After facing technical hurdles, BMTC turns to 'closed-loop smart card'

The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is working on a 'closed-loop smart card', similar to the one used by Namma Metro users after the bus utility burnt its fingers with its ambitious 'open-loop smart card' project that ran into technical hurdles. Those who have been waiting for a "common mobility card" will have to, hence, wait. While a closed-loop card can be used only for BMTC services, an openended card helps its holder to use it across services such as BMTC, KSRTC, metro and at malls.

Why Are 2D Barcode Scanners Taking Over

There was a time when 2D barcodes were something of a laughingstock—a piece of overhyped technology, like Google Goggles or New Coke. But unlike New Coke, and more like Google Goggles, perhaps 2D barcodes were just ahead of their time. According to a market study by Technavio, the global barcode scanner market is projected to grow to $6.3 billion by 2021, and 2D barcode technology is driving that increased rate of adoption.

Security flaw in QR codes found

A Japanese university group says it has identified a security flaw in QR codes, which are widely used for electronic payments, advertisements and other systems. The Kobe University team, led by Professor Masakatsu Morii, says the codes can be manipulated by abusing an error-correction function. The group says hackers can tamper with a QR code to send a chosen percentage of users to a harmful website.

LG Uplus to deploy home IoT to Wooshin apartments

South Korean telco LG Uplus will deploy its home Internet of Things (IoT) platform to Wooshin Construction's apartments, the company has announced. It will start with 1,664 households in Geumwang Wooshin Rieon Class apartments at Eumseong district, North Chungcheong Province. Those who live in the apartments can download LG Uplus's IoT@home app and use it to control heating, lights, and gas in their homes and check their energy usage and parking space availability.

Smart Card Market Worth 21.57 Billion USD by 2023

According to the new market research report on the "Smart Card Market by Communication the market is expected to reach USD 21.57 billion by 2023 from USD 14.22 billion in 2018, at a CAGR of 8.7% between 2018 and 2023.

Use of smart cards in the BFSI sector has also been rising, supported by the transition of magnetic cards to EuroPay, MasterCard, and Visa (EMV) standard (chip and PIN) cards. EMV standards mandate the use of smart cards such as credit/debit/ATM and prepaid cards in financial transactions.

The major factors driving the growth of the smart card market include increasing use of online payment methods enabling consumers to make secure and reliable payments. In line with this, the use of contactless smart cards has gained remarkable consideration as electronic payment methods are rapidly replacing cash and carry operations.

The smart card market for transportation applications is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Smartcards are used for parking fee payment as well as for transit fare payment in the transportation sector. Transit ticketing systems are transforming into open-payment systems owing to the introduction and widespread adoption of debit and credit cards. The transportation sector is operating in compliance with EMV, which is an open-standard specification for smart card payments. EMV-based solutions are deployed in parking infrastructure to avoid fraud and complicati

RFID is transforming the tire industry

Radio frequency identification is being adopted rapidly in a growing number of tire industry processes and will deliver more transparency, fewer rejected tires and production failures and better control of materials. Major tire producers are investigating new technologies to support their internal production processes and to gather more data per process step for individual tires. During the last 10 years, RFID has emerged as the answer to the industry's problem. It is a technology which will rapidly change the tire industry by supporting improvement of the overall quality of individual tires. A range of RFID solutions for different phases of the tire production and logistics processes have been patented. Those solutions are all based on the same concept of a tag applied to an object, read by a reader and stored in a database.

Why Privacy Must Be Baked In To IoT Devices

A connected world is a convenient world for both work and play. Too often, however, the price of convenience is privacy. If data within the Internet of Things (IoT) is not secured properly, it puts people’s overall safety in jeopardy — and it’s not just about loss of sensitive personal data. In fact, according to UL, the even greater threat is that an attacker could take over the functionality of poorly secured devices. Imagine if someone hacked into a connected home and cranked up the heat through the IoT thermostat, took over appliances or, worst of all, gained control of medical devices, such as pacemakers and insulin pumps that could create a life-or-death scenario in the wrong hands.

Scan QR Codes Safely with the Trend Micro QR Scanner

Using your camera and a QR code scanner on your mobile device, it’s easy to scan a code to download an app or go to a website—a bit too easy, some might say. What if the QR code is for a malicious app, or takes you to a dangerous website? How would you know before it’s too late? Trend Micro’s free QR Scanner for Android (and its equivalent in Trend Micro Mobile Security for iOS), lets you scan QR codes easily and safely, performing high quality URL safety checks on all the codes that you scan.

AT&T launching NB-IoT network across US and Mexico

AT&T has announced that it will be launching a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network across the United States early next year and in Mexico by the end of 2019. According to the carrier, the NB-IoT network will complement its current LTE-M network across those nations, both of which provide lower-cost connectivity than its cellular network for mass IoT deployments. "We've seen global momentum for LPWA [low-power wide-area] since launching our North American LTE-M network last year," AT&T president of IoT Solutions Chris Penrose said.

Garmin adds NFC payments to Fenix smartwatches

Garmin announced the fēnix 5 Plus series, its next generation of GPS multisport watches with built-in routable topographical maps, storage for music playlists, Garmin Pay contactless payment solution and wrist-based Pulse Oximeter 1 for altitude acclimation awareness.

Like other fēnix 5 watches, the fēnix 5S Plus, fēnix 5 Plus and fēnix 5X Plus are built for athletes and adventures of all sizes. These rugged yet premium crafted watches range in size from 42-51mm and all boast a bright, sunlight readable display. The fēnix 5S Plus features a 1.2-inch display, which is almost a 20% increase over the fēnix 5S, meaning users don’t have to sacrifice screen size for a watch fit for smaller wrists.

The fēnix 5X Plus is Garmin’s first wearable to offer a wrist-based Pulse Oximeter, which is especially useful for higher altitude activities.

All sizes of the Plus series will also include Garmin Pay, a contactless payment solution3, meaning fēnix Plus wearers can leave their cash and credit cards at home, but still be able to grab a beverage or bite after a long day on the mountain. Utilizing their Garmin Pay wallet, users have the same rewards and benefits of the physical cards, with the convenience of having them right on the wrist.

NFC tech in official World Cup match ball draws fans even more into the games

Every four years, the FIFA World Cup brings millions of people together to bond over a shared interest in soccer and a fierce devotion to their country. But how do you drum up even more interest in one of the most popular sports on the planet? To Adidas and the software company Blue Bite, the solution comes down to innovating the fan experience. Specifically, the duo injected the official World Cup match ball with a bit of cutting-edge (see: NFC) technology capable of allowing fans to unlock exclusive, tournament-themed content.

NXP to Host RAIN RFID Alliance Meeting Focused on Industry 4.0

NXP Semiconductors announced it is hosting next week’s RAIN RFID Alliance–Europe meeting in Vienna as part of its deep focus on innovative RAIN RFID solutions in the Internet of Things (IoT).  NXP’s participation in the RAIN Alliance event is an extension of its dedication to furthering the RAIN RFID Alliance mission of enabling businesses and consumers to identify, locate, authenticate, and engage items in our everyday world.

“NXP is committed to delivering cutting-edge RAIN RFID solutions that help customers realize the full potential of Industry 4.0 applications and use cases that are shaping a truly more automated and more productive future,” said Ralf Kodritsch, segment manager of RAIN RFID solutions at NXP, former chairman and current board member of the RAIN RFID Alliance. “Working closely with the RAIN Alliance underscores our commitment to the important work the organization is undertaking to further the wide spread adoption of UHF technology in the world of the IoT.”

The event will kick off on Tuesday with opening remarks by the president of the RAIN RFID Alliance Steve Halliday.  Tuesday sessions are exclusive to RAIN Alliance members and will include  developer, retail and IoT workgroups, plus sessions on smart healthcare products and smart manufacturing.

Chennai city passengers will soon have a single smart card for Metro and MTC busses

City passengers in Chennai will soon be able to use a single card to take the Metro and MTC busses, thanks to a single smart card or a common mobility card to be launched by Metro officials by the end of the year. A metro rail official told TOI that the card has been tested at metro stations and MTC's electronic ticketing machines. The testing of the smart card for compatibility is being done by upgrading hardware and software. Officials also stated that electronic ticketing machines used by MTC conductors at present already have a hardware in place that can read and scan smart cards and the only thing that needs to be done is to upgrade the software and make it compatible with the system.

Sodyo’s Vision For The Next-Gen QR Code

What if QR Codes could transition consumers seamlessly between the online and offline worlds, blurring the lines between physical and digital retail, and ingraining shopping as part of the everyday experience? They can’t, but the next generation of scannable codes aims to do exactly that, leveraging a color matrix that can be scanned from afar and renders well on TV screens.  Sodyo’s color matrix code can be stamped on pretty much anything and scanned by any modern smartphone camera. That includes static media such as posters, subway ads and even billboards. Unlike a QR code, it includes more challenging visual backdrops, such as screens, which Yagur said makes the technology an ideal solution for advertisers to use in television commercials.

NFC smartphone payments stall

While NFC-enabled mobile wallets stagger in the U.S., they thrive in other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and parts of the Far East. Meantime, QR code-based mobile wallets have thrived in Africa, China, India and some Latin American countries. As talk of a cashless society continues to proliferate, it will be up to mobile wallet providers to develop the features necessary to make this kind of chatter a reality. And to do so, mobile wallets have to be more about payments. Alipay and WeChat have found success in China for multiple reasons, some of which are unique to the region such as ginormous population, tech-savvy consumers and a payments infrastructure that is made for mobile

MIT engineers configure RFID tags to work as sensors

These days, many retailers and manufacturers are tracking their products using RFID, or radio-frequency identification tags. Often, these tags come in the form of paper-based labels outfitted with a simple antenna and memory chip. The Auto-ID Lab at MIT has long been at the forefront of developing RFID technology. Now engineers in this group are flipping the technology toward a new function: sensing. They have developed a new ultra-high-frequency, or UHF, RFID tag-sensor configuration that senses spikes in glucose and wirelessly transmits this information. In the future, the team plans to tailor the tag to sense chemicals and gases in the environment, such as carbon monoxide.

China to go full dystopia with mandatory vehicle RFID chips in 2019

Even without its thick blanket of Blade Runner-like smog, China would totally qualify as a real-life modern dystopia, thanks to a heavily regulated national internet and a profoundly authoritarian government. Well, guess what -- that government will be getting even more tools to track and monitor its citizens by way of RFID technology making its way into new Chinese-market cars starting next month, according to the Wall Street Journal. If that sounds super-scary and weird to you, you're not alone. The program is ostensibly being used to generate data that will help alleviate China's hellacious traffic, but critics of the plan say that it will also likely be used as another powerful tool for domestic surveillance by the Chinese government.

CLEAN’s RFID link-up with PPHE Hotel Group

Leading independent laundry provider CLEAN has announced a new partnership with PPHE Hotel Group, which will see one of the largest implementations of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology between a hotel brand and a laundry service provider in the UK. Clean will initially launder bed linen and towelling and supply table cloths and napkins for eight of the group’s Park Plaza hotels nationwide including its six London hotels and Nottingham and Leeds properties. There are plans to extend the service to other Park Plaza hotels as well as supply chefs wear in the future.

Mobile payment apps need more than NFC for global success

Between Apple Pay, Google Pay and other insert-company-name-here-plus-Pay solutions, it seems like many mobile payment apps are copy-paste efforts. It’s not just the naming convention that gets copied, as the actual payments process is similar across the board. There’s necessarily nothing wrong with NFC at all, but if the major mobile solutions don’t offer more payment options, they simply risk losing emerging markets (and associated marketshare). Just look at China, India, Kenya, South Africa and a ton of other countries for proof. Many of the top payment solutions in each of these markets don’t use NFC chips at all.

NFC tech in official World Cup match ball draws fans even more into the games

Every four years, the FIFA World Cup brings millions of people together to bond over a shared interest in soccer and a fierce devotion to their country. But how do you drum up even more interest in one of the most popular sports on the planet? To Adidas and the software company BlueBite, the solution comes down to innovating the fan experience. Specifically, the duo injected the official World Cup match ball with a bit of cutting-edge (see: NFC) technology capable of allowing fans to unlock exclusive, tournament-themed content.

Tailoring RFID technology for managing cotton modules

Data-use and exchange possibilities generated through the RFID tags in John Deere round module wrap is the next rung in the ladder of farming and ginning technology advancements. Sid Brough was destined to be a ginner. He grew up around a gin and has been in the ginning business in one capacity or another for a half century in San Patricio County, Texas. Brough is the gin manager for EdCot Coop Gin, located about 25 miles from Corpus Christi. Ninety-five percent of the modules they receive are dropped from John Deere on-board module harvester pickers or strippers.

NB-IoT big guns team up in Europe for international roaming

Two of NB-IoT’s biggest players, Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone, have completed international roaming trials across Europe, expanding LPWAN capabilities. In the past week, Vodafone Ireland’s new enterprise director, Regina Moran, spoke with Siliconrepublic.com about the company’s vision for the internet of things (IoT), but specifically 5G and narrowband IoT (NB-IoT). Her main focus in her new role is helping customers digitally transform their business with the goal of helping them expand and grow, all supported by Vodafone’s next-generation fixed and mobile solutions, cloud-based platforms, NB-IoT and One Net Business unified communications solution.

NXP launches full-service NFC mobile wallet platform for wearable, mobile and IoT device makers

NXP Semiconductors in collaboration with Mastercard and Visa today announced the launch of its new mWallet 2GO, a white label wallet service developed on the NXP Secure Service 2GO Platform.
With the new service, NXP is first in the industry to offer the full scope of mobile wallet development in one solution including leading hardware technology, surrounding software and ecosystem integration.

The payment solution is designed to ease development, reduce cost, and accelerate time-to-market for OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to add mobile payment capability to any wearable, mobile or IoT (Internet-of-Things) device.

Montblanc, the German manufacturer of luxury writing instruments, watches, jewelry and leather goods, is the first company to launch its own mobile wallet solution based on mWallet 2GO for its new TWIN smart strap.

This first true end-to-end solution integrates NXP’s advanced technologies including Near Field Communications (NFC), Secure Element (SE), NFC middleware, SE JavaCard operating system, SE applets, SEMS (Secure Element Management Service), wallet application and software developer kit (SDK), wallet server and MDES (Mastercard Digital Enablement Service) and VTS (Visa Token Service) tokenization platforms, to offer OEMs a pre-certified and validated turnkey solution.

Is IoT the Key to the Future of Food Safety?

We are in wake of a 25 state E.Coli outbreak that was traced back to Romaine lettuce out of Yuma, Arizona, causing 75 hospitalizations and a death. We’re also currently in the midst of the largest food recall since 2010, with 200+ million eggs being recalled for Salmonella and 22 confirmed cases of illness so far. Both of these outbreaks could have been stopped at the source, but instead it has taken weeks to track down and identify. These outbreaks are a call to action for better Food Safety Practices, and we are quickly seeing the solution for these issues in the world of IoT. From sensors that read temperature or record time from harvest, to pathogen detection reading bacteria count in various areas and indicating the risk points (known as hazard control points), IoT is making food safety easier and making any problems like the recent outbreaks more traceable.

NFC World welcomes 120 new members from 43 countries

120 new members from 43 countries joined The NFC World Knowledge Centre in May 2018, bringing our total membership to more than 10,500 executives, technical experts and decision makers at banks, card issuers, mobile network operators, merchants, brands, device makers, regulators and policy makers around the world. Members joined last month from 7 Eleven, AdvanIDe, Airplus, American Express, Ant Financial, Bancontact, Blackboard, Bluebite, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, Ernst & Young, FIME, FIS, Goodix Technologies, Google Pay, HID Global, Identiv, Mahindra, Mastercard, NCR, Payments Canada, Peoples Trust, Rakuten, RedSys, TransferTo, Trustonic, US Postal Service, VyStar Credit Union, Zebra Technologies and many, many more.

New RFID tech could spell end for lost airport baggage

An Italian company has developed a new tagging technology that uses RFID chips to track luggage in real time at every stage of the transfer, an advance that may put an end to lost or delayed baggage which cost airlines billions of dollars each year and pose security risks. According to a report by the aviation IT specialist, SITA, 5.73 bags per thousand passengers went astray in 2016. Recovering and returning lost bags cost the aviation industry USD 2.1 billion in 2016.

Fagerhult taps new CEO with strong IoT credentials

Bodil Sonesson is steeped in connected security cameras and data analytics for video surveillance stalwart Axis, and is well clued in on sensors. She joins later this year. With the lighting industry heading resolutely into the Internet of Things, Fagerhult Group has landed a new CEO who looks set to bring solid IoT experience — including sensors, data collection, and data analysis — when she joins the Swedish lighting vendor later this year. Bodil Sonesson is currently vice president of global sales at Swedish security-camera stalwart Axis Communications, which claims to have been the first company in the world to have launched a networked camera, back in 1996, the year Sonesson joined.

For IoT, alternative location services are better than GPS

Traditional location positioning such as GPS isn’t going to be suitable for a Location of Things world filled with Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, say experts. The centralized, anchor-like system we use now, as found in GPS, mobile network cell tower positioning services, and Wi-Fi-based location positioning, is going to be a problem. The usual suspects being bandwidth, excessive power use, and cost. The problem is IoT devices are required to communicate with positioning anchors, whether it be satellites or radio towers. That’s bandwidth-intensive; it can use a significant amount of power to cover the distances, as well as to power the multiple chips needed. The system is also conceivably susceptible to congestion as the numbers of devices increases — projections are for billions and billions of IoT things worldwide, ultimately.

Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom test NB-IoT roaming

Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom have completed the first international roaming trial of Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) technology in a development that could accelerate the development of cross-border IoT services. Roaming is seen as an essential component for licensed mobile IoT networks, with applications such as logistics tracking needing to work in multiple territories. It’s also essential if equipment manufacturers are going to achieve economies of scale with devices like smart metres

QR code ticket-buying service to launch on two more airport bus routes

The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) will provide QR code ticket-buying services on two more airport bus routes following the success of test services on two routes this week.  Prayoon Chuaykaew, acting BMTA director, said there were no technical errors during the test runs on the A1 Don Mueang-Mor Chit and A2 Don Mueang-Victory Monument services on Monday. Prayoon said 376 passengers used their mobile banking apps to pay for bus tickets - 273 on A1 buses and 103 on A2 buses.

Hong Kong to implement QR codes on MTR station

Hong Kong’s rail operator MTR Corporation has called upon tech companies to express their interest in tendering for the application of QR codes for travel in its rail network. In an official statement, the company explained that it plans to implement the QR code-based payments on existing Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates. Under the new system, passengers will be required to pre-generate a QR-based transit code to enter or exit paid areas of the MTR stations, where they will be required to present the QR code. Information collected from the code will be used for journey construction and fare calculation based on travel-first-and-pay-afterwards mechanism.

Glitches in PDS smart cards

The public distribution system in Tamil Nadu (TNPDS), despite several promises in the past to resolve glitches in PDS smart cards, has shown no improvement and various aspects including the tedious procedure for making minor changes in the card, early closure of E-seva centers and online procedures still remain unaddressed. Many E-seva centres where smart cards can be applied for, are turning away people or directing them towards online applications. Officials say this is being done to address complaints of bribes that many beneficiaries made in the past. “We receive at least one complaint a week saying they were asked for more that Rs 60 for smart cards. The online move will increase transparency,” said an official from the civil supplies department.

A Beginner’s Guide to Securing Your IoT Devices

If there is any remaining debate around how popular the Internet of Things (IoT) really is, it should be laid to rest: 2018 is the year that IoT-connected gadgets are expected to surpass mobile devices. All of the major players—like Google, Apple, Microsoft, and many others—are investing heavily in IoT tech, and it is widely considered to be the next-wave movement in technology. But as with any new trend, there are still some bugs to work out. For those of you who are just beginning to explore the practical applications of connected devices, keep reading to learn more about IoT security concerns —and what you can do about them.

Why RFID is gaining momentum in fashion

EMVCo, the global technical body that manages EMV Specifications, announced it has created a QR Payment Mark to promote global interoperability across EMV QR Code payments. In a press release, EMVCo said it “developed reproduction requirements and a free licensing structure to enable” everyone who uses “EMV QR Code solutions to use the mark.” The EMV QR Code Specifications was implemented last year to address two common QR Code payment use cases: consumer-presented, in which the consumer displays the QR Code on their mobile device and the merchant uses a scanner to read the code, and merchant-presented, in which the merchant displays the QR Code and the consumer uses their mobile device to scan the code.

Scientists use RFID chips to track biological samples

Radio frequency identification (RFID) chips are used today for everything from paying for public transit to tracking livestock to stopping shoplifters. But now, researchers in the U.S. and Japan want to use them for something else: keeping track of organoids, samples of human tissue that mimic pieces of organs and are grown from stem cells. The organoids the researchers embedded with RFID chips functioned normally and withstood extreme conditions, suggesting that they could be a useful way to organize and identify the large quantities of organoids that are often needed in experimental situations. The work appeared May 31 in the journal iScience.

RFID Becomes Super-Slim for Linen Tracking

Fujitsu Frontech North America (FFNA) has released what it calls one of the smallest laundry tags on the market with built-in RFID technology. The size is strategic—at 6 to 7 millimeters (0.23 to 0.28 inch) in width, it is sized to fit into the standard seam sewn in linens by manufacturers of such products as bed sheets, table cloths, uniforms and scrubs. The company announced the 5th General Super Slim Washable RFID Linen Tag at this month's RFID Journal LIVE! conference and exhibition, held in Orlando, Fla.

QR Codes Are Gaining A Brighter Profile

The QR Code has been enjoying some love and attention over the past few weeks, though the prospects for the digital payment tool remain relatively limited outside of Asia, at least according to one report. First up, EMVCo, the global technical body that manages those payment specifications, just introduced what it calls a QR Payment Mark. The idea is to “promote global interoperability across EMV QR Code payments,” the standards group said in a statement. Implemented last year, the group’s EMV QR Code Specifications are designed to address transactions where the consumer presents the code, and also where the merchant does so.

Chinese banks report growth in mobile payments volumes

Chinese banks posted robust growth in mobile payments in the first quarter of this year, according to the People's Bank of China (PBOC). Banking institutions handled 70.8 trillion yuan (11.1 trillion U.S. dollars) in mobile payments in the period, up 16.8 percent year on year, the central bank data showed. Around 10.7 billion payments were made through the banks' mobile services in the first quarter, an increase of 17.8 percent year on year, the PBOC said.

Yubico debuts iOS SDK with LastPass as first YubiKey Neo NFC app

Hardware authentication keymaker Yubico announced an iOS software development kit today, enabling iOS developers to add YubiKey Neo NFC authentication to their apps. Yubico also announced that LogMeIn’s LastPass is the first third-party iOS app to support YubiKey through NFC. YubiKey Neo is a portable, physical key-sized USB device with a USB plug on one end and a wireless NFC chip inside, enabling users to unlock computers with the USB plug and certain mobile devices with NFC. The concept is to provide secure two-factor authentication, combining a typed password with a required piece of identity-confirming hardware before unlocking a device.

Beijing enables QR code payment in the subway

Beijing enables QR code payment in the subway No more waiting in long queues to buy tickets People in Beijing can now use QR codes as tickets across all subway lines, after 6 million passengers tried it during a trial over 20 days. They need to download an app called Ruubypay and connect it with either their bank account, Alipay, or JD Finance account. A QR code will be generated as you open the app, and by putting your phone near the QR code reader, it will let you pass through almost as fast as using an actual ticket.Beijing’s subway already lets people pay on phones with NFC, which is how most mobile payment services (like Apple Pay) work in the rest of the world.

SEPTA Key costs balloon as agency fixes smartcard snafus

SEPTA’s capital budget for the upcoming fiscal year increased the estimated total price of implementing the Key card payment system to $297.77 million, a nearly $30 million increase over last year’s projection and $122 million more than the $175 million cost SEPTA estimated after selecting the project’s main contractor. The 70 percent price jump comes along with a three-year delay on the project’s finish date — the project, which was originally scheduled for completion in December 2013, is now expected to wrap in 2020. Both changes can be blamed on unexpected do-overs and additions needed for the system software, and design upgrades for the notoriously user-unfriendly kiosks.