[February 16, 2017] |
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Vibrant NFC Market Produces Close to 100 Entries in NFC Forum Innovation Awards
The NFC
Forum announced today the nine semi-finalists in its NFC
Forum Innovation Awards Program. Created to recognize the
development and deployment of innovative and exemplary Near Field
Communications (NFC) products, services and applications, this year's
competition attracted more than 90 entries from innovators around the
world, highlighting the tremendous growth and interest in NFC technology
and implementations.
NFC Forum (News - Alert) Innovation Award semi-finalist submissions reveal new
breakthrough innovations in areas such as consumer and business
applications, including connected home, smart health, smart consumer,
automotive, "NFC for Good," Internet of Things, gaming, connected retail
and transportation. A key reason for this diversity of applications is
NFC's unique ability to operate in three modes: reader/writer,
peer-to-peer, and card emulation. Entries in the competition may take
advantage of one or more of these operating modes.
A jury composed of global
industry leaders evaluated entries and selected three semi-finalists
in each of three categories:
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Most Innovative NFC Product, Service, or Implementation:
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Blulog
(Poland) - NFC-enabled data loggers for customizing and monitoring
temperatures within isothermal packaging used in shipping and
storage.
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East
Japan Railway Company (Japan) - NFC-based mobile wallet
service, "Suica," which enables local and non-local riders to add
and check balances, purchase commuter passes, and secure passage
across the high-speed rail anywhere, anytime.
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Speech
Code GmbH (Austria) - NFC tag (News - Alert)-based stickers that contain
30-minutes of speech output in over 40 languages.
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Best Mobile App:
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Apps4Android,
Inc., an IDEAL Group company (United States) - NFC-based
talking label maker and reader application to assist people with
disabilities.
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Khushi
Baby Inc. (United States) - NFC-enabled wearable health mobile
application that allows health workers to interface with patients
through a digital necklace.
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Nestech
Corp. (Taiwan) - NFC-based smart key application that allows
home owners and small hotel managers manage their properties
remotely.
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Best NFC Startup:
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Dimple
Inc. (Latvia) - NFC tag-based programmable buttons for adding
tap and go functionality to a mobile device.
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Kuvée,
Inc. (United States) - NFC-enabled, connected wine dispensing
system that allows users to view tasting notes, rate wines and
make purchases which are shipped right to your door.
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Talkin'
Things LLC (Poland) - NFC-based global smart packaging system
that provides an innovative product communication platform and
effective protection against brand-related threats.
"The NFC Forum Innovation Awards attracted scores of entries from around
the globe, demonstrating that NFC is inspiring the imaginations of
inventors and entrepreneurial businesses across all sectors," said
Koichi Tagawa, chairman, NFC Forum. "Widespread use of NFC by consumers
is ramping up quickly and the semi-finalists' innovative uses of NFC
highlight the far-reaching applicability of the technology. We commend
all the semi-finalists and wish them luck at the award ceremony."
Finalists are invited to the awards ceremony and reception on March 14,
2017, co-located with the NFC
Forum Members meeting at the Green Valley Ranch in Las Vegas, NV
from 6 pm - 8 pm, where the three first-place winners, one in each
category, will be announced. Each first-place winner will receive an NFC
Innovation Award trophy and will be featured on the NFC Forum website.
All nine semi-finalists will receive a complimentary two-night stay at a
Las Vegas hotel, an award certificate, an opportunity to showcase their
product at the members meeting, global recognition and networking
opportunities.
NFC Forum would like to give special thanks to the NFC Innovation Awards
sponsor, NXP Semiconductors (News - Alert); media partner Contactless Intelligence; and
the award
judges: ABI Senior Analyst Phil Sealy, APSCA Chairman Greg Pote,
Frog Vice President and Head of Venture Design Ethan Imboden, GSMA
Terminals Director Paul Gosden, IEEE Council on RFID Professor Dr.
Katina Michael, IHS (News - Alert) Principal Analyst Don Tait, SapientNitro Vice
President Prashant Mehta, Strategy Analytics Director of Wireless Media
Strategies Nitesh Patel, and The Smart Card Alliance Executive Director
Randy Vanderhoof. Further details about the competition may be found here.
About the NFC Forum The NFC Forum's (www.nfc-forum.org)
mission is to advance the use of Near Field Communication technology by
developing specifications, ensuring interoperability among devices and
services, and educating the market about NFC technology. The Forum's
global member companies are currently developing specifications for a
modular NFC device architecture, and protocols for interoperable data
exchange and device-independent service delivery, device discovery, and
device capability. The NFC Forum's Sponsor members include Apple Inc.,
Broadcom Corporation, Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd., Google, Inc., Intel,
MasterCard Worldwide, NXP Semiconductors, Qualcomm (News - Alert), Samsung, Sony
Corporation, STMicroelectronics, and Visa Inc.
Follow the NFC Forum: Facebook
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YouTube
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170216005226/en/
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