Did a Soccer Ball Putin Gave Trump Contain a Transmitter Chip?

On 16 July 2018, U.S. president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin held a controversial summit meeting in Helsinki, Finland. During an equally controversial press conference following one meeting between the two men, Putin presented Trump with a 2018 FIFA World Cup “Official Matchball” as a gift, Many, including U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, warned Trump to make sure the ball was not “bugged” with an embedded listening device. The notion that the gift from Putin was bugged gained more attention after Bloomberg commented on the probable existence of a small Near Field Communication (NFC) chip implanted in the ball. “Putin gave Trump a soccer ball that may have a transmitter chip,” CNN reported.

Enterprise barcode scanner startup Scandit raises a $30 million Series B

“Augmented reality for enterprise” is the sort of phrase that surely hits all of the right neurological pleasure centers for VCs. No surprise, then, that Scandit just raised a $30 million Series B, in a round led by GV (née Google Ventures) and NGP Capital. That joins a previous $13 million raise for the Zurich-based startup. The company has focused on the Microsoft Hololens and other wearable displays as ways to help streamline warehouses. “A number of data capture use cases for HoloLens come to mind,” the company wrote in a 2016 blog post.

Global Barcode Label Printer Market Is Projected to Exhibit a CAGR of 4.80% Between 2017 and 2025

The global barcode label printer revenue market is valued at 1,959 million USD in 2017 and is expected to reach 2,572 million USD by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 3.46% between 2017 and 2025. Global Barcode Label Printer sales volume is valued at 5.56 million Units in 2017 and is expected to reach 8.1 million Units by the end of 2025, growing at a CAGR of 4.80% between 2017 and 2025.


Increased demand for barcode wristbands is expected to favorably impact market growth. Furthermore, the trend of mobile sales workforce carrying out on-field transactions has augmented the demand for mobile printers that are capable of connecting wirelessly to the organization's network and printing receipts on the spot. APAC is the largest market segment of Barcode Label Printer, followed by Europe with a consumption market share nearly 25.47% in 2017.

QR Code-Linked System Could Improve Adrenal Crisis Management in Addison Disease

When a patient experiences an adrenal crisis associated with Addison disease (primary adrenal failure), hydrocortisone and fluid resuscitation must be given immediately in order to prevent hypotensive shock and death. A recent clinical audit evaluated healthcare professionals’ management of adrenal crisis, and found that there is a clinical need to improve the acute management of this life-threatening condition. Each participant completed a questionnaire about care, confidence in managing an adrenal crisis, and the feasibility of using a Quick Response (QR) coded bracelet. The QR-coded bracelet, developed by the researchers, was designed to be linked to a website dedicated to patient information on steroid replacement therapy.

Half a billion enterprise IoT devices vulnerable to DNS rebinding attacks

Half a billion Internet of Things (IoT) enterprise devices are susceptible to DNS 'rebinding attacks' that give remote attackers a way to get around firewalls and gain access to vulnerable devices on a local network. That's according to security outfit Armis, who states in a fresh report that enterprises are even more exposed than consumers thanks to devices that are used in the workplace such as IP phones, printers, networking equipment, and cameras. These devices apparently put enterprises at risk from attacks, data exfiltration, and takeover from a Mirai-like worm attack.

Reynders automates ScanTrust QR code verification

Belgium-based Reynders has installed an automated system from Lake Image Systems for inspecting and authenticating ScanTrust QR codes on anti-counterfeit packaging. ScanTrust, a secure cloud-based product authentication and supply chain traceability specialist, has developed a secure QR code containing a unique fingerprint pattern that cannot be copied. During printing of the ScanTrust QR code onto labels and packaging, Lake Image Systems has provided a real-time, camera-based option to read, decode and validate the QR code, extract the unique fingerprint image and interrogate the ScanTrust cloud system to authenticate the code at the start of each job. A positive response from the ScanTrust cloud signals to the operator to commence printing the rest of the job.

NCERT to provide supplementary lessons through QR codes in textbooks

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has initiated the process of introducing Quick Response (QR) code in their textbooks, a move aimed at helping students understand chapters better by watching a film or reading additional content on laptops and digital boards. QR Code is a machine-readable code consisting of an array of black and white squares. “We have started the process of identifying relevant supplementary material including videos, animations, power point presentations, maps and e-content,” a senior NCERT official said. “These will be mapped with the content of each textbook from class 1 to 12 and will be linked with QR code, which will be printed in the textbooks,” the official added.

The Pros and Cons of EMV Technology

In most retailers today, customers don’t swipe a credit card’s magnetic stripe and sign a receipt to pay for goods and services. They now insert the card’s embedded chip into a point-of-sale terminal. In some cases, they also input a personal identification number. For credit card companies and banks, this is the world as it should be. As of Oct. 1, 2015, U.S. merchants are now liable for any fraud that results from transactions on systems that are not EMV capable. EMV stands for “Europay, MasterCard and Visa,” the three companies that created the international standard to authenticate transactions. It’s been in place in the European Union since 2005.

More than half billion Chinese pay by mobile phones

China saw fast expansion in the number of mobile payment users last year, reaching 527 million at the end of 2017, according to an internet industry report. The number of mobile payment users increased by 57.83 million in 2017, 12.3-percent growth, the Internet Society of China said in the report. Total online payment users reached 531 million by the end of last year, up 11.9 percent from a year earlier, the report showed.

Smart card developer UBIVELOX enters cryptocurrency market with strategic alliance with Pundi X

Pundi X, the developer of a blockchain-based point-of-sale ("POS") solution, and UBIVELOX (089850), the KRX-listed company and world's sixth-largest manufacturer of smart cards, today announced UBIVELOX's entry into the cryptocurrency market following a deal between the two companies.

Through a strategic alliance signed at Pundi X's R&D center in Shenzhen on Thursday, UBIVELOX, which is a leading world innovator in smart cards, security and communications devices, will support the deployment and development of the Pundi X POS in South Korea. A global cryptocurrency center, South Korea is one of Pundi X's primary launch markets for its point of sales ("POS) device that enables consumers to pay for goods in physical stores in multiple cryptocurrencies.

The signing of an agreement will form part of a broader business partnership including the development of options for the distribution of Pundi X's multiple-cryptocurrency enabled XPASS cards, leveraging UBIVELOX's deep connections with South Korean businesses.

As of today, Pundi X has received in excess of 5000 pre-orders for its XPOS devices from Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, and has made contracts for 20,000 XPOS devices with the NEM Foundation over the next three years.

Prior to its entry to South Korea, Pundi X has secured domestic and overseas merchants.

T-Mobile launches narrowband IoT network

T-Mobile has launched its narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network across the United States, with 5G SVP and IoT business chief Dave Mayo telling ZDNet that the network covers 2.1 million square miles and approximately 320 million people. Speaking with ZDNet, Mayo said the NB-IoT network deployment was "pretty straightforward", involving hardware upgrades in older basebands and new radio software. T-Mobile's primary vendors were Ericsson and Nokia, though the carrier also worked with Qualcomm on the narrowband chipsets. It had initially trialled NB-IoT a year ago in partnership with the City of Las Vegas, Ericsson, and Qualcomm.

New inventory technology will help global retailers gain a deeper understanding of in-store product flow

Simbe Robotics today announced the integration of RFID and Machine Learning technology that enables Tally to capture in-store data on all RFID-tagged merchandise, from apparel to electronics, sporting goods to home decor. In addition to its pre-existing computer vision abilities, Tally now captures over 700 RFID product tags per second with higher than 99% accuracy. This frees store associates from handheld scanning devices and provides retailers with real-time insight into product availability and placement.

Simbe’s combination of RFID and computer vision within Tally is the next step in the company’s vision to solve for the $1.1 trillion in annual retail losses retailers face due to out of stocks, over stock of merchandise, and product location errors.1 Correcting for these losses also ultimately enhances the in-store shopper experience by ensuring the products customers want are always available and in the right place.

How to scan QR codes from the lock screen in iOS 12

Ever since iOS 11, your iPhone and iPad have been able to detect a QR code in the camera frame, and pop up a banner at the top of the screen to open the link embedded within it. This is a great way to quickly extract the URL from a billboard, or from a particular nerdy lost-cat poster stapled to a utility pole. Now, iOS 12 brings a dedicated QR-scanning shortcut you can invoke right from your iPhone’s lock screen. Let’s see how to scan QR codes in iOS 12.

NFC mobile payments roll out in Saudi Arabia

Visa announced that it has partnered with mada, the national payment scheme, to bring Saudi consumers mada Pay, the first mobile payment solution that supports contactless (NFC) transactions to launch in the Kingdom.

mada Pay is an Android-based mobile application that enables cardholders to make fast, easy and secure contactless mobile payments at NFC-enabled merchants throughout Saudi and abroad with KSA-issued Visa cards (credit and prepaid). Visa and mada co-badged (debit and prepaid) cards can also be used with mada Pay.

The mada Pay app features built-in security technology enabled by Visa Token Service and mada Tokenization Platform that replaces card data, including the 16-digit card number, with a “token” (a random number), to protect cardholders’ account information. During the transaction, the token is selected (either a mada or Visa token) and submitted into the payment process rather than the actual card information, depending on the type of card and geographical location where the transaction occurs. This means that users of digital applications such as mada Pay are able to pay, safe in the knowledge that they are protected by multiple layers of security.

Is mobile payment going too far when cash has become unacceptable?

When mobile payment with smartphones has become the means of choice at retail outlets, the central bank of China needed to remind businesses they should not reject cash payment. In most retail outlets in China, mobile payment with smartphone apps WeChat Pay (of Tencent) and Alipay (of Alibaba) has become the de facto option. Customers with credit or debit cards only, including the cards on UnionPay (China’s clearing platform), are sometimes in bad luck. It turns out even cash payment may not go all the way, which prompted the central bank, People’s Bank of China, to issue a warning notice to the retailers that rejecting cash is against the law.

Your IoT Is Probably Not A-OK

A few weeks ago, major retailers stopped selling toys from the company CloudPets after more than 2 million recorded messages were leaked in a major security breach. Internet of things (IoT) security breaches are as prevalent as they’re varied. From medical devices and traffic lights to automobiles and toys, each hitherto unconnected device that now joins the big bad world wide web brings additional security mysteries to the fore. And with over 20 billion connected devices projected to be in use by 2020, these are mysteries we must unravel. There are plenty of reasons for the current gaps in IoT security including a lack of regulation, market failures and stakeholder indifference, although none of these are insurmountable. Even considering these challenges, there are concrete steps that we can take to avoid future IoT mishaps and eventual attacks by an animatronic locust swarm.

Fashionable QR code jacket uniquely designed to the personality of the wearer

You’ve likely seen your fair share of QR codes on product labels, business cards, or for making payments, etc., but have you ever seen a personalized QR code jacket? Julie Helles Erikson has done just that, creating a fashionable garment designed to merge the wearers’ physical and digital lives, reports designboom. The QR code jacket is composed entirely of woven quick response codes. The purpose of all the codes is to unveil the different personalities of the wearer to anyone who might scan the codes with their camera phone.

BMRCL ups its Smart Card game

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), which runs Namma Metro, is going full throttle on peddling its Smart Cards. To get more people to buy these cards, it has now cut down on ticket counters, using other counters to sell Smart Cards instead. It has restricted issuing tokens to a single counter despite having two or three counters. Earlier, tokens used to be issued at all counters, depending on the footfall and there was no open marketing of smart cards at ticket counters.

Smartrac is extending its RAIN RFID portfolio

Smartrac is extending its RAIN RFID portfolio by launching new Belt inlays featuring UCODE 8 - NXP’s recently introduced UCODE 8 RAIN RFID chip platform. Smartrac belt inlays are designed for item-level retail and logistics applications. They are characterized by an extended read range and allow usage in light dielectric materials, such as cardboard or plastic boxes. UCODE 8 is the latest generation of NXP’s UCODE series and enables superior read distances and faster inventory counts for high volumes of items. The chip features an automatic adjustment function that optimizes the chip sensitivity to gain maximum performance in different environments. This optimization is performed at startup and is enabled in the default chip configuration as delivered by NXP.

NFC-ready POS terminals reached 24.7M in 2017

The market for NFC-ready point-of-sale terminals continues to show strong momentum with annual shipment in 2017 reaching an estimated 24.7 million units worldwide, according to a report from IoT analyst firm Berg Insight. The attach rate for NFC was highest in the European Union and North America, where 90 percent and 88 percent respectively of the POS terminals shipped featured NFC. NFC was also a popular feature in many other major markets worldwide, including Brazil, Turkey and China, according to a press release about the report.

IoT Security Solutions To Hit $6B By 2023

The Internet of Things (IoT) cybersecurity solutions market is poised to hit $6 billion globally by 2023, according to a new study from Juniper Research. In a press release highlighting the new research, Juniper Research said that spending by product and service providers and end customers will rise close to 300 percent from now until 2023. “The interconnected nature of the IoT means that even innocuous devices like the connected fridge can become a threat. Vendors see that risk as low, while little has been done from a regulatory perspective to protect consumers,” said research author Steffen Sorrell.

How the Easton school district plans to scale back its smart card program

After a tepid response from the Easton Area School Board, the district administration has scaled back the proposed implementation of its smart card ID program. Under the ScholarChip program, students would swipe their ID cards at monitors when they get on and off school buses and enter and exit their schools. A component requiring them to tap in when they enter and exit each classroom has been tabled, according to Assistant Superintendent Alyssa Emili.

Innometriks releases Cheetah SE High Assurance Smart Card Reader

Johnson Controls announces the release of the Cheetah SE High Assurance Smart Card Reader from Innometriks, providing end users with an economically priced, compact, high assurance reader for installations requiring two-factor authentication to meet federal credentialing requirements. With a wide range of communication options, Cheetah SE readers can seamlessly integrate into various existing physical access control systems for authentication and network environments for administration.

Using a secure browser connection, end users can manage enterprise installations and network-based firmware upgrades from a central location, allowing for easy set up and deployment on large systems through the use of configuration files. From one location, end users can ensure the correct settings are in place on each reader, while remotely managing licenses.

Railway tickets can be paid by QR code

Passengers of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT's) diesel-powered trains can now pay for their tickets by QR code, the authority's acting governor Voravuth Mala said. The QR code service will be run under an agreement between the railway operator and Kasikorn Bank. Mr Voravuth said 140 QR code-generating machines have been installed in 56 main train stations nationwide.

5 ways the IoT must improve to achieve enterprise success

If you think you know the problems facing the Internet of Things (IoT), a new Deloitte report, Five vectors of progress in the Internet of Things, offers a great chance to check your assumptions against the IoT experts. Despite the fancy-pants 'vectors of progress' language, the report’s authors — David Schatsky, Jonathan Camhi, and Sourabh Bumb — basically lay out the IoT’s chief technical challenges and then look at what’s being done to address them. Some of the five are relatively well-known, but others may surprise you.

SML furthers support for growing retail RFID market

RFID specialist SML produced more than 1.4 billion encoded RFID tags in 2017 and expects to double its capacity every two years to meet demand from a market growing at more than 30 percent a year. SML claimed the volume produced last year allowed it to deliver encoded RFID tags to more than 95 percent of the retail RFID rollout projects around the world. The company has further identified the market for item-level RFID encoded tags growing at over 30 percent each year. SML is investing heavily to support this rapidly growing market. High speed encoding and converting equipment is accommodating the expansion of existing and new brands in a fast-paced fashion industry.

IoT may bring the promise of connected healthcare to life

Can the promise of the internet of things bring order to chaos when it comes to true healthcare interoperability? Two different attempts are underway. Sometimes the simplest solution really isn't the answer, at least when it comes to interoperability and connected healthcare. Two separate efforts have quietly begun to bring the complex promise of IoT to the hospital bed for real-time patient monitoring and decision engine support for physicians and staff.

NFC labels could send rotten food warning to mobile phones

A team of researchers from China and the US have created unique NFC labels designed to be attached to food packaging that can send out a rotten food warning to smartphones, reported the Daily Mail. Every year, 3,000 people die from foodborne illness. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every year, 48 million people in the nation get sick from foodborne illness. Of this vast number, approximately 125,000 people are hospitalized for food poisoning and 3,000 die.

Superdry to roll out RFID

Superdry will be rolling out RFID technology during its current financial year, after a successful pilot in five UK stores. The retailer said the technology which helps to manage its in-store inventory had provided “significant operational benefits” as well as digital marketing opportunities and brand protection. It also helped store staff by reducing in-store labour. Superdry also said it would be introducing more technology into its store estate going forward to “free up colleague time to serve customers”. This includes a mobile point of sale (POS) system, which will allow staff to drive sales and access live inventory.

IDEX Joins The Asia Pacific Smart Card Association

IDEX has become a member of the Asia Pacific Smart Card Association, the company has announced. The news comes after IDEX delivered a presentation at the APSCA Powered and Next-Generation Cards Conference & Exhibition last autumn. The move is, of course, a reflection of IDEX’s pursuit of the emerging biometric payment cards market, which the company called its “top priority” in its Q1 update. IDEX is one of multiple players seeking to get its fingerprint sensor technology integrated into these emerging card solution; and this past May, the company announced that its technology was being used in a trial underway in the Middle East.

Canada Gets Access to QR Code Mobile Payments with UnionPay

It’s been obvious for some time now that the Chinese mobile payment market is eager to branch out, if for no other reason than to take care of the growing numbers of Chinese tourists hitting the road for other countries. Thus, UnionPay International’s move to bring quick response (QR) code payments to Canada makes a particular sense. The new effort came about as the result of a partnership between UnionPay and the Canadian subsidiary of Bank of China. With this partnership in place, QR codes could hit Canada, at least in limited capacity. Now, all Canadian Foodymart locations will take UnionPay QR codes, as part of a growing effort that’s expected to see QR codes in almost 5,000 merchants by the end of 2018.

Ateneo de Manila University explores data security in the use of RFID

All around the world today, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is getting widespread attention. For the technology to work, data is electronically encoded and stored in a smart tag which are then picked up during use by a reader via radio waves. Once captured, the data can be turned over to and processed by a computer.

RFID’s applications and potential uses are as varied as they are numerous. In the transportation sector, for instance, it is now common to see contactless smart cards or tickets equipped with RFID tags being used to ride buses, trains, and other public transportation. The convenience it has facilitated is hard to deny, with passengers now needing only to tap a card or ticket to use their preferred mode of transport. In retail, the same technology is being used by the likes of Amazon Go, where RFID tags and readers allow customers to just grab items off the shelves and leave. The tags attached to the items are processed by a reader upon exit, and the store will automatically charge the items bought to the customer’s Amazon account. No more long queues at the checkout counter! For companies, in general, RFID is being used for such purposes as keeping track of employee attendance and facilitating employee access to certain areas, systems, applications and other organization resources.

Amid all this excitement, though, should be a sobering reminder that innovation and emerging technologies, while vital to the economic growth of any country, must not be at the expense of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people.

With RFID, it’s worth noting that privacy-related issues have been raised ever since it was first introduced. They include concerns about its use by both the government and the private sector when prying into the lives of the people via surreptitious tracking and monitoring. An RFID tag, after all, can record unique identifiers assigned to a individual, which could then, in turn, reveal information about him or her directly or indirectly. A simple loyalty card equipped with an RFID technology can give a general picture of a person’s spending habits or preferences and then link to that person’s other records in the possession of the company managing the card, and even its affiliates.

Given the extent of information involved, there are still a couple of other risks. An individual may be identified or associated with a different data set, which could give rise to many data quality issues. Once data systems are interconnected, profiling will also be so much easier and could make way for all sorts of discriminatory programs or actions, intended or otherwise. Loss of control by a person over his or her personal data will also be inevitable, given the way companies like to share their databases with subsidiaries, affiliates, service providers, and other third parties. Any one of them could use the data for unauthorized purposes. Any one of them could be potential targets for hackers and fraudsters who are certain to take interest in the trove of personal data in their custody.

With these, and as RFID’s capabilities continue to evolve, authorities need to keep up and regularly monitor its development. Whenever possible, appropriate regulations should be instituted. For its proponents and developers, focus should also be given to mechanisms that guarantee security of RFID systems, and not just those that ensure its effectiveness and reliability. Users, in the meantime, must take into account all possible risks posed by the technology—particularly those relating to a person’s privacy—and prop them against its promised benefits. They need to weigh both sides and make a determination whether those benefits make assuming the risks worthwhile. That would be the responsible thing to do.

NETS extends QR code payment discounts to more eateries till August

Homegrown payment services group Nets is extending its Go Cashless campaign — which rewards diners with discounts when they make Nets QR code payments — for another two months, with coffeeshops joining in the fray for the first time. In a media release on Tuesday, Nets said the second edition of its campaign — set to run from Wednesday to Aug 29 — will feature more hawker centres and canteens, in addition to the coffeeshops. Diners who spend at least S$2 per transaction will receive a S$0.50 discount on their Nets QR code transactions every Wednesday during the promotion period.

Zebra’s new RFID tracking portfolio

Technologies Corporation, a provider of rugged mobile computers, barcode scanners and printers enhanced with software and services for enterprise visibility, announced a new portfolio of location solutions for manufacturing, transportation and logistics. The new portfolio, Zebra MotionWorks, automatically senses the location of assets and inventory using RFID technology. Powered by Savanna, Zebra’s data intelligence platform, MotionWorks can integrate operational and edge data from multiple sources — Ultra-Wideband (UWB), UHF RFID tags, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons and cameras. The portfolio has options such as the MotionWorks Asset solution, the MotionWorks Material solution and the MotionWorks Yard solution.

Global smart card market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.7% between 2018 and 2023

The smart card 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. However, factors such as initial costs associated with the deployment of contactless EPOS terminals and increasing adoption of mobile wallets are restraining the growth of the market.

The market for contactless smart card is expected to grow at a high rate during the forecast period.The BFSI sector is expected to witness a high adoption of contactless smart cards in the coming years.

Further, the transition of smart cards in the US to EMV standard is driving the growth of the market for contactless smart cards. The market for contactless smart cards has been subsegmented into microprocessors and memory-based smart cards.

Systematic Upgrade of Smart Card Readers Nationwide Begins Next Week

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it will commence the systematic hardware and software upgrade of all the Smart Card Readers nationwide next week. The Director, Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Oluwole Uzzi, disclosed this in a statement issued Monday in Abuja, where he also revealed that the commission has received reports of attempts to clone Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and sell them online. He said the commission takes these reports seriously and would engage the government and security agencies as well as the promoters of the platform in order to get to the root of it and take all necessary action to take down the advertisement forthwith.

China's IoT manufacturers are reducing costs at the expense of our privacy and security

While the figure is much debated, there are expected to be 125 billion devices connected to the internet by 2030, a 360% increase from 2017. In China, the market for these devices is expected to reach $121 billion by 2022. Additionally, the number one shipper of IoT cellular modules in 2017, which allow machines to “talk” to each other over a mobile network, was Shenzhen-based. But the use of these devices comes with a caveat. As we measure and monitor the world around us, we too get drawn into the web. In 2016, a group of Chinese researchers found vulnerabilities in the Taiwanese-made Edimax smart plug, a device routinely used for home automation. The team was able to gain access to user credentials by exploiting cryptographic flaws.

How NFC (Near Field Communication) Is Changing Our Mobile Life

Near field communication (NFC) has made its way into many applications, including security, payment methods, and even access to areas and items. There's no doubt it's had an impact on how we develop and use hardware—but has it been a boon or a risk? Near field communication (NFC) is a protocol that was first defined in 2003 for use in radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, in standards distributed, promoted, and certified by the NFC Forum.

How IoT Can Transform Brick-and-Mortar Shopping

Internet of things (IoT) enthusiasts often discuss connected technologies as ends in themselves rather than means to ends. Thankfully, that’s not the case in the retail arena. The potential benefits are concrete, far-reaching and enticing. And whereas many IoT solutions are all about amassing data for analysis, retail IoT is about changing the store experience and operations. While I don’t think IoT will necessarily disrupt the balance between e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retail, it will give multichannel retailers new ways to succeed in physical stores. Let’s examine three interconnected ways IoT could make a significant difference for stores and shoppers.

Mission one step closer to smart card for Panaji

With ambitious plans to provide around 60,000 prepaid Goa Universal Smart cards for digital payments in the capital, Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) in India held a meeting with traders recently to promote the concept. The smart card can be topped up through debit cards, netbanking, at select counters and can be used to pay government bills, public transportation and for entertainment services in the city.

Microsoft Azure IoT Edge goes live

Microsoft announced the general availability of Azure IoT Edge, a fully managed cloud service that helps enterprises generate more useful insights from the data collected by Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The service "delivers cloud intelligence locally by deploying and running artificial intelligence (AI), Azure services, and custom logic directly on cross-platform IoT devices," according to the Azure website.

LinkedIn app turns your profile into a digital business card with QR codes

LinkedIn is rolling out a new feature that will make it much easier to get contact information from LinkedIn users. Announced via a blog post, the company says that adding support for QR-based business cards makes it much easier to connect with people in the real world. Making it super easy to bring your offline conversations online.

UnionPay QR code payment debuts in North America

UnionPay International announced that it has partnered with Bank of China (Canada) in enabling all the stores of Foodymart in Canada to accept UnionPay QR code payment. Cai Jianbo, CEO of UnionPay International, Li Aihua, President of Bank of China (Canada), and Wei Chengyi, Chairman of Foodymart attended the launching ceremony. Some food and beverage merchants in California, the US, have recently started accepting UnionPay QR code payment too. This is the first time that UnionPay's QR code payment is launched in Canada and the United States. It is expected that the number of merchants accepting UnionPay QR code payment in North America will reach 5,000 within this year.

Schreiner's New Digital Void Label Enables Tamper Evidence Using Smartphones

NFC is primarily associated with mobile payment transactions at retail points of sale. However, Schreiner Group’s most recent innovation demonstrates that this wireless technology is equally suitable for other scenarios. The Digital Void Label provides electronic tamper evidence and can be read using smartphones. It makes label tampering visible, indicating a potential risk to consumers. Manufacturers benefit from this solution as well because integrated geotracking as a monitoring function allows them to see where their products are used. These features were achieved by combining specialized expertise such as printed electronics and digital know-how in this thin, flexible high-tech label.