US firm Objecs has launched a new range of wireless-enabled memorial products designed to enable detailed information about the deceased to be stored in an NFC tag attached to a gravestone. Anyone with an NFC phone who then visits the grave will be able to access the information by simply touching their phone to the headstone. More
- NFC Forum certifies Cilab for TR13.1 wireless charging testing
- ST provides insight into using NFC tags to enhance consumer experiences
- NFC Forum adds certification for NFC wireless charging
- NP Plastibell adds ultra-miniaturised ST NFC tags to pre-filled syringes
- German luggage brand leverages NFC for product authentication and customer engagement
UPM Raflatac and Hansaprint relaunch NFC tag personalization portal
NFC and RFID tag supplier UPM Raflatac and printing group Hansaprint have relaunched TagAge, an online portal that enables customers to create and purchase customized NFC-enabled print products such as smart posters, tickets, labels and business cards. More
Barclays increases contactless transaction limit by 50%
Barclays Bank has increased the transaction limit for contactless cards from £10 to £15. More
EnStream begins Zoompass mobile payments sticker trial
EnStream, the joint venture between Canada’s three leading mobile operators which operates the Zoompass mobile wallet service, has begun its first mobile contactless sticker trial. More
Video shows how China Mobile’s RF SIM technology works at the point-of-sale
A reporter from Chinese IT portal Zol.com has produced a video report on China Mobile’s new RF SIM-based mobile payments service which shows the technology in action at a local supermarket. More
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China Mobile to buy stake in Shanghai Pudong Development Bank?
Bloomberg reports that China Mobile may be about to buy a 20% stake in Shanghai Pudong Development Bank at a cost of 40bn yuan (about $5.9bn). More
NFC takes two steps forward — and one step back
OPINION: A host of new NFC products and initiatives were announced at this year’s Mobile World Congress but, it seems, we will have to wait until the end of this year before the first NFC handsets become widely available in the West. More
Visa appoints senior GSMA executive to head its move to mobile
Visa Inc has appointed Bill Gajda as its new head of mobile. Gajda will join Visa from the GSMA, where he is currently the mobile association’s chief commercial officer, responsible for strategic initiatives including mobile money, mobile money transfer, mobile advertising, strategic partnerships, mobile innovation and business development. Gajda is also president of the GSM Foundation, a position he will continue to maintain as head of mobile at Visa. More
SK Telekom, Hana Financial to launch mobile contactless service in March
Hana Card, the Korean credit card issuer in which SK Telekom took a 49% stake in December, has announced it is to launch its new mobile proximity service in mid-March. More
Vivotech picks Zapa for European TSM services
Vivotech has selected Zapa Technology as its preferred partner for managed Trusted Service Manager (TSM) services in Europe. More
China Unicom to launch world’s first commercial single wire protocol based NFC service
The mobile operator has signed up five Chinese banks and five transport operators for the commercial launch of its NFC service, scheduled to take place during the second quarter of 2010. More
Nokia confirms cancellation of planned 6216 SWP NFC phone
“We felt the quality of the consumer experience was not what it needed to be,” Nokia’s VP of Industry Collaborations has told NFC World, but “our commitment to NFC remains as strong as ever.” More
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Canadian mobile operators ‘plan to introduce NFC or contactless handsets within the year’
EnStream, the joint venture between Canada’s three leading mobile operators which operates the Zoompass mobile wallet service, aims to offer NFC or contactless enabled handsets to customers within the year, the company has told NFC World. More
PhoobyBook introduces TouchTwits for NFC-based social networking
Italian start-up FreeAccess has developed a new service that enables users to send each other Twitter-like NFC-based short messages by simply tapping their NFC handset over a friend’s phone. More
Cash still accounts for 78% of European payments
Cash payments accounted for 78% of Europe’s 388 billion retail payment transactions in 2008, according to a new study by Retail Banking Research (RBR), and the cost of distributing, managing, handling, processing and recycling cash and of accepting cash payments came to a total of €84 billion. That’s the equivalent of 0.6% of Europe’s GDP or €130 per person, say the researchers. More
MoLo launches mobile rewards programme in San Diego and Toronto
MoLo Rewards has launched its mobile rewards programme in the cities of San Diego and Toronto. More
Samsung adds NFC to bestselling Tocco Lite/Star/Player One/Avila
The bestselling touchscreen phone, known by a number of brand names in different regions, is to be used in trials in Spain, France and Dubai — but there are no plans yet to make the NFC version of the handset available at retail. More
Parkeur uses NFC to ease the pain of parking in busy urban areas
A team from French science engineering graduate school Polytech’Marseille has been shortlisted in the 2010 Simagine awards for an NFC application designed to ease the pain of parking in busy urban areas. More
Gemalto adds mobile coupons to its NFC products
Gemalto has announced a partnership with leading coupon specialist HighCo that will see the company adding mobile coupons to its NFC Trusted Service Manager (TSM) offering. More
Industry players to develop standardized NFC API for Android devices
Trusted Logic has announced a new initiative to provide an open, standardized API for building NFC functionality into Android devices. More