RFID saves art

Vuance, a provider of radio frequency verification solutions including active radio frequency identification (RFID), says a number of art dealers are now using asset tags and passive readers to monitor the status of valuable paintings, according to Using RFID.

These programmable RFID tags communicate with ultra-long-range passive RFID readers to identify the presence and location of assets and company personnel, and provide alarms when assets aren't in their proper location.

This information can be delivered to company management locally or via the Internet. The French Art Network, a New Orleans art dealer, has already adopted the technology.

Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York is issuing smart cards to correctly identify patients and make sure they have the correct medical record, says Secure ID News.

The cards have a picture of the patient and can hold 33 pages of medical data.

So far 2 000 patients have cards and the hospital eventually hopes to get them to 10 000 patients.

Telstra will start pushing out a software update to half a million customers that will allow users to point their phones at a bar code and be directed to a relevant Web page, says ZDNet.

The software update loads a reader into the phone's main menu which, when opened, turns on the camera to read bar codes.

Phones that will sport the software include the Nokia 6120 and N95.