Wouldn’t you like a Real CryptoKitty? — Decrypt — “The 7.5 inch CryptoKitties each have a unique identity and are traceable on the blockchain. Look underneath the toy’s foot, and you’ll see a tamper-proof, near field communication (NFC) tag, with a unique serial number. Doting owners can interact with the chip, using a smartphone or other device, to access details about their toy’s unique characteristics.”
NFC tags
California winemaker to use NFC to provide buyers with a ‘farm-to-table’ experience
Böen Wines is to use NFC tags incorporated into all its bottle caps to let customers easily access information about where and how their wine was made, get advice on food pairings and “share their own experiences with Böen within the platform and via social media”... More
Apple demos NFC tag reading for Apple Card activation
Titanium Apple Card activation with background NFC tag reading — Ata Distance — “Apple has posted two videos for activating the Titanium Apple Card: a video for A12 Bionic iPhone XR/XS with background NFC tag reading, and a video for non-A12 Bionic iPhones without background NFC tag reading ability. This marks the first time Apple has put A12 Bionic background NFC tag reading ability to use, almost a year since the new functionality appeared.”
ShipChain to use NFC to track temperature-sensitive shipments on the blockchain
ShipChain and GTX Corp launch global NFC blockchain shipment tracking solution — ShipChain — “The NFC tags provide real-time temperature sensing and data logging across the supply chain necessary with transportation of perishables; food, drinks, pharmaceuticals and other temperature-sensitive products that can be negatively affected by conditions in transit. These built-in security measures can prevent the distribution of contaminated supplies in the marketplace and unauthorised modification of data logs, allowing brands, retailers, distributors, and freight forwarders to verify shipment quality.”
Kobelli to use NFC to track diamonds on the blockchain
Diamond jewellery maker Kobelli is to use a blockchain-based NFC platform to provide its customers with a way to securely verify the authenticity of their purchases... More
Seppeltsfield Barossa adds NFC tags to wine bottles
Historic Australian wine estate Seppeltsfield Barossa is adding NFC tags to the bottles of its new Grounds range of wines, to guarantee the product’s authenticity and verify that the bottle has not previously been opened... More
HonkMobile launches app-free Apple Pay NFC payments
Parking payments specialist HonkMobile has unveiled a ‘virtual parking meter’ that uses Apple Pay’s new support for NFC tags to let iPhone users tap an NFC sticker to quickly make a payment via Apple Pay — without first needing to download an app or register for a service... More
Mattel adds NFC to Hot Wheels racing cars
Mattel launches new Hot Wheels ‘id’ Smart Track Kit and NFC cars exclusively at Apple Stores — MacRumors — “The new Hot Wheels ID setup includes 51 die-cast cars with NFC tags that are going to be released in six mini collections throughout 2019, with each vehicle to be priced at US$6.99. Each car can be levelled up digitally, with challenges available to break race records.”
Imperial College develops NFC tag-based freshness detection system to reduce food waste
Researchers at Imperial College London have developed low-cost NFC-based spoilage sensors for meat and fish packaging that could be in supermarkets within three years and help to reduce the amount of still safe to eat food that UK consumers throw away each year because it has reached its sell-by date... More
Malibu rolls out NFC connected bottles in the US
Drinks brand Malibu is launching an NFC-based promotion in the US states of Ohio and Texas that enables customers to use NFC tags attached to 300,000 ‘connected bottles’ to win branded goods and access cocktail recipes and other content... More
ABI Research forecasts 10bn NFC tags in use by 2023
NFC tags represent an “enormous growth opportunity” and are now “ready for the mainstream”, according to a new forecast by ABI Research which is available to download free of charge from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
Apple to include an NFC tag in Apple Card packaging
Apple Card’s colorful packaging revealed ahead of launch — Cult of Mac — “The photos of Apple Card were published by leaker Benjamin Geskin, who claims that Apple employees are now getting their hands on testing units… To activate the Card, customers simply unlock their iPhone and then hold it against an NFC tag that’s hidden inside the packaging. This adds the Card to the Wallet app and lets you use it right away.”
Zola hails success of NFC tags in NYC pop-up store
US wedding planning and list specialist Zola says using NFC in its bricks and mortar pop-up store in New York City has helped to bring the showroom to life and been well received by its customers who use it to build their wedding gift lists... More
Apple Pay boss reveals US merchants’ plans to use NFC tags for payments and loyalty sign-up
Dairy Queen, Bonobos, Panera Bread, Yogurtland, Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, Dave & Buster’s, Caribou Coffee plus Bird and PayByPhone are all working on projects that use Apple’s Core NFC tag reading capabilities to make it easier for consumers to sign up for their services, Apple Pay boss Jennifer Bailey has revealed... More
ST webinar explores the potential of Type 5 NFC tags — watch it now
PARTNER NEWS: NFC World readers are invited to join ST Microelectronics’ Jim Barlow for a 20 minute webinar exploring the potential of NFC Type 5, the NFC-RFID crossover technology that gives longer range ‘vicinity’ communication with dedicated reader hardware and also allows ‘proximity’ interaction with a smartphone... More
Case study: Distillery uses NFC tags to fight counterfeiting and build customer engagement
PARTNER NEWS: Tasmania-based Old Kempton Distillery is using HID Global’s Trusted Tag technology to combat counterfeiting of its whiskies and gins — and to drive personalized and ongoing engagement with customers after they make a purchase... More
Apple details ‘contactless’ Apple Card activation process in iOS 12.3 beta release
Although the physical version of Apple’s new credit card does not include support for contactless transactions, cardholders will be able to activate it by simply placing it in close proximity to their iPhone, code in the latest iOS beta release suggests... More
Mammut uses NFC to create next generation customer experiences for outdoor sports fans
Swiss mountain sports equipment brand Mammut has launched a mobile app that uses NFC to support retailers that stock its products and provide “a new way of bringing emotional and interactive product information to the consumer”... More
NFC Forum bridges the gap between QR mobile payments services and NFC devices
The NFC Forum has released a new candidate specification that makes it easy for mobile payments services based on QR codes to add NFC functionality, giving “payment service providers and consumers the opportunity to take advantage of the simple and secure NFC-based payment solutions already in use worldwide.”... More
NFC puck enables one-touch logon to WiFi networks
A stylish wooden puck incorporating an NFC tag that allows iPhones as well as Android devices to log onto a WiFi network with a single tap has been launched by New Jersey-based Ten One Design... More