The Dutch government this week issued a warning that MIFARE Classic RFID chips from NXP can be hacked relatively easily. MIFARE is a family of chips that are used in contactless public transport tickets and building access cards. There are an estimated one billion MIFARE chip-equipped cards in worldwide circulation.
Washington state legislature makes spying on consumers a felony; Sirit to enable NFC, contactless support for Windows Mobile operating system; Canadian privacy commissioner seeking feedback regarding RFID use in the workplace; Xterprise offers its RFID-enabled reusable transport item application to European market; AutoCrib announces RFID portal to track items in storerooms, tool cribs; Siemens adds new functionality to software for linking automation, RFID systems, business processes.
University of Arkansas researchers found that RFID can reduce the degree of understated perpetual inventory by 13 percent, thereby helping retailers to lower their costs.
METRO Group announced plans to equip 200 of its Real stores with RFID readers to identify incoming goods, and to expand RFID receiving applications to its Metro Cash & Carry stores in France.
A public-private partnership in Germany is investing €15 million (about $23 million) for research to develop improved materials and production techniques for printable RFID. The MaDriX project is scheduled to run for three years and is led by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Lowry Computer’s $8.7 million contract for 1,804 EPC Gen 2 RFID printer-encoders will enable defense distribution depots to extend RFID use further down the supply chain.
The retailer says it is seeing positive results across its various RFID initiatives, and it plans expansions in 2008.
The researchers compared RFID-based theft-deterrent applications with traditional electronic article surveillance technologies, both RF and acousto-magnetic.
AMR Research analyst John Fontanella issued a briefing this past weekend proclaiming that RFID adoption has quietly crossed a threshold that many industry observers have been anticipating for the last couple years: the tipping point.
Airbus, Agence Métropolitaine de Transport, Interface receive top honors; 10 finalists selected for Best in Show award; winner to be selected at RFID Journal LIVE! 2008.