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

Not Everyone Thinks RTLS-RFID Union Makes Sense

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Company technology leaders are becoming more interested real-time tracking of inventory via RFID. In response, IndustryWeek’s op-ed piece “Where’s My Stuff?” focuses on two things, courtesy of Paul Faber, a principal with Raleigh, N.C.-based Tompkins Associates:

  1. Recent reports that tout increases in RFID equipment sales and Wi-Fi real-time location systems.

  2. That a number inquiries demonstrate market confusion between the capabilities of EPC Gen 2 passive RFID tags and the potential of systems based upon the Wi-Fi standard most commonly used for personal computer wireless networking.

Still, he offers this optimistic conclusion: “The market demonstrates good news in sales growth and application diversity for RFID technologies. Also a positive, customers are thinking about RFID technologies in many different applications, as opposed to the previous year’s focus on retail RFID-mandate compliance.” [end] 

SML Group Ltd announced the launch of its new “ViziT” RFID item visibility solutions for the retail apparel and item tracking applications.

The ViziT solutions include a range of RFID/EAS enabled paper and woven labels, as well as tickets and sticker that can be attached to garments and stacked items. Using the SML ViziT IT cloud based data management software also provides for semi automated inventory control, as well as improved loss prevention by triggering alarms and item identification at the store exit.

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Intelligent InSites has incorporated Pentaho Corporation’s business analytics into its platform in an effort to automate real-time location systems (RTLS) data analysis and provide enhanced business intelligence tools for health care providers.

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Proclaiming its entrance into the RFID space, Honeywell introduced part of a new product portfolio designed to bring efficiency to the retail industry, the Optimus 5900 RFID mobile computer.

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Ed McLaughlin, MasterCard’s head of Emerging Payments, has some good news for those waiting on NFC-enabled phones for contactless payments.

In an interview with Fast Company, McLaughlin said that he didn’t know of a handset maker who wasn’t working on integrating support for PayPass contactless payments.

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Ekahau announced it has joined the Juniper Networks Technology Alliance program as a foundation partner. The Ekahau RTLS system will leverage Juniper’s wireless networks to derive real-time location, status and other information about Ekahau Wi-Fi tags without requiring any proprietary sensors or readers.

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Intelligent InSites Inc. announced a partnership with Singapore-based real-time location system (RTLS) provider Cadi Scientific to integrate Cadi’s RFID technology with the InSites RTLS software solution.

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