Kyrie Irving Debuts Signature Shoe Inspired By RFID Chips Government Secretly Implants In Anesthetized Patients

Claiming he wanted a sneaker that reflected his deepest passions, NBA star Kyrie Irving held a press conference to debut his new Nike Kyrie 7 signature shoe, modeled after the RFID chips the government implants in the brains of every citizen who gets anesthetized. “I really wanted a design that speaks to how the government is slowly taking over our minds through intrusive thoughts that are telegraphed into our brains with implanted microchips,” said the Nets point guard, who revealed that engineers worked around the clock testing the hidden GPS tracker in the sole, which monitors not only the wearer’s locations but all their vital signs and transmits the information back to Nike headquarters.

The Potential and Perils of the IoT in Healthcare

The internet of things (IoT) is ever-expanding, and while this growth is bringing new capabilities and opportunities for business innovation, it also presents new challenges and security risks. And there is no greater risk than that of life or death, which is a core concern around the IoT in healthcare. Devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops and digital assistants have already penetrated the industry, and the IoT is at the heart of the digital healthcare ecosystem. This ecosystem includes patients and medical staff, medical devices (e.g., diagnostic and imaging), surgical robots, wearables, intelligent equipment and countless wireless sensors — all of which can share sensitive data.

Alitheon lands $11.6M for tech that assigns digital fingerprints to objects

Imagine mail without postage stickers, airplane luggage without bag tags, and paper money that’s authenticated not by ink or watermarks but the fibers of the paper itself. That’s the vision behind Alitheon, a Bellevue, Wash.-based startup that raised $11.6 million as part of a seed round. Alitheon’s technology, called FeaturePrint, uses regular cameras. But instead of taking photos, the system creates a kind of digital fingerprint for each individual object. The result is a new way of authenticating physical objects with machines — one that could replace barcodes, RFID tags and QR codes.

TfL reports on mobile payments adoption on London’s transport network

One in five contactless payments on London’s public transportation network are now made using a mobile phone or other non-card device, Transport for London (TfL) has revealed. The information was made public following a Freedom of Information Act request which also asked TfL how the introduction of contactless bank card payments has contributed to reducing its costs of revenue collection. The requestor explained that “in July 2017, Transport for London told its Customer Service and Operational Performance Panel that the cost of collecting fares had fallen from 14.3% of revenue in the 2005-2006 fiscal year to 9.2% in 2015-2016″ and asked for more recent figures.

FDLE Breaks up Crime Ring That Used Fake Barcodes

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement say it broke up a multi-state organized crime ring, involving two major retail stores and hundreds of thousands of dollars of worth merchandise. FDLE said this ring used fraudulent barcodes with cheap prices and would put it over real ones to purchase more expense items at low costs. Three people have been caught and two remain on the loose. The products were sold online through an eBay type of account earning a profit for thieves. If you are buying a valued at $300 for $8 and selling them at almost retail cost you can see the profit margin," explained FDLE Special Agent for Orlando Lee Massie.

Smartrac and SensThys have partnered to develop a temperature-sensing solution

SensThys and Smartrac Technology Group are releasing a new solution that employs SensThys's UHF RFID readers and software algorithms with Smartrac's moisture-, humidity- and temperature-sensing RFID inlays and tags. The partnership is intended to bring passive RFID sensing into commercial applications at an affordable price. The solution is initially focused on the construction and smart building markets, for use in leak detection and concrete curing. Currently, SensThys is piloting the system with an unnamed company on its large, flat roof.

Small satellite startup Kepler opens sign-ups for its IoT developer kits

Kepler Communications,  the Toronto-based startup that’s focused on developing and deploying shoebox-sized satellites to provide telecommunications services, is opening up registration for those interested in getting their first developer kits. These developer kits, designed to help potential commercial customers take advantage of its Internet of Things (IoT) narrowband connectivity deploying next year, will then be made available to purchase for elect partners next year.

Cutting food waste and staffing costs with RFID

Each year, 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted world­wide, says the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. And 6.43 million tons of it originates in Japan, according to the Japanese government in 2016—the most recent data available. Businesses are cooperating. Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd. and Lawson Inc. announced shortly after that they would discount onigiri (rice balls) and obento (lunch boxes) nearing expiration. It was a move that could be implemented using traditional labels, but could be enhanced by the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, a technology that originated in World War II but has become a key part of modern inventory management.

Alliance for Safe Kids and YPD Introduce QR Code Palm Cards

On November 19th, The Alliance for Safe Kids, Inc. (ASK) along with Chief Robert Noble of the Yorktown Police Department unveiled a technologically advanced way for police officers to share vital resources with those in need. This comes in the form of a palm card with a QR code that, once scanned using a smartphone's camera, will lead users to resources focused on topics from mental health and addiction to domestic violence and scams. A link to the ASK Community Resource Guide is also available via the QR code.

Smartrac to Sell its RFID Inlay Business to Avery Dennison

Smartrac Technology Group, a global leader in RFID technology and IoT solutions, today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to sell its RFID Transponder Division to Avery Dennison Corporation.

Headquartered in Glendale, California, Avery Dennison is a global materials science and manufacturing company specializing in the design and manufacture of a wide variety of labeling and functional materials. Its products include pressure-sensitive materials for labels and graphic applications; tapes and other bonding solutions for industrial, medical and retail applications; tags, labels and embellishments for apparel; and RFID solutions serving retail apparel and other markets.

Smartrac's RFID inlay and tags business will complement Avery Dennison’s Intelligent Labels platform, expand its existing product portfolio, enhance the company’s R&D, manufacturing and sales capacity and increase its RFID offerings for a broad variety of customer requirements and applications. The transaction will also provide the opportunity to expand market coverage and to accelerate RFID growth

As part of the transaction, Avery Dennison will acquire Smartrac’s Transponder business and associated assets, including all manufacturing, R&D, sales and administration facilities, and will take over all affected employees. Avery Dennison will also assume all contractual obligations to employees, customers and suppliers. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Chinese Mobile Payment Market Will be Worth as Much as RMB1,800 Trillion in 2025

Global mobile payment market springs up as smartphones prevail, internet plus spreads and technology advances. Globally in 2017, people in the three countries China, Norway and Britain most favored mobile payment. In China, nearly 47% of people used the way to pay and the shares of Norway and Britain were 42% and 24%, respectively, compared with a mere 17% in the US. By the user numbers of mainstream mobile payment platforms, WeChat Pay came to the top spot with 600 million users; Alipay followed with 400 million; PayPal claimed 210 million users, ranking third; Apple Pay was positioned fourth with 87 million users.

Till December 2018, Chinese mobile netizens numbered 817 million, a staggering 98.6% of whom got connected to the Internet via their mobile phones. 583 million, or 71.4% of the total number of mobile netizens, paid online using smartphones, with an annual growth rate of 10.7%.

The prevalence of mobile internet and the high penetration of online shopping set the stage for the expansion of mobile payment in China. In 2018, the country's mobile payment size soared by 58.62% to RMB467.9 trillion on the previous year, of which banking payment institutions handled 60.531 billion transactions, RMB277.39 trillion in value, surging by 61.19% and 36.69% on an annualized basis, separately. China leads the world in mobile payment business, with electronic payment as a percentage of as high as 71.4% in the country in 2018.

The mobile payment industry is still brisk in 2019. Although the tighter oversight by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) poses challenges to mobile payment operations, it brings new vitality. The limit of payment by scanning the static barcode, which is specified in Standards for Barcode Payment Business (YF [2017] No.296) (hereinafter referred to as No.296 Document), may be a boon for industries such as dynamic barcode display equipment and smart POS device. Opportunities in the mobile payment industry of China from 2019 to 2025 cover the following:

Near field communication (NFC) payment products: NFC payment is welcome by mobile payments users as the State launches a range of policies to encourage and guide them to use and the 5G technology is beginning to flourish. Beyond that, the No.296 Document defines a cap of RMB500 on daily payment via static barcode, which is unquestionably good news for banks to develop NFC payment products.

Fast food chain Chick-fil-A boosted downloads of its mobile app

Fast food chain Chick-fil-A boosted downloads of its mobile app by 14% by showing a QR code in its digital signage, according to an analysis by the brand's vendor on the campaign, UPshow, that was shared with Mobile Marketer. By scanning the code with their smartphone cameras, customers were pointed to an app store to immediately download Chick-fil-A's app, UPshow said.

SCB enables cross-border QR code payments between TH and SG

Southeast Asia has seen a surge in QR code-based payments over the past year or so. And while cross-border payments via QR codes are still rare — it seems as though a partnership between Thailand and Singapore has broken new ground in digital payments. The QR code is a square-shaped information matrix made up of lines and squares that runs vertically and horizontally. Compared to the traditional barcode that can only code data in a linear fashion, more information can be stored in a QR code as a result of its complexity.

NXP combines NFC and UWB for mobile car keys

NXP has launched a new ultra-wideband chip designed to work together with Bluetooth, NFC and secure element technologies to enable “true secure hands-free smart access” to vehicles.“The NXP NCJ29D5 is the first of a new generation of UWB ICs designed specifically for the demands of the global automotive industry,” the chip maker says. “UWB provides precise, secure, real-time localisation capabilities unrivalled by other wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS,” NXP explains.

Visa makes strategic investment in LISNR

LISNR, a start-up that is using ultrasound technology as a mobile authentication and mobile payments solution, has received a strategic investment from Visa, and the financial services giant and LISNR will now begin to deploy the technology in merchant mobile wallets and with the everyday mobile transactions consumers are making. The Cincinnati-based start-up announced that Visa took part in a recently closed Series C venture capital fundraising and is now working with LISNR on commercial beta-testing of its mobile payments technology with retail merchants. This investment comes at a time when large tech companies, like Apple with Apple Pay, are growing in the mobile payment market using near field communication technology (NFC).

Hyundai launches barcode labels so emergency services can detect hybrid and electric cars

Hyundai Australia is fitting barcodes on the windscreens, front door pillars, and under the bonnet of all its hybrid and electric vehicles so emergency services and rescue crews can find out in a matter of seconds how to disable the battery pack and prevent a potential fire. The barcodes – the most obvious of which is on the top right corner of the windscreen – are accessed via a QR reader embedded in most smartphones.

Your Galaxy Has a Hidden QR Code Reader You Should Know About

QR codes are like smart little cubes of data. To unlock this data, you will need a QR reader. These are annoying because you typically have to download a third-party app, and some of these apps are shady. Luckily your Samsung Galaxy running One UI has a hidden QR scanner built right in. Open your Samsung One UI device's stock camera app. Find a QR code you would like to scan and point the camera towards the QR code. A popup will appear — just tap this to get deep linked in or to visit a URL. You now have the most conveniently placed QR code reader on your device.

Now, even trees have QR codes

While the world seems to be going digital, people lack the time to read books and process the information they contain. Hence, the Botany Department at PB Siddhartha College of Arts and Sciences has decided to exploit the rapidly growing platform for a unique purpose. Students on the lush green campus were seen using their phones, not to play games or take selfies, but to scan QR codes hung on the trees for its information. These codes give students all the information they need to know about the tree — from its scientific name to its medicinal value. They only need to put their smartphones to use. The days of scanning voluminous books seem to be over.

How to quickly share Wi-Fi settings in Android 10

If you’re anything like us, you’ve heard those questions from guests to your home or work many, many times. You probably have the answers memorized, or maybe you have them written on a card for this precise situation. With Android 10, there’s another, easier way to share the pertinent information with someone and it doesn’t require you to remember any details or spell out a password. Google has added a quick shortcut option to generate a QR code that you can display on your phone screen with a tap. Visitors can then scan the code on their phone to get instantly connected to your network.

Germany forces Apple to let other mobile wallet services use iPhone’s NFC chip

A new German law requires Apple to allow other mobile payments services access to the iPhone’s NFC chip for payments to allow them to fully compete with Apple Pay. Apple initially completely locked down the NFC chip so that it could be used only by Apple Pay. It later allowed some third-party apps to use the chip but has always refused to do so for other mobile payment apps. Banks have been demanding access to the NFC chip for their own payment apps since 2016. Australia’s three biggest banks claimed that locking them out of the NFC chip was anti-competitive behavior.

RFID 2.0 keeps radio frequency alive and well in the controls industry

One technology that has been around for years, radio frequency identification (or RFID), has withstood the test of time by reinventing itself from time to time. RFID works on the concept of information stored on data carriers attached to objects that are then exposed to an antenna that extracts the information. It is basically a wireless identification system. To create an RFID system, one needs RFID tags, a read/write device and a host system. The RFID system writes data, provided by the host system to the tag using the write function of the read/write device. Data on the RFID can be read back to the host system and, importantly, data on an RFID is re-writable, meaning it can be overwritten by new data.

RFID tags see steady growth for apparel, payment cards, farm animals

Demand for radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in logistics may not have lived up to Wal-Mart's flash-in-the-pan push for the tracking technology back in 2003, but the market has been slowly and steadily growing over the years nonetheless, with the number of all tags sold globally set to climb from 17.5 billion tags in 2018 to 20 billion in 2019, a new report says. That growth will be driven in part by hot demand for a specific model—passive RFID tags—which are on track to increase their 2019 sales by 13% over 2018, according to the report.

SpotSee Launches ShockWatch RFID for Tracking Damage Through Supply Chain

SpotSee has launched a new device that combines impact-damage monitoring with radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology. This new device, the ShockWatch RFID impact indicator, is designed to track damage through the supply chain and identify affected inventory, which is ideal for industries such as the automotive, medical devices/equipment and aerospace industries.

“RFID technology has already helped companies reduce inventory management costs by seamlessly automating asset identification,” said Angela Kerr, vice president, product portfolio, SpotSee. “ShockWatch RFID combines the benefits of traditional RFID inventory management with impact-damage monitoring, allowing users to leverage existing RFID infrastructure to identify and reduce the sources of damage in their supply chain.

ShockWatch RFID delivers all the benefits of a damage-monitoring program while also providing an electronic record of information in the user’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, warehouse management system or directly into the SpotSee Cloud. By gathering data throughout the supply chain, ShockWatch RFID helps customers quickly identify where damage is occurring, allowing users to isolate damaged inventory for further inspection and determine where the root cause is in the supply chain.

Understanding what, where and why damage took place, users can make informed decisions to deter mishandling, reduce the cost of damage and refine processes to reduce supply chain disruptions.

The Salvation Army goes digital, offering QR code donation option

The holiday season is here and starting this year, The Salvation Army's red kettle donations are going digital. Previously, you had to have cash or a credit card to donate to The Salvation Army, but the group realized people are carrying cash less and less. Now, you can donate with just a quick scan on your phone.

Beware the square: how to spot malicious QR codes

If you’re scanning a QR code that’s supposed to take you to a legitimate website, how can you be sure that it’s actually taking you to a safe place? Well, if you’re using the QR code-scanning feature built into your default camera app or many other run-of-the-mill scanning apps, the unfortunate reality is that you can’t be sure. The sole goal of such features is simply to unscramble the QR code and surface a link for you to click on. Fortunately, Sophos created a free app that will scan QR codes and tell you if the site they’re sending you to is safe or not. It’s called Sophos Mobile Security, and is available for Android and for iPhone.

How NFC Loyalty Is Changing The Way QSRs Approach Rewards

Royalty and rewards programs have needed to evolve as consumers increasingly manage the majority of their daily lives through mobile devices. Those preferences mean that mobile programs are necessary, but they — more importantly — mandate quick, convenient and flexible rewards offerings. Technologies like near-field communication (NFC) have emerged as an especially intriguing way for quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and other businesses to tie the ordering and loyalty experiences to today’s mobile users’ needs. Customers are drawn to payment methods that take as little time as possible, which is why many have embraced methods that lack signature, PIN or credit card information requirements, and instead opt for quicker paths that mirror one-click ordering on eCommerce sites.

20.1 Billion RFID Tags to Be Sold in 2019, Finds IDTechEx Research

RFID Forecasts, Players and Opportunities 2019-2029, the global annual survey of the RFID industry by analysts IDTechEx, reveals that in 2019 the number of passive RFID tags sold will increase by 13% over 2018. That includes passive RFID tags across the three main frequencies used (RAIN, HF and LF). Of those three frequencies RAIN RFID will see the highest growth from 2018 to 2019 at 20% with HF RFID (including NFC) at 5% and LF at 2%.
 
Revenue growth for RAIN RFID from 2018 to 2019 is 15%, with a total market value for RAIN tags in 2019 expected to be $953 million. HF (including NFC) 2019 tag revenue totals $3,842 million, which includes non-label like devices such as contactless payment and transit cards.

In total, IDTechEx finds that the RFID industry including tags, readers, software and services will be $11.6 Billion in 2019 and will reach $15.2 Billion in 2024. 

IDTechEx forecast that RAIN RFID tags will increase from 15 Billion being sold in 2019 (these are tag numbers: a higher number of RAIN ICs will be sold in a given year) rising to 41.2 Billion RFID tags in 2024. Dominant applications include tagging apparel, airline baggage and the long tail of many companies reaping the benefits of an established, reliable technology in asset tracking across many different industries.

Vodafone Idea deploys QR code technology based kiosk in Punjab

With about 20 lakh devotees from across the country expected to join Gurpurab festivities in Punjab on the occasion of the 550th birthday of Sahib Guru Nanak Dev, Vodafone Idea said that it has deployed a QR Code based technology to help missing children reunite with their families during the celebrations. The telco said that a lost and found kiosk will be set up at Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district of Punjab. To avail the service, families will have to register their children at the kiosk with their names and an emergency contact number. Post registration, a QR code embedded badge with the family details will be given to every child.

New Eco-friendly RFID Tags

On Monday, November 11, 2019, RFID Canada will be introducing at the CUTA Annual Conference, in Calgary, the NEW Environmentally Friendly RFID Tickets. This new eco-friendly contactless ticketing products are redefining RFID ticketing and its impact on our climate. JULIA ECO, newly released ECO RFID products distributed in North America by RFID Canada, are 100% PET (Plastic) FREE RFID tickets and hardened paper cards allowing for convenient contactless migration, increased security, enhanced overall user satisfaction in an environmentally sustainable way.

First Group adds NFC bus tickets to Google Pay

Public transportation operator First Group has begun a pilot of a new mobile ticketing service that uses host card emulation (HCE) to let customers with an Android NFC phone purchase a bus ticket, provision it to Google Pay and then use their smartphone to tap an on-board contactless reader when they board a bus. The pilot is taking place on First Glasgow bus services in the UK city of Glasgow “before being rolled out to more than 1.6 million passengers across the First Bus network”.

OTI Receives New Purchase Order for 5,000 Contactless Readers for the Smart ATM Market English

On Track Innovations Ltd., a global provider of near field communication (NFC) and cashless payment solutions, announced that it has received a new purchase order for 5,000 units of OTI's Uno-8 advanced secure contactless NFC readers. These units will be used for the global Smart ATM market.

By adding an OTI EMV-certified contactless reader, smart ATMs are provided with the ability to seamlessly and securely identify the account owner by communicating wirelessly with their smart devices, enabling an uninterrupted, simple, convenient and secure banking service for the customer.

NFC Technology Protects Brands Against Piracy

Fighting piracy and counterfeiting is at the heart of HID Global, which has developed technology that allows users to verify whether or not a product is authentic, via a single cell phone ringtone. Through a service called HID Trusted Tag, a product can be reliably authenticated along the supply chain, from production through distribution and to the point of sale. At the time of purchase, a consumer can verify the authenticity of a product with a simple touch of his or her Android or iOS mobile device. This solution was created with the intention of protecting brands against black-market activities. Trusted Tag services combine HID's cloud authentication with its NFC tags, which are available in a variety of shapes and sizes for the purpose of authenticity verification.

IoT Applications: IDTechEx Forecasts Great Opportunities to Come

Internet of Things (IoT) is considered the third revolution of the computer, after the first revolution of bringing computing to governments and big companies and the second one to the public via PC and smartphone. IoT aims at baking computing power into everything else via countless tiny chips, which will enable them to calculate, process information and decide, by gathering and analysing troves of data about the product, process and customers. A computerised world will allow its inhabitants to quantify and analyse all manner of things that used to be intuitive and inexact. The direct market size of IoT will be $320 billion by 2027, according to GSMA. Although it is hard to predict the exact impact of IoT on economics, it is believed to be over $500 billion by 2021 and $1 trillion by 2025.      

Expanding from the computer to everything else, IoT projects are found to be very fragmented. Some IoT projects are led by the government, such as smart traffic systems, to reduce waiting times or mandate the use of smart meters. Some projects are utilised in the industry with the aims to improve productivity. One example is the use of advanced algorithms to predict the downtime of machines and schedule maintenance before it happens. Other IoT projects focus on consumers; one of the hot topics is the smart home, including smart speakers, smart lighting, remote-controlled appliances etc. The following image summarises some of the key IoT projects with good interest which will become mainstream in the coming years.


Learn more on the topic at IoT Applications: Connecting the EDGE part of the IDTechEx Show! On November 20-21 in Santa Clara, CA, USA

RFID Pours Beer at Shopping Market

Lynn Street Market, located in Danville, Va., opened this month as a neighborhood shopping center, but also as a place where locals can gather, meet and enjoy a pint of beer. The store features groceries, as well as a production kitchen, cooking classes, prepared meals to go and pour-your-own beer taps enabling shoppers to sample local beers at the store or take them home in growlers.

The solution enabling the automated taps employs passive HF RFID technology, compliant with the ISO 15693 standard, to detect a specific customer and link him or her with a particular beer pour.

Android bug lets hackers plant malware via NFC beaming

Google patched last month an Android bug that can let hackers spread malware to a nearby phone via a little-known Android OS feature called NFC beaming. NFC beaming works via an internal Android OS service known as Android Beam. This service allows an Android device to send data such as images, files, videos, or even apps, to another nearby device using NFC (Near-Field Communication) radio waves, as an alternative to WiFi or Bluetooth. Typically, apps (APK files) sent via NFC beaming are stored on disk and a notification is shown on screen. The notification asks the device owner if he wants to allow the NFC service to install an app from an unknown source.

5 Emerging IoT Trends To Watch In 2020

By 2025, the total amount of data created by IoT devices in one year is expected to reach 79.4 zettabytes, according to research firm IDC. That amounts to 79.4 billion terabytes or 29.4 trillion gigabytes, representing a massive trove of information 41.6 billion connected devices are expected to collect, store and analyze in the next six years. This means 2020 will be an important year as solution providers continue to build out the infrastructure required to support IoT applications, from the sensors to the servers. "Data becomes the common denominator – as it is captured, processed, and used from the nearest and farthest edges of the network to create value for industries, governments, and individuals' lives," Carrie MacGillivray, group vice president, IoT, 5G and Mobility at IDC, said in a statement.

NFC vulnerability affects millions of Android phones

Google has an envious record of having more than 80-percent of the mobile OS market share, but it comes at a price. A new report has emerged that there is loophole in the Android Beam, an NFC (Near Field Communication) feature that can allow cybercriminals to install malware on a phone without the knowledge of the victim and this time. Android phones with Android 8.0 Oreo or later versions (9.0 Pie and Android 10) are vulnerable to the NFC glitch dubbed as CVE-2019-2114.

RFID maker Impinj beats estimates

Impinj beat expectations for its third quarter earnings report, posting $40.8 million in revenue, up 19 percent year-over-year, and non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.09, down from a $0.05 loss last year. Analysts expected revenue of $38.2 million and EPS of $0.00. Shares went up slightly in after-hours trading but dropped back down. Impinj stock has more than doubled this year. The Seattle connected chip maker behind the RAIN RFID system has bounced back from a tumultuous 2018 that included declining revenue and an audit investigation.

How Is RFID Being Used in Hospital Operating Rooms?

Hospitals are utilizing RFID technologies in a variety of ways in their operating rooms. The University of California, San Diego Medical Center uses an active RFID real-time location system to properly manage its perioperative services, which has improved its patient-flow and OR utilization rates (see Using RTLS to Overcome Business-Management Challenges in Today's Operating Room). Adventist Health White Memorial also uses an RFID system to improve OR turnaround times (see Improving Operating Room Turnover Times With RFID), as does Bon Secours Richmond (see Bon Secours Richmond Finds RFID Saves $2 Million Annually).

The changing face of NFC

By 2020, 40 billion devices will be connected to the Internet of Things (IoT). Consumers are demanding experiences that are more intelligent. With near-field communication (NFC), products are smarter, more interactive and more traceable — they can talk to each other and to smart devices — and that means a more trustworthy world for consumers, creators, brands and businesses. With NFC technology now also supported by the latest generation of Apple iOS 11, 12, and 13-enabled devices (in addition to Android), high-performance NFC inlays and tags are rapidly fulfilling a vast variety of use cases, including consumer electronics, smart home, transit, supply chain management, fashion, retail, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, gaming and toys.

Digimarc Reports Third Quarter 2019 Financial Results

Digimarc Corporation, creator of the Digimarc Platform for digital identification and detection, reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019.

Revenue for the third quarter of 2019 increased 19 percent to $5.8 million, compared to $4.9 million in the third quarter of 2018. The increase in revenue was due to higher subscription and service revenue.

Operating expenses for the third quarter of 2019 increased three percent to $11.9 million, compared to $11.6 million in the same quarter a year-ago. The increase in operating expenses was primarily due to routine annual compensation adjustments for employees.

Net loss for the third quarter of 2019 decreased seven percent to $7.8 million or $(0.65) per diluted share compared to net loss of $8.3 million or $(0.73) per diluted share in the same quarter a year-ago.

Apple Pay takes top slot as most popular mobile payments app in the US

Three in ten US smartphone owners now use a mobile payments app to make payments in stores — and Apple Pay is now the most popular with 30.3 million users, according to new research by eMarketer. Starbucks’ mobile app, the previous market leader, is now in second place with 25.2 million users, followed by Google Pay with 12.1 million users and Samsung Pay with 10.8 million. “Total spending via proximity mobile payments will approach $100bn this year in the US,” eMarketer says.

How Fort Bragg Improved Its Asset Tracking With RFID

Fish Cop. - Blashfield Sign Company

Fort Bragg is the largest military installation in the world. The specialized RFID solution it used to track critical assets was causing problems with faulty adhesion, interrupted reads and blocked frequencies. Therefore, Vizinex RFID and Williams Software Associates teamed up to engineer an RFID solution that altered the Fort Bragg team's approach to asset management. During this webinar, Horton and Williams outlined the story of the deployment and the benefits of using RFID. The speakers explained how to track assets made of metal, including weapons; the difference between working with U.S. and overseas RFID suppliers; and how to engineer an RFID solution for environments unfavorable to RFID.