wallingford, CT has been granted its third patent (U.S. Patent No. 8,516,527) for displaying QR codes on digital signage. Marlin is the pioneer in digital signage solutions for the workplace. These electronic message boards enable companies to engage, inform and motivate employees with dynamic animated content. Screens are typically located in common areas such as cafeterias and break rooms where employees congregate. Marlin introduced the QR functionality to create an interactive experience between the screens and employees with smart phones and tablets.
Marlin’s content management software enables users to add a QR code to a memo, chart or PowerPoint to be displayed on the screen. The code can be scanned using any smart device with a QR scanner app. When employees scan the QR code they can be directed to additional information or the opportunity to provide feedback. For example, a job posting can be displayed in a memo with a QR Code. By scanning the code, the employee can learn of the job description details. QR Codes can also link to text documents, websites, emails and surveys.
“Effective communication in the workplace is all about engagement,” said Frank Kenna III, President of The Marlin Company. “Digital signage offers a great platform for visual communication which is highly effective at getting employees’ attention. QR codes take the experience to the next level by encouraging employees to interact with the content. Employers benefit by gathering important feedback from employees. In a recent survey that we conducted with our users, 67% said that receiving feedback was extremely important to them. The days of tops down communication are over. It’s our job as managers to create a forum for two-way conversation with our employees.”

Everyone asks: Do RFID-safe bags work?

The Radio Frequency Identification chips (RFID) that are embedded in most credit cards are read by passing them through a scanner. This creates the theoretical possibility that anyone with a scanner hooked up to a computer could read a card in close proximity, use that information to generate a counterfeit card and hit the nearest Rolex outlet. There is a possibility, therefore,  that a thief could read every card in your wallet or handbag, without ever touching you.

Dutch banks detail mobile payments pilot plan

The mobile payments pilot to be conducted from next month by Dutch banks ABN Amro, ING and Rabobank in collaboration with the city of Leiden, Mastercard and mobile network operator KPN is to encompass 1,000 consumers and 150 businesses, the partners have announced. The trial, which will begin on 2 September and run for three months, will see participants being provided with a Samsung Galaxy Express smartphone preloaded with their bank's payments app.

Five Enterprise Trends Driving RFID Adoption In Manufacturing

The use of RFID is becoming more and more prevalent in manufacturing industries.  But the rationale behind RFID process automation has evolved over the years, from supplier mandates, to cost reductions, to performance improvement.  Over the past year, we’ve observed manufacturers using new metrics to define RFID deployments -- five major trends that are driving the adoption of RFID and RTLS in Manufacturing.