New Bitcoin NFC mobile payments provider Shake launches alpha test

Want to pay for your morning coffee with Bitcoin, but don’t want to carry a Bitcoin debit card?

Soon you will be able to with Canadian startup Shake Labs, Inc. releasing an alpha test of its new Near Field Communication (NFC) payment solution that allows users to pay for everyday items using Bitcoin and their mobile phones. The service itself creates a virtual credit card to make the payment at any point of sale (POS) terminal that supports NFC payments over the Visa network, and there are no fees when the transaction takes place; the service does have fees, however, with a 1 percent Bitcoin-to-fiat currency exchange fee, which is shared before loading any money on the card, and a 3 percent fee when a card is used to make a purchase in a foreign currency.

RFID Locates Press Tools at Auto Parts Factory

Automotive component and systems manufacturer voestalpine Polynorm B.V. has begun employing radio frequency identification readers on an overhead crane to track up to 8,000 press tools that the crane transports within its warehouse and assembly plant in Bunschoten, the Netherlands. The system ensures that the company has visibility into the location of every tool when it is needed for product manufacturing, thereby preventing production delays that could otherwise result from having to manually search for the large tools.

RFID Tracks Blood at Australia's Liverpool Hospital

NSW Health Pathology, an Australian public pathology organization that operates five clinical and scientific networks, is using radio frequency identification technology at a blood bank it runs at Liverpool Hospital, near Sydney, to track blood products from the time they leave storage refrigerators until when they are returned to storage or used for a patient.

CityHub Amsterdam Maximizes Guest Satisfaction by Implementing RFID Access Solution and Seamless Payment Options for Hotel Guests

CityHub Amsterdam, a new hotel concept opened in October 2015 that caters to its guests with a modern, pod-sized, themed guestroom environment, has ensured its ability to offer total guest security and convenience by implementing cutting-edge security access solutions from ASSA ABLOY Hospitality. Guests of the hotel can now expect a significantly improved experience, thanks to the installation of VingCard Signature RFID door locks and RFID card readers, which allow them to quickly access their guestrooms and enjoy a variety of other convenient features.

Huawei teams up with China UnionPay to roll out NFC mobile payments

Handset maker Huawei has partnered with bank card association China UnionPay for the roll out of Huawei Pay, an NFC-based mobile payment service that makes use of tokenization technology and is expected to be available on a wide range of Huawei handsets. The deal means that China UnionPay cardholders will be able to store their cards on their mobile device and pay with their Huawei handset at any contactless terminal, Sina reports.

RFID Helps Mentally Disabled Laundry Workers Do Their Jobs

Switzerland's Foundation of Valais in Favor of Mentally Handicapped Persons (FOVAHM) has been employing radio frequency identification technology to simplify the process that its mentally handicapped job trainees use to launder linens and clothing belonging to individuals enrolled in FOVAHM's programs. The FOVAHM foundation provides job-training workshops for people with disabilities. The association houses and trains approximately 360 individuals at its center in Valais.

Apple And Samsung Will Drive the Growth of NFC Mobile Payment In 2016

Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. , the two smartphone behemoths, are emerging as the key players to drive the worldwide growth of NFC based mobile payment system in 2016. According to the latest study, titled Contactless Payments: NFC Handsets, Wearable & Payment Cards 2016-2020, from Juniper Research, the number of smartphone users making payments via their NFC-based mobile payment solutions, i.e. Apple Pay or Samsung Pay, will reach 148 million in 2016. But, what is more interesting to look into the study is, the contribution of Apple and Samsung, together, will account for 70% of the new users.

The study also highlights the strong, but positive, market reaction to the launch of Apple Pay and Samsung Pay – mobile payment solution – in many selected key markets. In China, one of the most promising markets for Apple, nearly 40 million payment cards were reportedly registered within 24 hours of the launch of Apple Pay in mid-February.

Avery Dennison RFID Labels Improve Efficiency and Cut Waste in Apparel Industry

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is transforming both consumers’ shopping carts and companies’ supply chains by allowing intelligent barcodes to talk to a networked system that tracks products from Point A to Point Z. A technology once limited to tracking cattle, RFID tags are now tracking consumer products worldwide. Many manufacturers use the tags to monitor the location of each product they make from the time it's made until it's pulled off the shelf and tossed in a shopping cart.

Growing Demand for Portable Barcode Scanner Will Boost the Global Automatic Data Capture (ADC) Market Through 2019, Says Technavio

According to the latest research study released by Technavio, the global automatic data capture market is expected to reach close to USD 9 billion in revenue by 2019.  Global automatic data capture market expected to reach close to USD 9 billion in revenue by 2019.

“The availability of customized and innovative products like portable barcode scanners and other mobile computing devices will be a significant driver of market growth. Portable barcode scanners are devices connected to a server by either a wired connection or a wireless mode, such as bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or any other protocol over a radio interface,” said Asif Gani, one of Technavio’s lead analysts for automation research.


The feature of portability in barcode scanners allows employees to not only use the device at retail counters, but also throughout any given warehouse facility. Instead of carrying bulky objects to the barcode reader, the barcode reader can be carried to the objects for reading. As these scanners are easy to use and highly flexible the market will likely experience a significant rise in the demand for portable scanners over the next four years,” added Asif.



Barcodes help maintain data accuracy and inventory management. The emergence and adoption of 2D or quick response (QR) barcodes will drive this market. A 2D barcode capacity ranges from 1.5 KB to 3 KB and helps store more information about products, such as the manufacturer name, customer address, and shipment date. Conversely, 1D barcodes have a capacity of only 1 KB.

In 2014, APAC reported the highest sales of barcode printers. Zebra Technologies is the leading vendor in the barcode printers market. The market for these printers is likely to grow at a CAGR of 4.4% until 2019.

Austria gets nationwide SIM-based NFC mobile payment service

Austrians can now make SIM-based NFC mobile payments using a new nationwide mobile payment service launched by Payment Services Austria (PSA) and supported by Austria Card. The launch of the Bankomatkarte Mobil system follows a successful trial in Linz, the third largest city in the country. Mobile Maestro“Maestro cardholders in Austria are able to make payments just by waving their mobile devices in front of a contactless payment terminal,” Austria Card says. “Mobile Maestro will be available on Android mobile phones running version 4.1 or higher.

Body hackers: Implanting RFID chips in the human body

An RFID chip can hold encrypted information, unique enough to say, identify you as the owner of your smartphone (to unlock it), or open a door (to your home). A bizarre new company, Grindhouse Wetware, started by Amal Graafstra (Graafstra), introduced its RFID chip implants to the world through an internet video where ‘Northstar’ (an RFID chip) was shown being implanted into a person’s hand. This group of people who are willing to implant these chips in their bodies believe technology has reached the point where it can improve the human body–they are known as body hackers.

Retailer Uses RFID, Social Media and Cameras to Track Shopper Behavior

ISA Fashion Boutique International Ltd., a seller of international luxury brands in Hong Kong, mainland China and Macau, has deployed an RFID-based inventory-management system provided by Hong Kong IT services company PCCW Solutions. The system enables the retailer to track the locations of products, engage with customers, learn their preferences and reduce labor costs based on inventory counts. The solution, known as Infinitum Retail, includes IP cameras as well as ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID readers.

ICICI Bank Launches Contactless NFC-based Mobile Payment System

India’s leading private sector bank- ICICI Bank, has now launched a new NFC-based mobile payment system enabling contactless transactions via its Pockets app. Last year, ICICI Bank had launched ‘Tap n Pay’ payment system in collaboration with Tech Mahindra where the user was required to tap an NFC tag or a mobile phone at the merchant’s PoS device for making the payments. This time the bank has launched a truly contactless payment system where the user just has to wave his/her NFC-enabled mobile phone running Android 4.4 and above for making the payment at any merchant terminal supporting NFC.

How QR Codes Offer Safe Information Sharing

SHAREit is great for sharing files, but did you know that you can also share information online using QR codes? While these codes are easy to use on mobile devices, they can also be dangerous. Below is some important information that can help you stay safe when using QR codes to share information on the web. First, it's important to understand what a QR code is and how it works. A QR code is a quick response code and can be used to instantly bring data to a web user via a printed symbol. You've likely seen QR codes on products and at businesses.

MWT Materials Brings RFID Shielding to Fish-Processing Plants, Airports

For the past four years, MWT Materials has been selling RF-absorbing curtains and pads to RFID technology users to boost the effectiveness of tag reads. In recent months, fish-processing solutions provider Marel, McCarran International Airport, in Las Vegas, and other businesses have installed these RF-isolating curtains to improve the reading of passive EPC Gen 2 ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID tags.

Ferragamo works to stall Chinese counterfeiting with RFID microchip technology

In 2015 Italian fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo curbed the distribution of nearly 25,000 knock-off goods from China due to successful anti-counterfeiting measures. Ferragamo continues to fight against counterfeiting in China and during the last year has blocked 91,000 online advertisements for fake goods with its labels, destroyed 12,500 fakes and confiscated another 12,400 as they were sent out of China. Part of its successful approach to deal with counterfeiting includes recognition in China as a “well-known brand,” allowing Ferragamo to better combat the sale of fakes.

Barcode Scanner Batteries may be Necessary Consumables, but They Don't Necessarily Have to Hurt Your Bottom Line

Impact Power Technologies (IPT) pioneered the Productivity+ Series, the longest lasting batteries for barcode scanners, which are proven to significantly impact customers' bottom line. Because IPT's new technology lasts through a full shift or longer and guarantees double the lifespan of OE batteries, customers have been shocked by the immediate improvement in performance and the unexpected savings from vastly diminished battery reorders. IPT is quickly earning a reputation for increasing customer profits with more power. Recent examples include a large multi-site distribution center that saw nearly a 35% rise in productivity, while a major retail chain saved almost 79% in annual battery reorder purchases.

Grand Hyatt San Francisco selects complete RFID package from Assa Abloy

ASSA ABLOY Hospitality recently supplied a complete package of radio frequency identification (RFID) access control, energy management and locking solutions to the luxurious Grand Hyatt San Francisco hotel. An iconic 38-storey hotel located near Union Square in the downtown area of San Francisco, the Grand Hyatt hotel consists of 659 guestrooms, multiple restaurants, and 30,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

Students learn art through QR codes

Stacy Requarth, an art teacher for Edwardsville District 7 primary and intermediate students, consistently searches for new ways to utilize technology in her teaching.  Her latest effort has been utilizing QR codes to make accessing and sharing student art projects easier for parents.  Requarth, having been an art teacher with the district for about 15 years now, travels to various District 7 schools to teach art each week.

The slimmest smart wallet for the modern man

If you have ever wish that you can have a wallet that you will never lose. Help is on its way. A Kickstarter project called Woolet is planning to create a smart wallet that protects your valuable cash and cards in every situation. Woolet is a next generation wallet that keeps your cash and cards safe. Ultra slim, bluetooth-powered, self-charging and handcrafted to perfection. Woolet acts as your smart wallet sidekick. It looks out for your valuables so you can worry less, and focus on the important things instead.

10 IoT Technologies Every CIO Needs To Understand

The Internet of Things (IoT) will enable many innovative digital business opportunities, but to profit from them, CIOs must come to terms with many new and immature technologies and vendors. Ten technologies will be key to unlocking the full potential of the IoT. Many IoT security risks will threaten IoT devices, their platforms and operating systems, their communications, and even the systems to which they’re connected (using “things” as an attack channel).

Edible Barcode Expands Applications with New Handheld Reader

With a new, handheld optical reader, product authentication company TruTag Technologies Inc. (Kapolei, HI) says it is expanding the scope for which its edible barcodes can be used. As opposed to security measures like universal product codes (UPC) or radio-frequency identification (RFID) that are used on a package to authenticate products, TruTag’s edible barcodes are part of the product itself, including products like food and dietary supplements.

Enterprise IoT services will get a boost from this buyout

Two companies that help enterprises deploy and manage Internet of Things devices are coming together to expand their global reach and scale. Kore Wireless will acquire Wyless for an undisclosed price, the companies announced last week. The all-cash transaction is expected to close in the next few weeks. Kore, based in Atlanta, sells managed IoT services to enterprises that need connected devices out in the field and don't want to deal with details like signing up with carriers and keeping the devices online.

SportLife Tracks Athletic Shoes, Apparel

SportLife, a Colombian retailer of athletic shoes, apparel and equipment that operates 38 stores, is one of a handful of companies using the Jungle software-as-a-service (SaaS) RFID solution, provided by Bogota-based technology firm APES. The system enables the retailer to reduce labor costs and inventory out-of-stocks, by tracking the shoes that it sells at all of its stores, as well as in its distribution center. For this service, SportLife pays a monthly fee that includes the use of ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) EPC Gen 2 RFID readers and tags, as well as access to inventory data captured and managed by APES' software on a cloud-based server.

Fresh USA Seeks to RFID-Enable Cloakrooms

Several Russian companies are employing an RFID-based conveyor system to provide users with quick access to garments in cloakrooms or uniform storage. When a person checks a coat or other garment, he or she receives an RFID-tagged badge or bracelet encoded with a unique ID number linked to that item's location. The company that provided the technology—Fresh—now has a U.S.-based division, Fresh USA, that is selling the solution in North America. The system includes the conveyor system for storing and retrieving the garments, as well as RFID readers, tags and software to identify which coat or garment is associated with each claim.

New smart lock utilizes BLE, NFC and RFID

Pkinno, Inc. introduced a new smart lock that aims to eliminate old, physical keys. Called LIME, this sexy smart lock combines different protocols to make it easier for users to open doors, but harder for intruders to do the same. LIME_smart_lockThe LIME is designed to replace a deadbolt lock and looks a bit similar to the August smart lock, but has a more polished look. It features Bluetooth Unlock which allows users to choose between the device unlocking as the user approaches the door or when the user taps the device when LIME is paired with a smartphone via Bluetooth.

mBank cancels NFC SIM deals

Poland’s mBank has withdrawn the facility for customers to add mobile versions of their debit cards to the NFC payments services offered by mobile network operators T-Mobile and Orange. Instead, the bank has told NFC World, it will focus on supporting bank-backed mobile payments service Blik and the launch of its own host card emulation (HCE) based service later this year.

RFID Brings Customer Shipments into Focus for Eyewear Company

Norwegian online eyewear company Extra Optical is piloting an RFID-based shipping solution provided by Bring to automatically track every pair of glasses it ships to customers, and to trigger a notification to each customer when his or her shipment is about to be delivered to that person's home or office. Bring, a division of Norway Post (Posten Norge), provides mail and logistics services to business customers throughout Norway and the Nordic area.

Funding boost for ‘invisible barcode’ plastics sorting project

A government-backed project aimed at making it easier to sort and separate plastic packaging for recycling, using an ‘invisible barcode’ made from metal oxides, has been boosted with £772,000 in funding. Plastic Packaging Recycling using Intelligent Separation technologies for Materials (PRISM) aims to identify new luminescent materials which can be applied, invisibly, to labels on plastic packaging to aid the sorting process in recycling facilities.

Consumers still prefer credit cards to paying with a smartphone

As Google gears up to launch its digital wallet service, Android Pay in the UK, many experts are still less than convinced that the idea of replacing a credit card with a smartphone is really going to gain mainstream consumer appeal. According to Juniper Research, by the end of 2016, 148 million people around the world will be reaching for their handsets to make payments at in-store point of sales (POS) terminals. 

Technavio Expects the Global RFID Readers Market to Exceed USD 7 Billion by 2020

The retail sector was the major revenue contributor to the global RFID readers market, accounting for 55% of the total revenue in 2015.

According to Navin Rajendra, lead research analyst for embedded systems at Technavio, “The high adoption of RFID in the retail sector is primarily to improve efficiency in the supply chain. RFID does not need a line of sight to track items, and thus, has become the preferred choice for inventory management, asset management, and supply chain management in the retail sector.”

In addition, RFID tags offer advantages such as faster checkout times (as almost 40 RFID tags can be read at the same time), long read range, and reuse of tags. These advantages have prompted large retailers such as Wal-Mart and Gillette to switch to RFID tags instead of barcode system, thus boosting market growth.

The global RFID readers market in the transportation segment is likely to grow at a CAGR of over 25% during the forecast period. RFID tagging is being used in public transportation systems for passenger tickets, contactless cards such as driver's license, toll collection, and registration certificate. For instance, in London, UK, travelers use Oyster cards on trains, buses, and ferries. The card contains the identification of the user and calculates the fare.

Human traffickers implant their slaves with RFID chips

An anonymous ER doctor treated a woman who claimed she had a tracking chip embedded in her body. At first he disbelieved her -- lots of people suffer from delusions that they have implanted microchips -- but then she showed him the suture. The woman was had been enslaved by a pimp who'd implanted an RFID chip of the sort used to locate lost pets.

The Internet of Things is about to go mainstream

A 'universal acceptance' amongst organisations about the importance of the Internet of Things (IoT) is pushing the technology towards mainstream adoption, newly released figures from analyst Gartner have claimed. According to the firm's recent survey, Early Adopters of Internet of Things Poised to Make 2016 the Year of the Customer, the number of businesses planning to adopt some sort of IoT strategy is set to grow by 50 percent this year, a figure which would bring the overall total of businesses with some sort of IoT deployment to 43 percent.

IoT can be hard, but Red Hat and Eurotech are teaming up to make it easier

Getting IT to work smoothly is a challenge even when all the parts are in-house, but that's nothing compared with the widely dispersed Internet of Things. Enter Red Hat and Eurotech, which on Tuesday announced a new partnership aimed at simplifying the integration of all those IoT pieces. Italy-based Eurotech offers machine-to-machine platforms and other IoT products. Red Hat plans to combine its open-source Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Red Hat JBoss middleware with Eurotech's Everyware Software Framework and Eurotech Everyware Cloud to create an end-to-end architecture for IoT. \\

Singapore Fashion Company Adopts RFID to Be on the Cutting Edge

Singapore retailer Decks is employing radio frequency identification to manage inventory and sales transactions at its approximately 35 stores. The RFID technology is provided by SATO. Since the retailer adopted the system eight months ago, it has reduced annual labor hours for stock-taking at all of its stores, from a total of 2,520 hours down to 150, while doing something that the apparel company calls a priority: attracting and retaining qualified employees.

HID Global RFID Tag Simplifies Commercial Laundry System

HID Global announced its RAIN UHF RFID technology has been deployed by the Foundation of Valais in Favor of Mentally Handicapped Persons (FOVAHM) and mARTigny boutique-hôtel in Valais, Switzerland. The company’s technology is being used to help create a simple and easy-to-use solution that enables personnel with disabilities to work successfully in a commercial laundry environment. The new solution provides a safe and efficient way for laundry staff to work under limited supervision, while maintaining the highest level of quality required in the hospitality industry.

The mARTigny boutique-hôtel was built and is currently managed by FOVAHM, who collaborated with HygieClean Ltd. to design a system that met laundry standards for hospitality services, while addressing the staff’s memory and cognitive challenges at the hotel’s “La Romaine” laundry facility. HygieClean Ltd. partnered with HID Global based on its RFID expertise, quality manufacturing processes and the company’s robust LinTag UHF transponders that are easy to apply to linens and can withstand repeated washing (up to 300 loads), drying and ironing.

LinTag UHF transponders are securely and discreetly embedded into hotel bed linens, napkins, towels, garments and clothes of FOVAHM residents. The tags are also embedded into standard hotel laundry items during production, making new linens immediately ready for use in the “La Romaine” laundry facility. Every piece of tagged laundry is uniquely identified by the owner’s name, laundry type, color and specific garment or linen treatment for inventory control, precise laundry handling and delivery.

WinStar World Casino Upgrades to InvoTech RFID Uniform Management System

InvoTech Systems, Inc. announced WinStar World Casino and Resort, owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma, is upgrading its uniform management and control processes with InvoTech's RFID Uniform System. WinStar has benefited from the control and accountability established by the InvoTech Uniform System since it was implemented in 2006. The RFID technology upgrade will provide additional cost-saving benefits by automating manual tasks that were previously required. Click here for more information on InvoTech's RFID Linen, Uniform, and Laundry Systems.

Smart Card Alliance launches white paper

The Smart Card Alliance has released a new white paper entitled Healthcare Identity Authentication and Payments Convergence: A Vision for the Healthcare Industry.

The white paper, developed by the Smart Card Alliance Health and Human Services Council, outlines a vision for healthcare identity authentication and payments convergence and provides insight into the opportunities and challenges afforded to the healthcare community as the US continues to migrate to EMV.

“As the healthcare industry examines ways to increase security and reduce fraud, stakeholders should look at leveraging smart card technology, including the smart card terminal infrastructure supporting EMV payment cards being put in place today,” says Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. “This white paper details how adopting EMV payment acceptance systems and smart card technology-based identity authentication solutions can allow healthcare organisations to increase security, decrease payment vulnerability, reduce fraud and improve workflow.”

The emergence of the EMV-enabled point of sale (POS) infrastructure enables the convergence of healthcare identity authentication and payment; that is, for the healthcare industry to use available smart card and EMV technology to add healthcare identity authentication to the payments acceptance infrastructure. By leveraging the EMV migration and consequent shift in POS technology, healthcare smart cards and the hardware infrastructure to support them are becoming a reality.

Another LTC smart card glitch

Smart cards have become a blunt headache for some London Transit users, who can’t renew their passes online until the latest glitch in the $3-million system is fixed. The problem, which general manager Kelly Paleczny said could be resolved as early as next week, is the most recent wrinkle in a four-year stop-and-start saga involving the rider cards. February marked the first full month of London’s smart-card program. The cards are intended to be permanent, and reloadable online or at select retailers.

A Question of Life or Death for RFID Companies

The title of this column might seem like hyperbole, but it really isn't. It's a question I've been asking RFID solution providers for years now. Some providers understand why it's important to focus their marketing dollars on the few end users who have expressed an interest in their products. They advertise on RFID websites and attend RFID events, so they connect with businesses actively seeking solutions to their problems. And one by one, they convert these companies to customers.

Will Consumers Scan QR Codes?

Will consumers use their smartphones to figure whether the food they’re buying contains genetically engineered ingredients, or GMOs? Opponents of GMO labeling are urging Congress to block state laws that require such labeling and are instead offering the voluntary “SmartLabel” initiative as an alternative. The problem with that is, new analysis by the digital marketing agency HZDG suggests that most consumers have not used QR – for “Quick Response” – codes and aren’t likely to use them any time soon.

eAgile eyes global expansion for RFID technology

eAgile Inc., a maker of radio frequency identification (RFID) products and software, hopes to raise up to $3 million to expand its overseas business serving the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and food industries. The global expansion strategy focuses on growing eAgile’s new eSeal line of intelligent packaging products, expanding its sales office in Switzerland, and purchasing additional equipment to support the company’s projected growth, said CEO Gary Burns, who co-founded the firm in 2009.

RFID Helps Aerospace Factories Manage Small Parts

Tracking small parts used in aircraft manufacturing is a task that requires effort on the part of both suppliers and manufacturers to ensure that those items, such as fasteners or bolts, never run out when needed. At some factories, parts suppliers dispatch personnel to determine what is in stock, while some aircraft manufacturers have their own employees perform an inventory count. In either case, the process is typically carried out visually, sometimes in conjunction with bar-code scans, though that can be time-consuming and could potentially lead to errors.

Pin4 rolls out mobile ATM withdrawals in the US

Consumers in New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles can now make P2P cash withdrawals using a PIN code sent to their mobile phone at ATMs equipped with technology from Pin4 and ATM network operator Payment Alliance International. “Pin4 sends a text to the money recipient’s phone revealing a secure PIN, which they enter along with a code the sender has provided,” Pin4 says.