March/April 2008

MAR/APR 2008

Features

• COVER STORY
• The Green Technology
  RFID can help businesses operate more efficiently while protecting the environment.
• VERTICAL FOCUS
• RFID Is a Winner in the Sports Arena
  RFID promises to be a big-league player in just about every aspect of every sport.
• VERTICAL FOCUS
• One RFID Tag From Cradle to Grave
  Consumer electronics manufacturers, distributors and retailers are working toward the day when life-cycle tracking of computers, TVs and other electronic products will deliver benefits for both businesses and consumers.
• LAB REPORT
• What You Need to Know About RFID Handheld Readers
  As part of an ongoing study of item-level tagging in the apparel and footwear industry, the RFID Research Center at the University of Arkansas has investigated the use of RFID handheld readers. Here's what companies should know to take advantage of these mobile devices.

Departments

• EDITOR'S NOTE
• Green Is Good
• OUT IN FRONT
• No More Drug Mix-ups
  Brent Dallman, an entrepreneur and inventor, has developed an RFID storage system that could improve patient safety in hospitals.
• OUT IN FRONT
• Safer Roads for Bicyclists
  See-mi's RFID system could reduce bicycle accidents. The "cyclist warning" display, which is mounted on traffic lights, flashes to alert drivers that there are riders in their path.
• PERSPECTIVE
• The E-Pedigree Stalemate
  Drug manufacturers want to use serialized bar codes to comply with e-pedigree laws, but distributors and retailers prefer RFID.
• PERSPECTIVE
• Missing: U.S. Apparel Companies
  Why aren't apparel companies in the United States being more aggressive in exploring the benefits of RFID?
• PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTS
• RFID 2.0
  Next-generation UHF systems promise to bring a new level of performance previously thought impossible.

Columns

• ASHTON'S VIEW
• The ZigBee Lesson
  What does the story of another low-power, low-cost radio standard tell us about the future of RFID?
• RADIO EUROPE
• A Blueprint for Success
  As some European companies shift from trials to deployment, they're developing a corporate plan for RFID adoption.
• INSIDE THE LABS
• Life Without LBT
  The elimination of the listen-before-talk protocol in Europe and Japan will help dense-reader mode RFID systems—if companies protect their backscatter.