Sydney man has Opal card implanted into hand to make catching public transport easier — ABC News — “Bio-hacker Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow, his legal name, had the Opal near-field communication (NFC) chip cut down and encased in bio-compatible plastic, measuring 1 millimetre by 6 millimetres. He then had the device implanted just beneath the skin on the side of his left hand. “It gives me an ability that not everyone else has, so if someone stole my wallet I could still get home,” he said.”
Sydney
Australian festival goers trial contactless sunglasses for payments
Festival goers at the St Jerome’s Laneway Festival taking place across five Australian cities are trialling prototype sunglasses that let them make contactless payments by tapping them against a contactless POS terminal... More
TfL to license contactless ticketing system across the globe
Transport for London (TfL) is to begin licensing its contactless ticketing system to other major cities across the globe as part of a deal worth up to £15m with Cubic Corporation’s business unit Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS). More
Samsung Pay to launch in Australia “very soon”
American Express is gearing up to support the launch of Samsung Pay in Australia “very soon”, American Express Australia’s director of digital commerce Rob Bourne has revealed... More
Australian street to go cashless?
Retailers on a street in Sydney are reportedly banning payments with notes and coins in favour of contactless... More
Tapit powers Google I/O and Game of Thrones NFC promotions
NFC marketing platform provider Tapit has run two high-profile campaigns with Google in recent weeks... More
Australian bank tests beacons in branches
St George Bank is testing the use of Bluetooth LE technology to send a welcome message and personalised information directly to a customer’s iPhone when they enter a branch... More
New Year app gets NFC push
Australian telco Telstra has teamed up with Tapit to enable revellers to download a New Year’s Eve app by tapping NFC tags located at 1,100 Telstra phone boxes and on lanyards worn by 1,300 retail staff... More
Google Play Music gets NFC promotion on Australian public transport
Google has partnered with NFC specialist Tapit to promote its Google Play Music service using NFC and QR code enabled posters on public transport along the east coast of Australia. More
News Corp runs NFC campaign in Sydney
News Corp newspaper The Daily Telegraph is promoting its content using NFC and QR posters placed on the rear of the seats of more than 80 buses in Western Sydney, Australia, enabling commuters to download selected content from the newspaper’s website... More
The Informed Tourist equips Sydney hotels with NFC touchpoints
Visitor information provider The Informed Tourist has installed NFC touchpoints in more than 200 hotels, rental car locations and city information centres in Sydney, enabling visitors to access information and get directions to local attractions with a tap of their NFC phone... More
Nike promotes running app via NFC
Nike is using Tapit’s NFC platform to offer easy app downloads ahead of Sydney’s biggest running race, City 2 Surf, which takes place on 11 August... More
NFC ads deliver recipes that change with the weather
Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) has run an NFC-enabled outdoor advertising campaign in three cities, providing shoppers with different recipes depending on how warm the weather is... More
Google runs NFC campaign in Australian airports
Google is running an NFC and QR code based digital advertising campaign in airports around Australia, allowing travellers to use a smartphone or tablet to take control of Google Play video ads on giant screens... More
Tapit raises US$2.4m Series A to grow NFC platform
The Sydney-based NFC specialist is to use the funds to expand internationally, adding a local presence in South Africa, Israel, India, Mexico, the US, UK, Sweden, Japan, Vietnam, UAE, Singapore and, potentially, China. More
Intellitix opens in Australia
Event ticketing and payments specialist Intellitix has opened an office in Sydney, Australia... More
Microsoft promotes Halo 4 with NFC
For the Australian launch of the latest edition of the best selling video game franchise, Microsoft has run an NFC-based scavenger hunt that saw limited edition prints being awarded to the first person to tap or scan in at each of 400 out-of-home advertising billboards located around Sydney and Melbourne. More
Telstra promotes NFC in Sydney and Melbourne
The Australian mobile network operator has equipped sales staff in flagship stores with NFC lanyards, helping them to show customers what NFC can do, as well as adding NFC tags to advertising posters and to promotional materials available in shopping mall food courts. More
NFC specialist Tapit to raise US$8m for international expansion
The fast growing Sydney-based start-up already counts Coca Cola, RIM, Johnson & Johnson and Unilever amongst its clients and has just implemented a major new project for Australian carrier Telstra. More
Sydney picks NFC and QR codes to guide visitors around The Rocks
The New South Wales Government has provided backing for an interactive walking tour of 37 historic sites in The Rocks, the oldest district of Sydney. More