Printed electronics specialist Thinfilm has closed a private placement in which “several” US investors have invested a total of US$22m... More
Internet of Things (IoT)
Google’s Project Soli to bring hand controls to wearables
Google is working to create next-generation, hand-gesture technology that would enable rich interactions with smart devices regardless of screen size to “drive applications across wearable, home automation, automotive, industrial and medical markets”... More
Google unveils Project Brillo
Google has unveiled Project Brillo, a development platform for the Internet of Things that will connect devices through a communication layer called Weave which “provides seamless and secure communication between devices both locally and through the cloud,” Google explains... More
Google’s Project Vault microSD features NFC for storing sensitive data
Google has unveiled Project Vault, a hardware and software isolated environment in the form of a microSD card that stores the user’s sensitive data and comes equipped with NFC for authorisation... More
Qualcomm and NXP team up for NFC on Snapdragon platforms
Qualcomm Technologies is working with NXP to integrate NXP’s NFC and embedded secure element (eSE) solutions into reference designs for its Snapdragon 800, 600, 400 and 200 processor-based platforms, mobile chipsets which already lie at the heart of more than one billion devices... More
NFC to connect Shanghai smart business district
A landmark one square kilometre “smart business district” in Shanghai will use NFC as part of a strategy to network every office, hotel, apartment block, shopping mall and residential property within the area when construction is complete in 2017... More
Jameson serves up 25,000 NFC stubby holders
Jameson Irish Whiskey is distributing 25,000 NFC bottle holders that allow drinkers to enjoy online content and competitions, to promote its links with an Australian comedy festival. More
NXP uses NFC to make smart homes easier to manage
PARTNER NEWS: Chip maker NXP has introduced a wireless microcontroller and accompanying smart home and smart lighting solutions that use NFC to make it easy for users to “connect systems intuitively with just one tap”... More
NXP unveils connected car with NFC and payments
NXP Semiconductors has showcased a proof-of-concept connected car that makes use of long-range UHF RFID tags and NFC to help drivers of the future access and pay for restricted parking spaces, get warnings of traffic jams and allow groceries or parcels to be delivered directly into their car without them even being there to open the trunk... More
Pizza Hut could let customers order and pay for pizza from their cars
Pizza Hut is testing a proof-of-concept “connected car” system that would let its customers order and pay for pizza from their vehicle before identifying themselves when arriving at the restaurant through Bluetooth beacons placed in designated parking bays... More
Diageo unveils smart whisky bottle with ‘game-changing’ NFC tags
“Smart bottles” that know when they have been opened and then deliver relevant, personalised messages directly to a consumer’s smartphone will be showcased by printed electronics specialist Thinfilm at Mobile World Congress 2015... More
TI offers NFC sensors
Texas Instruments has introduced an integrated NFC sensor transponder that combines an ISO 15693 compliant NFC interface with a programmable microcontroller, non-volatile FRAM, an analog-to-digital converter and SPI and I2C interface... More
Bluetooth 4.2 to increase speed and security of Smart devices
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has adopted version 4.2 of the Bluetooth core specification, introducing security improvements that mean Bluetooth beacons are now unable to engage with smartphones without permission from the user and making it harder for eavesdroppers to track a device via its Bluetooth connection. More
Broadcom IoT SDK adds NFC
Chip maker Broadcom has integrated NFC into its Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices (Wiced) software development kit with the aim of making it easier for developers to build smart homes and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions that combine NFC, WiFi and Bluetooth Smart functionality... More
Japan Airlines tests battery-free beacons at 13 airports
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons that use energy harvesting technology to avoid the need to change batteries have been installed by Japan Airlines (JAL) at 13 major Japanese airports to provide users of its JAL Countdown mobile app with “real-time departure, gate and other timely information”... More
NFC World+ breaks all records in September
144,508 unique visitors read NFC World+ in September 2014, up 24% on a year ago, and we served 395,029 pages (up 22%) as business executives and technical experts flocked to the site to learn about Apple Pay, NFC and the future of mobile payments. More
NXP publishes guide to NFC and the Internet of Things
Chip maker NXP has published a 20-page guide to NFC and the Internet of Things (IoT) that is available for readers to download from the NFC World+ Knowledge Centre... More
NXP launches dynamic NFC tag chip for consumer devices
PARTNER NEWS: NXP has unveiled a dynamic NFC chip that can be used by electronic device makers to let consumers use their mobile phone as a remote user interface “rather than relying on expensive touchscreens or WiFi connectivity for wireless data exchange on home electronics.”... More
Broadcom offers IoT developer kit
Chip maker Broadcom has introduced Wiced Sense, a developer kit designed “to enable developers to rapidly prototype ideas and concepts for IoT devices and applications.”... More
Apple iPhone NFC payments rumours reach fever pitch
MasterCard, American Express and Visa have all signed deals with Apple for the launch of a mobile payments service that will make use of an NFC chip built into the next iPhone, due to launch on 9 September, according to reports in a number of publications including the Financial Times, Bloomberg and Re/Code. More