Panasonic handhelds meet the challenge of barcode scanning

Panasonic has added two new rugged handheld tablets to its diverse portfolio of enterprise-grade mobile devices – the Toughpad FZ-F1 and FZ-N1. These 4.7” AndroidTM and Windows® devices deliver industry leading performance along with a purpose-built design and rugged credentials that live up to the brand’s heritage. Ideal for markets like transportation and logistics, manufacturing, and retail, the new Toughpad handheld tablets are well suited for a wide variety of applications, such as inventory management, shipping and receiving, delivery routing and parcel tracking, and retail store line busting.


The slim and lightweight Toughpad FZ-F1 and FZ-N1 feature a drop rating of 6’ and have also passed a torturous tumble test that saw the devices endure 2,000 consecutive 3.3’ drops – so they can stand up to the abuse of the most demanding environments. The devices are fully sealed against dust and are also submersible, in up to 3.3’ of water for 30 minutes, meeting IP65 and IP67 certification requirements. Its ruggedized glass screen ensures the highest level of display reliability and durability.

£720k for PervasID's RFID tag tracking tech

Tagging technology can track goods over a range of 400m has received a £720,000 cash boost. PervasID has received the funding from Cambridge Enterprise, Cambridge Innovation Capital and a private investor. It has developed a passive UHF radio frequency identification tag (RFID) reader technology that enables highly reliable reading of standard, off-the-shelf passive UHF RFID tags. The tags are used to identify goods in a wide variety of settings.

Kohl's shoppers will soon be able to leave their credit card at home

Come October, Kohl's most loyal shoppers will no longer need to bring their wallets to check out at the cash register. The department store chain is rolling out a new capability that allows holders of its store-branded charge card to check out directly from its mobile app. The feature is in addition to Kohl's existing mobile wallet capabilities, which let shoppers store their payment information to the app, and aggregate promotions and rewards.

Top 5 Vendors in the Global RFID Blood Monitoring Systems Market from 2016-2020

Technavio has announced the top five leading vendors in their recent global RFID blood monitoring systems market report until 2020. This research report also lists nine other prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period.

The global RFID blood monitoring systems market is expected to grow at 22.96% during the forecast period. 

The increasing need for effective monitoring of the blood products to reduce medical errors, and thereby reduce medical wastage is driving the market growth. RFID systems and tags provide effective monitoring of blood products and improve supply chain efficiencies. Also, the increasing adoption of RFID systems, particularly in the Americas and Europe, is expected to drive the market growth. For instance, in May 2016, Aegis Sciences Corporation employed an RFID-based solution to monitor the status of the blood and urine samples

In addition, the endorsements from blood banks and healthcare organizations are further expected to increase the adoption of RFID blood monitoring systems worldwide. For instance, in March 2016, Australia’s National Blood Bank endorsed the use of Space Code’s RFID system at the Liverpool Hospital in Sydney. Such endorsements have increased the penetration of RFID devices in blood monitoring

Farewell to the smart card?

ID authentication specialist Yubico is making a bid to replace federal employees' smart cards with its little USB keystick, known as a YubiKey. "Several agencies are gearing up large-scale procurements," said Yubico Vice President of Solutions Engineering Jerrod Chong. "They are very excited." Chong spoke to FedScoop this week from a Yubico all-hands retreat in Sweden. He said the company was putting its latest product, the YubiKey 4, through laboratory certification for Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 — the approval that marks cryptographic products as secure.

Printronix Auto ID Launches High-Performance T6000 Industrial Barcode Printer Series

Printronix Auto ID, Inc., unveiled the T6000, its next generation of high-performance thermal barcode printers. Designed for the mid-range market, the T6000 is engineered for industrial applications such as manufacturing, automotive, transportation, retail, transport and logistics. The T6000 is loaded with advanced features, online data validation (ODV) technology and the industry’s most comprehensive emulation package that allows for easy integration into legacy environments.

The T6000 is built for speed, versatility, and reliability. With its 14 inches per second (ips) print speed, RFID capabilities and Postscript/PDF support for complex labeling requirements, this printer is designed to boldly address businesses’ challenges such as performance and productivity.

RFID in China 2015-2025

By 2025 the total RFID market in China will reach US$4.3 billion.This report provides a complete view of the RFID suppliers, value chain, applications and trends in China. It looks not only at the RFID manufacturing base in China, but also the applications of RFID in China, providing ten year forecasts by 13 application categories. IDTechEx has studied the RFID market globally for 15 years and this research builds on that knowledge in addition to new research carried out in Chain by IDTechEx analyst Dr Xiaoxi He. Over 150 RFID companies have been identified.

China already has 85% of the world's RFID manufacturing capacity, being a major exporter of tags. In addition, the second generation National Identification Card project in China is the largest RFID order by value and China is delivering it by using Chinese-only resources almost exclusively. Thanks to strong support by the government, China has used RFID widely on applications ranging from library assets to train tickets, and as China becomes a leader in manufacturing in most segments - from cars to planes - it will fuel increasing demand for RFID in manufacturing and many other industries.

As RFID is increasingly being deployed around the world (IDTechEx expect that over 8.5 billion tags will be sold globally in 2015 versus 7 billion in 2014), suppliers are in the process of shaving off fractions of a cent from each inlay, particularly for passive UHF. That means picking up and moving manufacturing base to China in some cases. There have also been other, relatively new entrants that by strong investment (including acquisition) have gained a relatively high market share from nothing in a few years, examples being Arizon RFID and Shangyang, to name a few.

Accuride Brings RFID-enabled Access Control to Drawers

Accuride International has released an RFID-enabled access-control solution to allow its customers to protect the contents of cabinets and drawers without the need for keys. The Senseon Secure Access system consists of low-frequency (LF) 125 kHz readers connected to electronic locks integrated with the drawers' sliding hardware, so that the solution remains invisible to users. Individuals can tap a badge or fob containing an embedded LF RFID tag in order to open a locked cabinet or drawer.

Global Smart Card Market Continues To Grow

The growth of the mobile commerce (mCommerce) and eCommerce industries is fueling the global smart card industry, which is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8 percent through 2020, according to a new research report. “The growth of mCommerce and eCommerce have accelerated the demand for secure payment options and improved the demand for smart cards,” according to the report by Technavio. “Loyalty cards offered by retail stores contain the information of customers and points earned by them through purchases. All such factors are expected to drive the market during the forecast period.”

Bluboo Picasso 4G’s NFC Support Confirmed

The Bluboo Picasso 4G is one of the latest smartphones to come from Bluboo Mobile and is a direct follow up to the previous and popular Bluboo Picasso, although it comes with a number of improvements including support for 4G. One of the other improvement that Bluboo Mobile recently announced was that the Bluboo Picasso 4G would come with NFC support. Which is something that is likely to be of benefit to those interested in picking this smartphone up. Since the advance of mobile payments, NFC has become an extremely important aspect for smartphone buyers when choosing their next smartphone and is likely one of the reasons why smartphone manufacturers are keen to include the feature now. In no short order, NFC has become a must for new smartphones.

Indian Aviation MRO Company Expects RFID to Reduce Labor by 50 Percent

Aman Aviation & Aerospace Solutions, an Indian aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company, is using an ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) RFID solution from Dolphin RFID to track the work it provides to customers of its aircraft components. The company is also serving as a reseller for Dolphin RFID's solution so that Aman Aviation's customers can utilize the RFID tags for their own in-house inspections or inventory management. Aman Aviation & Aerospace Solutions focuses on the repair and overhaul of hydraulic and pneumatic systems, as well as engine parts, used by private airlines in India and by helicopter operators.

Venmo to get NFC mobile payments

The PayPal-owned Venmo mobile payments app may soon allow users to make in-store purchases using NFC. PayPal is also adding NFC mobile payments to its PayPal Wallet through an agreement reached with Visa in July 2016 and the Mastercard deal announced last week. "Venmo and its parent company, PayPal, are adding in-store payments to their mobile apps in the first half of 2017."

IoT in Retail & Ecommerce

U.S. e-commerce growth has regularly outpaced the total retail market over the past six years, and e-commerce made up 8.1% of the total retail market in Q2 2016, up from 6.4% two years earlier. But even with this growth, there is still plenty of room for aggressive expansion, and the Internet of Things (IoT) can take e-commerce to the next level. Those who are involved in the retail and e-commerce industries must stay on top of this trend in order to stay ahead of the competition. The IoT has already started working its way into retail stores, and technologies will continue to disrupt the traditional retail process in the coming years.

Apple is about to deal with another NFC complaint

As a result of Apple's closed API policy for NFC capabilities, a group of South Korean finance firms including Hankook NFC, Kona I, and Cashbee held discussions to start a complaint against Apple with the Fair Trade Commission and Korea Communications Commission, according to Business Korea. The firms' main complaint is that Apple limits access to the hardware necessary for firms to build NFC-enabled applications, like proprietary mobile wallets.

Electronic Chips To Track Convicts Jumping Parole

Govt plans to attach RFID tags to legs of convicts which will help in tracing them should they decide to abscond Mumbai: In a bid to tackle the increased cases of convicts jumping parole and furlough violations in the state, the Maharashtra Government has decided to use radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on prisoners serving time in its prisons.

NFC Transaction Market Poised To Grow More Than 50 Percent In Coming Years

Research and Markets announced the release of the “Global NFC Transaction Market 2016–2020” report, which found that the NFC transaction market is set to grow at a CAGR of 55.23 percent during the period of 2016 through 2020. Based on in-depth market analysis and inputs from industry experts, Research and Markets said in a press release that the report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

Meggitt Polymers & Composites Uses RFID to Track Aircraft Components, Materials

Meggitt Polymers & Composites (MPC)'s manufacturing plant in San Diego is taking the next step in a radio frequency identification and Internet of Things implementation that employs sensor and RFID data to gain visibility into the company's work-in-progress (WIP) and the condition of the carbon-fiber composite materials it uses during manufacturing. The factory has spent more than a year using RFID to track the movements of one of the products it manufactures to the point of shipping.

MakerBot's two new printers are meant for professionals and schools

3D printing company MakerBot has announced two new printers and an official shift of focus, away from general DIY printing and toward the specialized worlds of professional design and education. The MakerBot Replicator Plus and Replicator Mini Plus are new generations of existing products, both promising a simpler process and better results. Launching today, they’re accompanied by a new software system and some supplementary services, as well as a new printing material.

Report: Increased Adoption of Mobile Payment & Digital Wallet Service

A new report forecasts the global NFC transaction market to grow at a CAGR of 55.23% during the period 2016-2020. The emergence of host card emulation (HCE) is one of the latest trends leading to market growth. HCE is an on-device technology that enables mobile or a wearable device to perform card emulation on an NFC-enabled device without relying on access to a secure element (SE). The introduction of NFC platforms based on HCE has potentially high implications for NFC stakeholders, provided it would reshape both; the value chain and the attendant business models. Also, the additional security provided by the inbuilt security feature of smartphones such as fingerprint reader, and iris scanner act as an additional layer of security for HCE.

According to the report, extensive use of mobile devices for payments will be a key driver for market growth. Mobile payments have become popular with the increased adoption of mobile devices and wearables. Vendors are deploying NFC POS terminals as they are flexible and facilitate hassle-free mobile payments. The NFC POS terminals also increase the value proposition and effectiveness of their marketing efforts. Thus, the growing implementation of NFC POS terminals at retail outlets is expected to boost the growth the market during the forecast period.

Smartphone cases get bPay to enable NFC mobile payments

Smartphone case manufacturer Case Station has integrated Barclaycard’s bPay contactless payment technology into its new range to allow consumers to make NFC mobile purchases with a tap of their handset at any contactless terminal. “All the Case Station cases have been created to discreetly hold a small bPay contactless chip, which will allow users to make touch and go payments for £30 and under (US$39.73) easily and quickly without fumbling for cash or entering a PIN wherever they see the contactless symbol,” Barclaycard says.

Global RFID Smart Antenna Market 2016-2020

The global RFID smart antenna market will grow at a CAGR of 12.94% during the period 2016-2020, according to a new report. A trend influencing market growth is the emergence of cloud-based RFID solutions. Advances in technology have led to the expansion of RFID technology in various fields such as the transportation, aerospace, IT, and logistics. However, due to high IT infrastructure requirements such as database, servers, and inter-/intra-network, which adds to its already high deployment and implementation costs, the adoption of RFID has been limited to small and medium-sized retail chains or stores. The cloud-based RFID solutions offered by various RDIF solution providers such as Terso Solutions, Tellago, and Nedap are providing opportunity for small and medium-sized retailers to avail the benefits of RFID systems, as they reduce the initial procurement cost of servers.

According to the report, a key growth driver is the emerging applications for RFID. RFID smart antennas integrated into RFID systems are selected on the basis of radiation resistance, resistive losses, bandwidth, and feed impedance. RFID smart antennas transmit and emit both electrical and magnetic properties and operate around a wide range of frequencies to contain the reliability of the information collected. As a result, the reliability of RFID systems has increased over time, which, in turn, has resulted in an increase in demand for RFID systems. RFID systems are used for asset tracking and thus, it was perceived that the major applications of such systems are more useful in retail and logistics environments. 

Carrefour payment cards go mobile in Spain thanks to Gemalto’s proven Trusted Service Hub

Gemalto has been chosen by Market Pay, payment institution of the world’s second biggest retailer, to deploy a mobile payment solution for its “PASS” banking card in Spain. This project is part of a multi-channel strategy that leverages connected technologies to further enhance the shopping experience. Gemalto’s Allynis Trusted Service Hub (TSH) will allow the customers to load a digital version of their existing Carrefour banking card, as well as the retailer loyalty program, onto an Android phone, enabling easy and single customer journey at any NFC POS terminal. Loyalty points will be credited instantly when the phone is used for ‘tap and go’ transactions in Carrefour outlets, which include hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience stores.

The solution has been experimented live in shops since beginning of 2016. Carrefour customers will be able to create this new payment feature directly through their Carrefour mobile banking application, simply using their existing credentials. Today in Spain, 2.3 millions of customers are using Carrefour payment cards. This new mobile payment solution is being launched initially in Spain, and may be deployed in other countries

Smart Card Alliance Highlights Significant Policy Considerations

The Smart Card Alliance released a paper in response to the 2016 update to the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130, Managing Information as a Strategic Resource, which defines federal policy and establishes guidance for management of federal information resources.

In the response, the Smart Card Alliance highlights major changes in the policies governing federal use of PIV credentials for access control in the 2016 update to A-130, discusses the impact of these changes on the federal government and commercial industry, and outlines issues to be considered in complying with A-130 for selected topic areas.

The response paper, Smart Card Alliance Commentary: OMB Circular A-130 – Managing Information as a Strategic Resource, was developed by the Smart Card Alliance Access Control Council.

“The Smart Card Alliance supports the updates to the OMB Circular A-130 and believes it provides more clarity for how federal agencies implement identity and information security systems more efficiently and effectively,” said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. “In just a few pages, this paper summarizes the major policy highlights from the 85-page OMB Circular A-130 that impact the implementation of access control systems. The commentary incorporates inputs and perspectives from Smart Card Alliance members representing a variety of different stakeholder groups to discuss the impacts and opportunities for securing government information systems.”

Fujitsu develops 'MRI safe' RFID tags

The Textilligence UHF tags, supplied by Fujitsu, are said to the only tags known in the industry containing antennas made of non-ferrous material. Tests, first performed by a Dutch hospital, have now been confirmed by other tests in hospitals in the USA and Austria. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a type of scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body.

Smart Cards made easier for bus users

It keeps getting easier to take advantage of the cheaper Taranaki bus fares available to those who use pre-paid electronic Smart Cards. Smart Card users could previously only top them up on a bus, but more options were provided in July and as of this month, Taranaki has its full, planned complement of top-up sites. Smart Cards are available for users of Citylink bus services in New Plymouth (including Waitara, Bell Block and Oakura), and the Hawera-New Plymouth Connector bus service.

​M2M market bounces back in Brazil

The Brazilian machine-to-machine (M2M) market has returned to growth after a period of intense competition and aggressive pricing, according to research published by the digital transformation team at consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. According to the report, the emergence of new applications requiring ubiquitous connectivity and higher-value 3G and 4G services are giving the local market a "much-needed stimulus."

HMS Ferries to enable fully electronic ticketing

Passengers taking the Pierce County Ferry in Washington State are not only traversing the lower Puget Sound conveniently, they are also the first in the U.S. to enjoy fully electronic ticketing based on the CIPURSE open standard for electronic fare collection. The operator, HMS Ferries, Inc., now enables customers to purchase QR-code tickets on their smartphones, online or at the ticket booth at the Steilacoom Terminal, which speeds up the boarding procedure. The new system builds on the expertise of Infineon Technologies and Transportation Technology Partners, a new division of systems integrator and web development firm Americaneagle.com, the developer of the first account-based system for fare payment based on the CIPURSE standard. This provides high security, reliability and data integrity for the ferry company’s operations.

The project start was marked by a couple of demands of HMS Ferries: First, the electronic ticketing platform should offer a convenient, state-of-the-art fare payment system for customers. Second, it must be flexible and scalable to meet future needs. Americaneagle.com chose the CIPURSE open standard technology for the smart card and mobile fare media because of its strong security and flexibility in system design. Infineon provided the CIPURSE TMmove supporting account-based functionality: customers benefit from quick ticket validation with minimized risk of fraud.


With account-based systems, ticketing and transportation providers can reduce costs and can make payments secure and flexible. Travelers use mobile, smart card or paper tickets for the ferry system which they purchase on an online web portal, designed and operated by Transportation Technology Partners. For the mobile ticket and smart card account-based system, the fare product or value is stored and validated within the back office, where the value is also deducted.

How Terrorists Could Hijack the Internet of Things

By 2020, there will be anywhere from 20 billion to 50 billion internet-connected devices, including about one in five cars and or trucks, according to industry forecasts. That’s big business for outfits that sell data or streaming services. For the Justice Department, it’s 50 billion potential problems. “In our division, we’ve just started a group looking at nothing but the Internet of Things.” John P. Carlin, the U.S. Assistant Attorney General for National Security, told the Intelligence and National Security Alliance on Thursday at the group’s annual Summit.

Cardiff Blues Rugby Team Welcomes Beacon Technology

The Cardiff Blues rugby team is undertaking an experiment in engagement with its own fans at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park, in Wales. This season, the team will send a greeting to users of the Cardiff Blues Match Day smartphone app as they enter the park, courtesy of solar-powered beacons provided by GCell. The beacons transmit their ID numbers to participants' phones, prompting the app to display content specific to a user's particular location. The system is expected to expand from a simple greeting at the gate to a variety of other use cases, either later this season or in the coming years.

Coop Denmark to launch mobile loyalty and payments platform

Supermarket chain Coop Denmark is launching a new mobile loyalty and rewards platform incorporating mobile payment functionality in all of its stores from October. The service will enable customers in Irma, Kvickly, Brugsen and KNB locations to scan items with their phone as they shop and pay at the point of sale using software provided by Omnico.

PowerApps Windows app updated with Barcode scanner for UPC, Codabar, and other types of codes

Microsoft updated its PowerApps app in Windows Store to v2.0.500. This update includes barcode scanner for UPC, Codabar, and other types of codes. Also, app templates based on Common Data Model are now included in the app. Find the full change log below. Microsoft PowerApps enables users to create applications for Windows, iOS, and Android mobile devices. Using these apps, you can create connections to common SaaS services, including Twitter, Office 365, Dropbox, and Excel.

CardFlight Launches New Bluetooth Mobile POS Solutions with EMV Chip Card and NFC Contactless Payment Acceptance

CardFlight, a mobile point of sale (POS) technology provider, is launching the Bold B550 and Bold B500, a new family of mobile card readers that communicate with iOS and Android devices by Bluetooth technology. The launch follows Apple's announcement today of the iPhone 7, a revolutionary smartphone that does not contain an audio jack. CardFlight clients who want to use new smartphone and tablet devices can accept payments using the latest mobile payment technologies, including EMV chip cards, contactless NFC payments and mobile wallets such as Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay, with the new readers that connect via Bluetooth, instead of an audio jack.

Resellers of SwipeSimple will now be able to offer their merchants the Bold B500 and Bold B550 devices, which are EMV certified with First Data and ready to use. The Bold B500 is particularly valuable for smaller merchants who want to accept EMV payments or prefer to connect to a card reader via Bluetooth rather than the audio jack connectivity used in CardFlight's other readers. The Bold B550 offers NFC contactless payments acceptance, in addition to EMV chip card and magnetic stripe support. SwipeSimple is CardFlight's product that enables merchant service providers, banks, independent sales organizations and other financial institutions to offer a great EMV-enabled mobile point-of-sale solution to their merchants.

Additionally, the Bold B500 and Bold B550 will be available through CardFlight SDK, a software development kit product, which enables mobile app developers to incorporate card present payments into their own applications. The semi-integrated solution allows developers to integrate in a matter of days, without having to perform their own EMV certifications with processors and payment networks, a solution used by Peloton and Indochino among many other innovative companies.

Internet Of Things By The Numbers: What New Surveys Found

Things are looking up for the Internet of Things. 80% of organizations have a more positive view of IoT today compared to a year ago, according to a survey of 512 IT and business executives by CompTIA. “This reflects greater levels of attention from the C-suite and a better understanding of how the many different elements of the IoT ecosystem are starting to come together,” says CompTIA. Here are the highlights from this and other recent surveys. The number of connected things, from computers to household monitors to cars, is projected to grow at an annual compound rate of 23.1% between 2014 to 2020, reaching 50.1 billion things in 2020.

What Consumers Think About Chip Cards and Mobile Payments

Chip cards are reaching ubiquity in the United States — nearly 75 percent of cards processed on Square now contain a chip, up from around 40 percent in September of last year. At the same time, mobile payments like Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay have entered the market, with an uptick in adoption among certain demographics (like millennials).

Of people who marked dissatisfaction with the chip card payment experience, most highlighted the speed of transactions as the most frustrating element. (Chip cards can be slower to process than magstripe cards because of their more robust security checks.)

Update to Verizon Note5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ brings Barcode Beaming support

Shortly after updating the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, Verizon has started rolling out a new update to Samsung Galaxy Note5 and S6 edge+ units on its network. Carrying a software version of VRU2BPG5, the update brings support for Barcode Beaming as well as new ways to share images and files. The Barcode Beaming Service - the change-log says - improves the recognition response of your favorite on-device coupons, loyalty cards, and more.

Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) Market will reach USD 22.0 Billion by 2020

Zion Research has published a new report titled “Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) (Tags, Reader, Middleware) Market for Retail, Supply Chain, Aviation, Healthcare, Smart cards, Public Transit and Other applications - Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2014 – 2020”. According to the report, global RFID market was valued at around USD 9.50 billion in 2014 and is expected to reach USD 22.0 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of around 15% between 2015 and 2020.

Tags, readers and middleware are the key product segments of the RFID market. RFID tags and readers are further categorized into active and passive on the basis of their mechanism. The active RFID devices needs power, which they get from inbuilt power source. On the other hand, passive RFID devices get it from the electromagnetic waves discharge by the readers. The tags segment dominated the global RFID market in 2014. Passive tag accounted for over 70% share of the total RFID market in 2014. Reader is expected to be the fastest growing segment of RFID market during the forecast period.

On the basis of applications RFID market can be segmented as retail, supply chain, aviation, healthcare, smart cards, public transit and other applications. Retail application market holds the largest share of RFID market. Retail accounted for over 30% of the total RFID market in 2014. Strong economical growth in emerging economies has been resulted into increased demand for transport and logistics. This in turn fueled the rapid growth of RFID in emerging economies. Transport and logistics is expected to be the major application market over the forecast period followed by retail. Additionally, increasing applications of RFID in inventory, product management, asset tracking, and provide solutions for anti-counterfeiting is expected to have a positive impact on the market. However, lower level of awareness among end-users is expected to hold back the growth of RFID market to some extent.

Artificial Intelligence IoT solution for large commercial buildings

Verdigris, a California-based artificial intelligence company, announced the arrival of Einstein, an Internet of Things smart sensor and metering solution that reduces energy consumption and cost in buildings. By analyzing Einstein’s continuous stream of energy data, Verdigris promises smarter and more responsive building operation. “Einstein makes it unbelievably easy to know what’s happening inside your building in real time, down to a single appliance,” said CEO Mark Chung. “We put hard-earned money back into our customers' pockets each month by predicting the most accurate forecasts of utility, weather and energy data, and automating the reduction of their most inefficient energy operations”

Malibu equips 40,000 bottles with NFC tags for UK pilot

Coconut rum maker Malibu has equipped 40,000 bottles with NFC tags. Drinkers will be able to tap their NFC device against a sunset image on the product packaging to access content and prize draws directly on their mobile phone. The connected bottles are being rolled out next month as part of a pilot with UK supermarket giant Tesco, marking the “largest global deployment of NFC on a consumer product in alcohol” to date, Malibu says.

The NFL is putting tracking sensors inside its footballs for the first time

The NFL cares a lot about what goes inside its footballs — just ask the New England Patriots. Which is why it’s significant that the league is thinking about making a change to the pigskin: The NFL has added a lightweight, quarter-sized sensor inside each football this preseason to measure actual game data as things unfold on the field. The sensors, which rest just under the ball’s laces, can capture information like velocity, acceleration and distance, and send that info back to computer monitors in just half a second. The League has been using the sensors during preseason games this summer, but hasn’t yet decided if the sensors will be used in the regular season.

Delta Airlines introduces chips for smart luggage

Delta Airlines announced it will be releasing a new system that uses RFID chips placed on passengers' bags to track their location, NBC News is reporting. The airline hopes that this will help solve the problem of lost baggage, which costs airlines thousands of dollars per year across the globe. The system will leverage RFID tags connected to each bag that will be scanned by Delta workers, and notifications of the bag’s whereabouts will be pushed to the bag owner via a mobile application. RFID technology has been around for decades and has long been used to track parcels

Utility Maintenance Workers Gain Efficiency With RFID

Copenhagen utility services company Hofor has reduced the amount of time that its staff spends on data collection during water line maintenance by nearly 40 percent, by using an ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification solution. The RFID system allows the firm to automatically identify a valve, access its history and input any work employees perform on it while in the field. Hofor has so far decided to equip about half of its 160,000 water line stop valves with RFID tags, for the purpose of tracking maintenance and repair work.

Chuck E. Cheese's To Replace Tokens With Semnox's RFID Cashless System

Chuck E. Cheese's is hoping to replace the tokens used to activate its arcade games with a cashless payment system at all its stores. It reportedly is using Semnox Solutions' radio frequency identification (RFID) system for the job. As of late August, wireless payment and tracking systems have been installed at 100 of the pizza-arcade locations nationwide. CEC Entertainment, the chain's parent company based here, operates about 600 venues, most of them in the United States.

Expanding 4-H projects using QR codes

QR (Quick Response) codes of Smart Signs can add a powerful technology component to 4-H club activities. Many of us have seen the black and white, square-shaped matrix QR codes and used them to get information. They are most often used as a marketing tool, but they also provide opportunities within your 4-H club. Smart Signs are an inexpensive and great way to provide additional information to any audience while engaging them in technology. Imagine using Smart Signs at the fair or with any project that your club has worked on. Adding Smart Signs gives youth the opportunity to provide the background information on their project, as well as link to more detailed, extensive information through cool digital technology.

Even North Korea Is Getting in on the Internet of Things

North Korea is the next stop on the Internet of Things tour of world domination. State television has revealed that the country made a product, the Star Group device, which allows workers to remotely operate machinery in factories with a custom-built seven-inch tablet that runs on its own software. The Star Group device is said to run a modified version of the Windows CE operating system used in simple devices like ATMs or satellite navigations tools. North Korea calls this software the “Human Machine Interface” and says that both the HMI and the hardware on which it runs were developed within its borders.

Two in three young Brits have made a mobile payment in-store

More than two thirds of the UK’s 16-34 year olds (67%) have used their mobile phone to make an in-store payment, research released by Worldpay reveals. Over half of all age groups surveyed (54%) expect smartphones to replace cards as their main method of payment within the next five years. Almost one in ten (9%) use contactless card payment more than once a day, rising to 15% among those living in London. 11% use their contactless cards once a day (vs. 18% of Londoners), while 40% do so a few times a week

The Construction Needs a Strategy to Reduce the Loss of Construction Tools and Equipment

Dynamic Systems, Inc., a Redmond, Washington software developer specializing in barcode data collection systems has updated the Barcode Tracking Scanners used in the construction industry, resulting in improved traceability and reduced tool and equipment loss. "Loss of tools or equipment and damaged or non-working equipment are major overhead costs that can be contained with a well-designed tracking system.  Our customers see a typical payback for the CheckMate Equipment and Tool Tracking System within 3-4 months," states Alison Falco, President of Dynamic Systems.