US state mulls RFID ban

US legislation to prevent Oklahoma from imbedding radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on driver's licences and state ID cards has passed a legislative panel, reports NewsOn6.com.

Critics are concerned that RFID, when coupled with other technologies, could make people traceable without their knowledge.

However, government officials claim identity documents with RFID tags speed up border crossings, safeguard credentials against counterfeiters, and keep terrorists from sneaking into the country.

Mobile computing distributor Varlink has signed a partnership deal with Unitech, a manufacturer of handheld portable terminals, industrial PDAs and RFID readers, states TMCnet.

According to Varlink, the deal has opened a new market for the company to roll out RFID readers in the UK.

Varlink says it's confident that the introduction of mobile computing devices will be well received within its channel and will help the resellers unlock opportunities for enterprise mobility applications.

The division of Motorola's troubled handset business is expected to be finalised early next year, says Electronics Weekly.

One company will be headed by Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha and will include Motorola's mobile devices and home businesses. The other company will include Motorola's enterprise mobility solutions and networks businesses, and will be headed by Greg Brown, Motorola's other co-CEO.

Brown's company will offer products that includes two-way radios, mobile computers, public safety systems, scanning, RFID, and wireless network infrastructure.