Wendong’s Smart Phone Weblog

People in Guangzhou, China now are able to use their cell phones as subway passes, thanks to RFID technology. You can recharge tokens over the air.

Via 163.com.

[informationweek.com]: IBM Launches New RFID And Sensor Software

IBM also introduced its WebSphere RFID Device Infrastructure middleware that RFID equipment makers can embed in their RFID readers to integrate RFID data collection and reporting at the edge of the network. It’s based on J2ME (Java-based) open standards with secure messaging capabilities.

[marketwire.com]: New Software From IBM Extends Edge of Computing

IBM will offer WebSphere RFID Device Infrastructure, based on Workplace Client Technology Micro Edition (WCTME) to device manufacturers. IBM WebSphere Device Infrastructure is embedded software that supports EPCglobal standards and can enable RFID device manufacturers to implement RFID data filtering at the point of wireless data detection. It also can be integrated with other physical devices such as indicator lights, motion sensors and industrial automation equipment, establishing a reliable platform for integrating data with the IBM WebSphere RFID Premises Server.

JSR 256 - Mobile Sensor API: “The API provides general Sensor API that extends the usability and choice of sensors for J2ME applications. It defines generic sensor functionality optimized for the resource-constrained devices like mobile devices.”

JSR 257 - Contactless Communications API : “This specification will define J2ME Optional Packages for contactless communication, one package for bi-directional communication and the other for accessing read-only information.” “As currently proposed, JSR 257 would set the stage for both one-way and bi-directional data capture and data integration from RFID, barcode and other existing and standard approaches.”

News

[RFID Journal]: Nokia Unveils RFID Phone Reader

"The software for the reader is written in the Java programming language."
"The new RFID reader works with the Nokia 5140, a GSM phone that is water resistant and more rugged than a typical cell phone. Users simply slide off their existing Xpress-on cover and slide on the RFID reader. The software needed to run the reader is automatically loaded into the phone and the reader becomes operational."

[Wikipedia]: Radio frequency identification (RFID)
[eWeek]: Tracking the Data With RFID