Guest Column – By John Burnell
Cloud computing is the latest Next Big Thing in IT, and could be a good thing for RFID providers. (Sorry RFID industry colleagues, but yes, that means we’re not the Next Big Thing anymore. By my estimation, RFID was two or three Next Big Things ago, surpassed by mobility, virtualization, [...]
The February 2010 edition of the RFID Monthly Newsletter is now available. We provide a quick, concise view of industry developments, including overviews of hardware, software and corporate news. Each edition contains our own unique commentary that cannot be found elsewhere. The newsletter is printable and particuarly useful for staying abreast of developments while away from the web. [...]
Identive Group, the entity combining SCM Microsystems and Bluehill ID, announced that it has expanded its management team with three new directors. Melvin Denton-Thompson was appointed CFO and COO. Dr. Manfred Mueller was promoted to CEO of the SCM Microsystems business unit. Mueller had previously served as Executive Vice President of Strategic Sales and Business [...]
McMaster RFID applications, Bombardier Transportation and Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) have begun a $1.4 million research collaboration to develop locating technology to notify subway vehicle operators of the exact location of track inspectors and other trackside workers. The project is expected to take three years to complete and the research group intends to commercialize [...]
Cenveo announced that it priced an offering of $400 million aggregate principal amount Senior Second Lien Notes due 2018. The notes will have an interest rate of 8.875 per annum and will be issued at a price of 99.31% of face value. The offering was expected to close on February 5, 2010 subject to customary [...]
MAINTag and Tego will be supplying high memory Gen 2 tags to Airbus for the A350 XWB fleet for tracking of key maintenance parts. Initially, about 1,500 parts (pressurized and non-pressurized) will be tagged, but we understand that several thousand more are under longer-term consideration. The high memory feature will enable key part specifications and [...]
Rosendahl Digital Networks (RDN) announced a new EPC compatible software package for Nokia, which would allow for RFID Gen 2 enabled retail shopping. With the system, shoppers are able to check for individual product information and conduct payment transactions all using a mobile phone. This system recently completed an in-store test. Nedap provided RFID-based EAS [...]
Nordic ID introduced its Morphic mobile computer with a RFID reader. The Gen2 UHF reader offers output power of 100mW, enabling a read distance up to 70cm. The computer runs on Windows CE 6.0 with 256 MB RAM and 128 MB Flash memory. The device communicates via wireless LAN/WAN connections and offers a GSM phone [...]
One of the key factors that appears to be limiting RFID progress is the weak level of knowledge about the technology, or its potential for creating value-added applications. In our view, the majority of corporate personnel have a high degree of ignorance of RFID, and of those with understanding of RFID, the majority only carries [...]
Guest Column – By Bert Moore, AIM, Inc.
Once again, privacy is in the news with New Hampshire’s House passing House Bill 478 limiting RFID [very similar to bills that have twice failed to be passed by the New Hampshire Senate]. And, once again, it contains a list of unreasonable restrictions on RFID. While intended to [...]