IBM has updated their InfoSphere Traceability Server with a new capability called Returnable Container Management. This new software gathers real-time sensor data so that businesses and governments can track the whereabouts and conditions of millions of returnable shipping containers around the world. The sensors the software taps into are used in a variety of ways, […]

By Andy Williams, Associate Editor, Avisian Publications Near field communication may be hyped because of its payment abilities, but a health care project in Pakistan is helping save children’s lives and showing the flexibility the technology can enable. Called an Interactive Alerts system, it was designed by NextLab at MIT, Cambridge, Mass. and Interactive Research […]

GAO RFID has rolled out a Gen 2 UHF passive RFID tag specially designed for tracking garments in the textile rental and laundry industries. The Gen 2 passive RFID laundry tag is made of sealed PPS and chemical resistant epoxy materials which allow the tag to withstand the extreme temperatures (-20 to 110 degrees Celsius) […]

Austria’s Identec Solutions announced that two trucking terminals–the Tecon Santa Catarina terminal in Sao Francisco do Sul, Brazil and the DPW Tarragona terminal in Spain–have chosen Identec’s active RFID technology for truck identification and automated job promotion. The active RFID based solution includes long-range tags, readers and integration software so that the system can leverage […]

INSIDE Contactless announced it is providing infrastructure components to Taggo, a membership card aggregator and storefront, for a service Taggo will launch in Singapore and other parts of South East Asia early next year. Using ID stickers based on INSIDE’s PicoPass 2KS contactless memory chip, contactless readers based on INSIDE’s M210-2G proximity coupler and INSIDE’s […]

Apple has begun testing prototype iPhones with built-in RFID readers, according to a rumor reported on softpedia.com. The rumor is based on several recent patents filed by Apple regarding an RFID-enabled application called “ID App,” which uses an RFID sensor to read tags as well as sense and connect to WiFi networks. According to a […]

Savi, a Lockheed Martin company, has formed an alliance with Shipcom Wireless and KBR Wireless to offer a software solution that uses RFID technology to track and manage supplies transported between onshore and offshore oil and gas facilities worldwide. The solution is designed to help the oil and gas industry minimize rig downtime, enhance asset […]

The Mercedes-Benz dealership of Valencia, Spain has successfully implemented AeroScout’s Vehicle Tracking and Management solution to monitor the real-time location of vehicles brought in for servicing across the entire dealership. The solution consists of AeroScout Wi-Fi Tags, AeroScout Exciters, a Cisco 3350 Mobility Services Engine (MSE) with Context-Aware Mobility Solution and AeroScout’s MobileView software. The […]

Two French companies–INSIDE Contactless and Twinlinx–announced they are working together to integrate INSIDE’s secure components in the Twinlinx MyMax NFC sticker, and are seeking to gain type approval from major bank card brands. INSIDE will be supporting Twinlinx’s initial go-to-market initiatives in North America and other markets as part of INSIDE’s initiative to jumpstart the […]

German retailer Metro Group has reported a 54 percent boost in its RFID tagged sales. Metro, worth $68 million, is the world’s fifth largest retailer with stores across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Gerd Wolfram, Metro’s IT office chief, has noted that using RFID for inventory tracking has yielded a “significant reduction of shipping mistakes […]