Narian compares NFC to Barcodes with infographic

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Narian compares NFC to Barcodes with infographic

The NFC and Barcode battle still looms on, and Narian Technologies has been determined to settle the dispute once and for all with an insightful infographic. QR codes are finally being accepted everywhere with marketers barely putting out a piece of printed collateral without the aforementioned QR code winging its way along for the ride. However, NFC tags have many advantages that QR codes simply can’t attain. Narian builds a strong case for NFC in its infographic that points out the many advantages that NFC holds over barcodes of any description, but that doesn’t mean that barcodes are dead yet. Obviously we favor NFC tags, NFC devices and the ecosystem that is building around the technology. However, we would be remiss if we didn’t play devil’s advocate a little and point out some of the advantages that barcodes have over NFC. So, we will endeavor to give a balanced approach as we go through Narian Technologies’ infographic.

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Fukumi opens bricks and mortar NFC tag store with UPM RFID in Tokyo

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Fukumi opens bricks and mortar NFC tag store with UPM RFID in Tokyo

The Fukumi Corporation has opened the world’s first physical bricks and mortar NFC store in Tokyo. It was bound to happen and it probably isn’t too surprising that it happened in Tokyo, and that UPM RFID were involved. We all know that the humble NFC tag has a huge future ahead of it, embedded in products and for home users to write to and create some fancy actions that simply make life a little easier. However, where to get your NFC tag has thus far involved a search online with a one way information source. So, if you want to know what NFC tag is best for your project you have had no one to ask. With that said, there are Android apps like TapThatTag that help you refine your choices and choose the best NFC tag.

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Ordering and paying for snacks in an Australian cinema using NFC

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MasterCard Commonwealth Bank and Hoyts partner for ordering and paying for snacks in Australian cinemas using NFC

MasterCard, Commonwealth Bank, and Hoyts cinemas have partnered to bring a new facility for cinema goers that allows an app, NFC tag or QR code to be used to order and pay for food or snacks in Sydney theaters. Australia has embraced NFC and smartphones quickly and, in fact, Google stats show that smartphone penetration in Oz outpaces everywhere else globally. It’s a pretty natural progression of NFC payments to see niche apps that allow you to purchase items and browse menus in different environments. Whether that be on a plane, at a theme park or even at a cinema (Americans, read movies).

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NFC Bootcamp free pre-event to feature Cellotape how NFC works tour

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NFC Bootcamp free pre-event to feature Cellotape how NFC works tour

NFC Bootcamp have arguably done more to educate folks on how to use NFC than any other group. That’s not to say there aren’t many other great teams educating people about how to add NFC features to products or start new businesses. However, NFC Bootcamp tours the US putting on organized training sessions that take developers and marketers from step one to the implementation and marketing of their NFC app, device or service. They are also platform agnostic, which allows for a 360 degree understanding of the industry, challenges and opportunities that are available. In short, NFC Bootcamp is a valuable resource for folks looking to build something meaningful in the nascent NFC market.

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Inside Secure supports new Kovio RF Barcode ready NFC tags

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Inside Secure supports new Kovio RF Barcode ready NFC tags

Inside Secure has announced that it now supports the Kovio RF Barcode ready NFC tags in its Open NFC protocol stack. Okay, that may be a bit of a clunky headline, so allow us to explain why this is big news and what it means for the adoption of NFC on the whole. The overall goal of NFC tags has been to allow them to become very cost effective, especially for retail usage. The concept that has been flying around over the last few years has been printed NFC tags that use printed silicon to achieve mass market penetration at a fraction of the cost of conventional NFC tags.

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ZIK Parrot by Starck high-end NFC headphone prototype shown off at CES

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ZIK Parrot by Starck high-end NFC headphone prototype shown off at CES

Okay, the ZIK Parrot by Starck NFC headphones have been unveiled and we feel lucky enough to count ourselves among the first to see, and probably more relevantly hear them in action. Parrot contacted us before CES and told us that they had something to show us that we would be very interested to see. Turns out they weren’t just hyping. We have been in contact with Parrot for some time, and in that time the firm has hinted to us that they were indeed working on NFC speakers and NFC headphones. We knew whatever product the firm released would be high quality, but the innovation that Parrot showed off at CES surprised even us.

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Shots of AT&T LTE Samsung Galaxy Note outed, said to feature NFC

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Shots of AT&T LTE Samsung Galaxy Note outed, no official word on NFC but tipsters show a board that is rumored to be from the Note with an NFC IC onboard

These are official leaked shots of the jumbo sized AT&T LTE Samsung Galaxy Note. Last week Sam Mobile reported that it had proof that the AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note would harbor an NFC chip. A recent trend with NFC smartphone announcements is to not feature NFC at all. AT&T and other Isis members have attempted to keep the NFC ability just until Isis is ready to roll, and hence we see a lot of NFC smartphones launching and have to wait until they get tear downs to see whether NFC is actually onboard.

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WIMA NFC Monaco 2012 calls for papers to be submitted

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WIMA NFC Monaco 2012 calls for papers to be submitted for its 2012 6th Global NFC Applications Products & Services Congress

As we mentioned in our last post WIMA Monaco is getting closer and here is the opportunity to present in front of delegates at the conference or have your paper published in the conference programme. WIMA generally attracts attendees and speakers from every facet of the burgeoning NFC ecosystem. This year there is also opportunities for Near Field Communication solution providers to make a joint presentation with an end user partner.

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NFC Forum and WIMA Monaco call for entries for NFC competition

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NFC Forum and WIMA Monaco call for entries for the Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012

WIMA Monaco is coming up fast, and in our small but rapidly growing industry we like to call NFC, it’s kind of a big deal to win an award at WIMA. The NFC Forum and WIMA get together and put on the Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition every year, and more than a few companies apply for the honor. So, if your firm thrives on being recognized as an innovator in the NFC space and you want your profile raised, it probably wouldn’t hurt you too much to enter the WIMA competition.

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UPM RFID collaborates with Freedom Shopping for RFID and NFC tags

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UPM RFID collaborates with Freedom Shopping for RFID and NFC tags

Okay, so here’s another UPM RFID announcement about another partnership which again sees the Finnish firm extend its dominance in the NFC tags arena. UPM RFID are no strangers to partnerships, and in fact have built their successful model based on enabling others and their innovations with a litany of NFC tags mounted on many different inlays. Today, UPM RFID announces that it has partnered with Freedom Shopping to deliver RFID and NFC tags via Freedom Shopping’s online store.

UPM is known for its open approach to opportunities where the firm actively engages in partners’ projects to help get them off the ground. We cover UPM pretty closely, because like NXP and other core NFC firms, you can feel the beat of the NFC industry through firms who enable projects from the ground up. So, for better or worse firms like UPM, NXP, VeriFone, Google, Isis, Microsoft, Nokia and a few others get our attention when they make announcements. Whether that’s good attention or not depends on the firms in question and what they are doing within the NFC space.

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Broadcom brings NFC and apps to 2 billion existing TVs

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Broadcom brings NFC and apps to 2 billion existing TVs by converting them to Smart TVs

This morning sees Broadcom make an exciting announcement that is likely to change the way we use TV and, of course, incorporates NFC. We have seen the Boxee Box, we have seen Apple TV and we have seen Google TV and the Roku box. Many consumers are abandoning the airwaves in preference to connected apps on Smart TVs, but as yet there has been no NFC incorporated. That is set to change with this morning’s announcement from Broadcom, who are probably one of the largest semiconductor firms in the US.

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NFC Taxis hit multiple US cities with NBC & VeriFone

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NFC Taxis hit multiple US cities with NBC & VeriFone as they partner for NFC based out-of-home marketing using NBC and Universal content

NBCUniversal has announced that along with VeriFone, it intends to advertise and interact with consumers in captive out-of-home locations starting with NFC taxis in multiple US cities. Consumers can expect to gain access to NBC’s news, information and entertainment programming in more than 12,000 taxi cabs as well as at thousands of gas stations which started a couple of days ago. NBC also plans to use NFC marketing on other digital out-of-home platforms in the future.

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KPMG finds 23 percent of Americans very willing to use their mobile phones as an NFC wallet

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KPMG study finds that 23 percent of Americans very willing to use their smartphones as an NFC mobile wallet

KPMG has released its findings from a new survey it has conducted which found that 23% of Americans are “very willing” to use their NFC smartphones as mobile wallets. That is a quantum shift from where we were last May, but there are still concerns and obstacles to overcome before ubiquity happens. In fact, ubiquity isn’t really expected to happen until 2014, 2015 and onwards. Welcome to the year of NFC adoption.

Last year was the year of NFC discovery and early adopters, and 2012 is getting set up as the year of adoption and devices. Let’s not kid ourselves – 2012 is going to be a rocky path for NFC as it starts to gain traction and becomes a household name; but we will start to see more and more NFC devices hit the market, carriers start to embrace the technology and services to match. By this time next year, millions of consumers will have NFC smartphones and be using them as mobile wallets to varying degrees.

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Privacy Goes Public: Sharing Privacy for a Discount

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Privacy Goes Public: Sharing Privacy for a Discount

First things first – let’s get a little public with this privacy issue, shall we? For most people privacy starts where personal freedom ends. Yet there are many more complexities to the word, from personal snooping to sharing data online. Our focus today – sharing data and privacy. Consumers are concerned with privacy. True. But does that mean they are not willing to share it? False. Face it – as we continue to increase our social status as a global society, the more information we will inevitably share. Disturbing, right? It’s nothing new though. Who doesn’t own a loyalty card for a local grocery or retail store? Your data is held here and collected under your profile so they can ensure they offer products that fit your needs according to your shopping habits. Can we say “Facebook”? If you own a debit card, your bank knows your spending and buying patterns. Heck, they may know your habits better than you do. So, what is all the privacy fuss about?

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UPM RFID sells NFC tag and RFID tag to SMARTRAC closes in Q1 2012

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UPM RFID sells NFC tag and RFID tag to SMARTRAC closes in Q1 2012

The news UPM RFID is selling its NFC tag and RFID inlay business to SMARTRAC hit early this morning. Since then, we have been wondering about the industry impacts this sale could have. SMARTRAC manufactures RFID inlays for electronic passports (e-passports) and contactless credit cards (e-payment) as well as for RFID transponders for public transportation applications. This year has been an acquisition year for SMARTRAC, who has also purchased Neology Inc. and KSW Microtec AG.

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PayPal tests NFC mobile wallet at a couple of Swedish retailers

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PayPal tests NFC mobile wallet at a couple of Swedish retailers

We first reported in September about the PayPal NFC mobile wallet called PayPal Instore in Sweden, where the firm got together with startup Accumulate to test out some NFC retail therapy. PayPal have been vocally cautious about NFC payments, NFC mobile wallets and anything else with the “N” word involved. In fact, eBay CEO, John Donahoe, went as far as saying that NFC stands for “not for commerce” earlier this year. Some have gone as far to suggest that PayPal’s opposition is a corporate policy to play down the role NFC is due to pay in payments in the next year or so and more strangely stifle its own NFC mobile wallet efforts. However, that opposition hasn’t stopped PayPal launching an NFC app for peer-to-peer money transfers or from conducting NFC mobile wallet tests in Sweden.

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ISIS tries to run internationally before masters crawling domestically

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ISIS tries to run internationally before masters crawling domestically

ISIS has said in an interview with Bloomberg that it has held discussions to explore international opportunities for their particular NFC mobile wallet and trusted service manager services. ISIS, as you probably know by this point, is a joint venture between AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile with one aim to control NFC mobile wallets and NFC payments for member mobile network operators subscribers. ISIS hasn’t launched anything at this point, and from the rumors we are hearing from industry insiders, they haven’t been able to put together a secure NFC mobile wallet despite putting pen to paper with C-Sam (a very capable NFC mobile wallet all by itself), Gemalto, and various other payment providers who include Visa, MasterCard, AMEX and Discover.

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Coke uses Clear Channel for NFC marketing campaign in Singapore

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Coke uses Clear Channel for NFC marketing campaign in Singapore

Coca-Cola has launched an NFC marketing campaign in Singapore with ClearChannel that uses NFC stickers to interact with consumers’ NFC smartphones. The Coke campaign reputedly runs on Mobile Life!, which is ClearChannel’s NFC enabled network.

The NFC marketing campaign’s aim is to push Coke brands in a Christmas push for sales. The NFC marketing campaign ads are being displayed on bus shelters in Singapore and users simply tap their NFC smartphones against the NFC hotspot to gain the ability to download Christmas themed wallpapers and a special Fanta ringtone that echoes the music in a Fanta TV commercial in Singapore. Marketing-Interactive reports that the campaign also includes QR codes for folks who don’t have an NFC smartphone as yet.

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NFC tags market to be worth $300 million in next five years says ABI Research

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NFC tags market to be worth $300 million in next five years says ABI Research

ABI Research has released a report that forecasts that NFC Smart Posters and mobile marketing could push the non-payment NFC tags market to a $300 million per year business by 2016. If you hang around the NFC industry for more than a nanosecond, you will soon become aware what a big deal NFC tags are. NFC tags are used in every non-payment, non-device iteration that NFC has to offer; including NFC stickers, NFC smart posters and even NFC stationary.

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UPM RFID & Waldemar Winckel offer NFC tags in Touch2go store

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UPM RFID & Waldemar Winckel offer NFC tags in Touch2go store

Today Europeans have another place to buy NFC tags from after UPM RFID and Waldemar Winckel, one of Europe’s leading RFID label manufacturers and system integrators, have got together to provide NFC tags through the Touch2go e-commerce store. Part of NFC tags becoming ubiquitous is having them available from many retailers in the market. UPM RFID have arguably formed more relationships and set up more partnerships than any other NFC tag manufacturer.

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Sonim ensures rent-a-cops get tricked out with a rugged NFC phone

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Sonim ensures rent-a-cops get tricked out with a rugged NFC phone

Sonim intends to bring some style and gadgetry to workforce management using its NFC XP3300 FORCE products. Let’s face it, being a security guard is hardly associated with James Bond type gadgets and usually a walkie-talkie and flash light are the tools of the trade. That is, unless you are over here in the States where you will likely also carry a gun. In fact, most jobs that require check-ins at certain locations have traditionally required an RFID reader to be lugged around with you to hit a tag when you have finished a task.

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The Consumer’s Perception: 5 Fundamental Rules of Engagement for NFC

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The Consumer’s Perception: 5 Fundamental Rules of Engagement for NFC

What initiates engagement more than a need to connect? A need for a positive review, an inquiry, a complaint or even a purchase. Specifically, what opportunities for engagement of the consumer is there for near field communication (NFC) and why is the ongoing perception so weak? Near field communication is quite a ways from being a household name, especially in North America. Even with In-Stat, an NFC chip manufacturer, predicting 1.2 billion NFC chips to be shipped by 2015, which is 30% global penetration claiming more than 375 million people, NFC would appear to be quite a popular buzz word — that is a lot of chips! Yet, in the UK, for example, in a survey conducted by Opinion Matters for Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, it states only 32% of the consumers interviewed were familiar with NFC. Could you imagine what that number would be in the US?

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NFC added to free Microsoft Tag platform boosts NFC marketing

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NFC added to free Microsoft Tag platform boosts NFC marketing

Microsoft Tag is one of those products that may have passed you by in the past. Today’s announcement that the firm will include NFC tag support in the app and web interface may have just let Microsoft Tag find its sea legs and become a relevant tool to be used by small businesses and marketers alike. The project has been about since 2009 and previously supported 2D barcodes and QR codes and didn’t really inspire.

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Rumors swirling about Google attempting to buy T-Mobile are doubtful

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Rumors swirling about Google attempting to buy T-Mobile are doubtful but interesting

The industry is a flutter with the prospect of the AT&T / T-Mobile acquisition failing. Many industry pundits are speculating about who might buy T-Mobile if AT&T is prevented from doing so. Dish Network’s name has been thrown in the hat and we have heard from a few of our sources that Google has also been in talks. Let us note that even our sources are doubting the validity of the Google rumor, but there is usually no smoke without fire. So, at some point Google may have played with the idea of taking T-Mo for itself. Whereas Google may have no current plans to purchase T-Mobile, it would have still made sense for the firm to do so considering their reliance on mobile and the weakened Google Wallet position with three main MNOs in the United States.

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Tapit adds a global title to its Red Herring Award for NFC marketing

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Tapit adds a global title to its Red Herring Award for NFC marketing

It was in October that Tapit took home a Red Herring award placing itself firmly within the top 100 tech firms in Asia for its NFC marketing exploits. Now Tapit has taken that title and boosted it up to a global level by receiving yet another Red Herring award for what the firm calls “the process of getting content to mobile phones.”

Andrew Davis, Agency Director, said, “It was interesting to see who we were up against. Tapit was definitely one of the newest companies at the awards so it was exciting that our innovation is already being recognised.”

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