The following are news announcements made during the past week.
NXP Enables Mobile Ticketing for Smart Mobile Devices
NXP Semiconductors has announced the availability of its Mifare4Mobile applet on the latest and upcoming NXP embedded secure elements, such as subscriber identity module (SIM) cards. The applet is designed to support mobile ticketing for the sizeable Mifare Classic system-install base worldwide. NXP’s Mifare family of RFID chips comply with the ISO 14443 Type A standard, widely used in contactless smart cards. The Mifare4Mobile platform can be used to manage such Mifare-based applications as transit ticketing, access management and customer loyalty cards, in devices enabled with Near Field Communication (NFC), from over-the-air installation to end-user interaction via the mobile phone’s user interface. Mifare4Mobile is guided by the Mifare4Mobile Industry Group, formed in 2010 by leading players within the NFC ecosystem, and is currently defining the next evolution of Mifare4Mobile specifications (see RFID News Roundup: New Industry Group Formed to Spur Mifare4Mobile Services). The upcoming specifications aim to support additional Mifare technology platform products, as well as compliance to global standards. The currently published Mifare4Mobile specification, V1.01, is capable of serving Mifare Classic-based infrastructures. During its first Mifare4Mobile applet implementation, NXP Semiconductors extended V1.01’s features to allow for multiple service providers within a single secure element. The Mifare4Mobile embedded applet is available now as part of NXP’s PN65O solution, incorporating the company’s PN544 NFC controller and recently enhanced SmartMX-based P5 secure application platform (embedded secure element).
New Survey Shows That Consumers Want NFC, But May Not Understand It
A growing number of mobile devices are becoming equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology—but 60 percent of current smartphone owners are unsure whether or not their phones are NFC-enabled. This was among the findings of an in-depth research study into the perception and adoption of NFC technology, commissioned by Clear Channel, a media and entertainment company specializing in providing mobile and on-demand entertainment and information services, and Posterscope, an Out-of-Home (OOH) communications agency. The study, conducted in February 2012 in the United Kingdom and the United States, consisted of almost 1,000 online interviews with smartphone owners who had used at least one of the following seven technologies on their devices: Quick Reader (QR) codes, mobile Bluetooth, bar-code scanner, augmented reality, visual search, NFC and mobile payments. In addition, half of the respondents had utilized at least one of the technologies to interact directly with advertising. When NFC was demonstrated, the number of respondents’ who said they considered it important to have NFC functionality on their next phone doubled, from 36 percent to 70 percent. Regarding the types of NFC applications that garnered interest, 88 percent of respondents indicated that they would consider using the technology to interact with smart posters that they found of interest. In addition, the study found that the reasons for interacting with NFC-enabled posters included the ability to download vouchers and/or special offers, access local information, achieve easy access to Internet content and compare prices. Fifty-seven percent said that if they saw an OOH advertisement that interested them, they would be likely to use NFC for purchasing the advertised products. This applied to multiple product categories. To access the full research findings, click here.
Tagit Solutions, Omni-ID Partner on Asset Tracking for Engineering and Semiconductor Companies
Tagit Solutions, a software solutions provider for equipment and IP tracking, is partnering with Omni-ID, a supplier of RFID tags, to provide location-based asset lifecycle management solutions for engineering facilities, such as laboratories and clean rooms, semiconductor fabrication and sub-fab environments, and high-tech assembly and manufacturing lines. According to the two companies, the solutions will combine RFID tags designed for the unique conditions found within engineering and semiconductor environments, with software specifically created to support the business processes and asset-management needs of various engineering facilities. Omni-ID, for example, cites its UltraThin metal-mount Flex tags or long-range Pipe tags, which it says can help address unique environmental challenges, such as multipath reflection, electromagnetic interference, extreme temperatures and corrosive chemicals. The partnership, Omni-ID reports, will help increase its speed to market in this industry segment, with a complete end-to-end customer solution. Effective asset management within engineering facilities often includes specific needs, such as calibration management, asset reservation, asset classification counterfeit protection, kitting and emergency evacuation. Currently, most of these processes typically reside in disparate IT systems or spreadsheets, making it difficult for lab administrators to efficiently manage fixed and non-capital assets. Even after deploying an RFID solution and addressing any environmental issues, many businesses still end up spending millions of additional dollars to develop a new solution to support their unique processes and needs. Tagit says its domain expertise in engineering laboratories, semiconductor fabrication units, and other high-tech environments and software designed from the ground-up to meet industries’ unique needs will enable Omni-ID’s customers to accelerate solution deployment, reduce implementation and customization costs, and ultimately achieve a faster and stronger return on investment (ROI). The partnership between Tagit Solutions and Omni-ID will include joint marketing and engineering efforts.American Innovations Unveils RFID Solution for Tracking Pipeline Survey Compliance and Accuracy
American Innovations, a provider of products and services for pipeline industries, has announced the addition of RFID technology to its Allegro Field Data PC and Pipeline Compliance System (PCS). Allegro Field Data PC is a rugged field computer for collecting corrosion data, while PCS is the company’s pipeline data-management system. American Innovations has added radio frequency identification to help organizations ensure survey compliance and accuracy via IDBlue high-frequency (HF) handheld readers. The readers can be used to scan an RFID tag affixed to a test point, rectifier, bond or other asset, in order to capture that tag’s unique ID (serial number), and to verify that object’s location. That information is automatically combined with the asset’s related inspection survey data on the Allegro computer. In the event that no tag is present onsite, or that it is found to be incorrect during an inspection, a user can generate and confirm a new tag, or alter the existing tag, depending on his or her permission. Managers can dictate permissions to install, read and correct tags by role, which can be established within the Allegro software; the Allegro system appends the serial number, data and time to the tag. The data culled using the IDBlue reader and the Allegro Field Data PC can then be downloaded to PCS for data management, audit support and reporting. American Innovations offers several RFID tag options, all of which can be applied below non-metallic coatings. The IDBlue interrogator supports tags compliant with the ISO 15693, Tag-it HF/HFI and Phillips I-Code SLI/SL2 specifications, and is IP56-certified (which means it has limited dust ingress protection, as well as protection from high-pressure water jets from any direction). It is operable within a wide range of environments, according to American Innovations, and is equipped with a long-lasting rechargeable lithium ion battery.
Citi, Streetline and IBM Partner to Fuel Adoption of RFID-enabled Parking Solutions
Financial services firm Citi, IBM and parking technology firm Streetline have announced a $25 million Citi loan to Streetline, in collaboration with IBM, to provide a funding source for bringing new technology and smarter parking to cities worldwide. IBM and Streetline teamed up in October 2011 to provide an RFID-based parking-management system that would allow cities to better track parking availability on streets and within garages, while also enabling drivers to locate available parking spaces (see IBM Sees RFID as Parking Solution for Smarter Planet). According to Citi, the financing will enable cities to acquire smart parking technology at no initial upfront cost, thereby facilitating adoption and deployment. Through this relationship, cities will now have the option of adopting Streetline’s cloud-based smart parking solutions on a pay-as-you-go basis. Streetline has already installed its ParkSight solution throughout numerous cities worldwide, including San Francisco (see SF Uses Wireless Sensors to Help Manage Parking). The solution includes 2.4 GHz battery-powered wireless sensors that form a mesh network and include Streetline’s own transponders, attached to or embedded into a parking space’s pavement. The transponders signal to repeaters (readers) mounted on light poles, or on other permanent structures within the area. Each sensor detects whether or not a vehicle is parked over it, and transmits that information to the repeater. The data is ultimately forwarded to a gateway, over the network and onto a Streetline-hosted server. IBM brings its analytics technologies and Smarter Planet technology initiative to the partnership. “City leaders must harness the possibilities of technology and new financial thinking to address critical efficiency reform, modernize urban infrastructure, and provide socially inclusive access to public services,” said Ward Marsh, the managing director and manager of Citi’s Municipal Securities Division, in a prepared statement. “Working in collaboration with Streetline and IBM, we intend to help cities continue to rethink how they can optimize parking as an important source of revenue.”
Atlantic City Resort Expands UHF RFID Tracking Solution
InvoTech Systems has announced that Revel, a $2.4 billion lifestyle resort on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, is extending its use of InvoTech’s GIMS RFID-based tracking system, which the resort already uses for managing uniforms (see RFID News Roundup: Atlantic City, Michigan Resorts Add UHF RFID Uniform-Tracking System). Revel will install InvoTech’s GIMS Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) Linen System to manage its designer linens and pool towels, establish a perpetual inventory, and track each item’s movement to and from the laundry, in order to eliminate loss. InvoTech’s GIMS UHF RFID systems for both uniform and linen tracking leverage Fujitsu Frontech North America rubber-encapsulated labels that can be sewn into each uniform, linen or towel, and each tag has a unique ID number linked in the GIMS software to the particular type of item, as well as to its laundering history. The solutions also include Impinj Speedway Revolution readers, along with AN720 and AN480 antennas provided by Motorola Solutions, for tracking uniforms’ locations. According to InvoTech, the newest solution—the GIMS Linen Inventory Management System—will identify any linens not returned from the laundry, via a UHF-RFID Inventory Processing Station that can process entire carts of soiled and clean linens without the need for manual sorting, counting or record-keeping. Portable, handheld UHF RFID readers also enable inventory checking within the linen storerooms. AJ Conveyor and Laundry Systems is overseeing the project, including the system’s planning and installation.