Identity, Security, Payments, Biometrics, Smart Cards and Authentication News

ThingMagic's Got a New Kit

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

RFID product developer ThingMagic, Inc., today introduced the M5e-Compact, an embeddable RFID engine for printers, handheld readers and other portable RFID applications.

ThingMagic’s M5e-Compact was specifically designed for mobile, portable and handheld RFID applications and is “ideal for applications that require economy of power and space,” says the company.

For more information and product specs, visit ThingMagic.com.



ThingMagic M5e-Compact® RFID Embedded Reader Module Provides RFID Engine for Printers, Handheld Readers and Other Portable RFID Applications

M5e-Compact’s Small Size, Low Power Requirements and Low Cost Make it Ideal for Mobile, Portable and Handheld RFID Applications

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ThingMagic, Inc. (www.thingmagic.com), a leading developer of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, today introduced the M5e-Compact®, the embeddable RFID engine for printers, handheld readers and other portable RFID applications. ThingMagic’s M5e-Compact was specifically designed for mobile, portable and handheld RFID applications and is ideal for applications that require economy of power and space. Utilizing ThingMagic’s powerful Mercury OS software and providing a transmit power of +23dBm (200mW), the M5e-Compact provides state of the art performance. The M5e-Compact is EPCglobal Generation 2 DRM compliant, and is optimized for Generation 2 RFID tags. The embedded reader also combines multi-region capability into a single module, enabling immediate, locally compliant deployment of any M5e-Compact in North America, South America (countries adopting the FCC frequency plan), Europe (including TG34), South Korea, Japan and China.

Based on the Mercury5e embedded reader module, the ThingMagic M5e-Compact consumes one third of the power and is half the size (56 mm L x 36 mm W x 5 mm H) of the Mercury5e, enabling a variety of RFID applications for asset tracking, warehouse and inventory management, location awareness, and other use-cases that require a powerful, customizable, yet very small RFID reader solution. The M5e-Compact utilizes the Intel RFID Transceiver R1000 chip, which integrates multiple components into an integrated RFID circuit, and enables digital signal processing and analog data processing on the same chip.

The ThingMagic M5e-Compact is available with a development kit that enables customers to quickly create testing and use environments for Generation 2 RFID tags (samples provided). This allows PCs to read and write RFID tag data, enables users to monitor the operation of the M5e-Compact control utility, and permits developers to reuse code contained in the utility, to optimize specific applications.

“The embedded Mercury platform provides our customers with a choice of easy to integrate, embedded RFID engines that are optimized to provide high performance in a much smaller size than other solutions,” said Yael Maguire, ThingMagic co-founder and CTO. “The M5e-Compact will drive further innovation as customers take advantage of its small size and low power requirements to create new and innovate RFID enabled products. This is yet another example of ThingMagic engineering teams providing innovative and powerful RFID engines that address complex issues and advance the deployment of RFID in a host of new applications.”

ThingMagic M5e-Compact modules and development kits are available now on an OEM basis to manufacturers of label makers, print and apply machines, and other embedded, mobile and handheld RFID devices. Customer inquiries should be directed to Peter Cary, Vice President, Sales, 1-866-833-4069 (+1 503-691-2452 for callers from outside the US & Canada) or web_contact@thingmagic.com.

For more detailed product information and specifications, visit http://www.thingmagic.com/html/prod/m5ecompact.htm. [end] 

Positioning solutions provider, Trimble announced it has acquired ThingMagic, developer of RFID technology, for an undisclosed amount.

Trimble said acquisition will expand the company’s technology portfolio and enable it provide more comprehensive and capable solutions in its served industries. ThingMagic felt that by combining with Trimble’s platform that the next generation of RFID applications could be achieved.  

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Trimble announced that it has partnered up with Truecount Corporation to leverage ThingMagic enterprise-grade RFID readers to deliver enhanced item-level RFID platforms for the retail industry and their end-to-end supply chains.

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Trimble announced XECAN has integrated the ThingMagic Astra ultra-high frequency reader into its RFID oncology solution, which was also just recently deployed at Jordan Hospital in Plymouth, Mass.

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Trimble and TagMaster have partnered to integrate the ThingMagic Mercury5e embedded ultra-high frequency reader module into TagMaster’s new stationary readers.

TagMaster’s readers are designed for variety of purposes such as asset tracking applications in the railway industry, as well as hands-free solutions for personnel identification and vehicle access control.

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Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Treehouse Labs announced that it will soon be testing a RFID prototype that enables a sensing system inside of football helmets to alert coaches and medical staff when a player experiences an impact great enough to cause a concussion.

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Trimble announced the availability of a number of new capabilities for its ThingMagic Mercury6e (M6e), Mercury5e (M5e), and Mercury5e-Compact (M5e-C) embedded ultra-high frequency RFID reader modules.

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