Use cellphones to shop

At the SNS Future in Review conference, Scanbuy released a new bar code system which will allow users to wirelessly purchase and ship products using their mobile device's pre-bar code-fitted camera, says Business Wire.

The technology has already been launched by Australian leader Telstra and is currently in place in Japan.

Releases in the US and Europe are next up on the agenda for mobile companies, whose experiments in Japan have flourished.

A study by ABI Research shows that RFID readers are becoming more integrated and innovative, says Channel Times.

The study, "Passive RFID Readers: Market Trends and Forecasts", describes market dynamics for passive readers and reader-specific integrated circuits (ICs), identifies key issues facing reader manufacturers and end-users, and provides five year market forecasts.

Reader ICs have come to lead the market for low-frequency and high-frequency RFID, enabling these technologies to be integrated into smaller, more power-efficient devices.

Metro Group is using RFID inlays for a meat-tracking pilot scheme at its new Future Store showcase facility in Germany, says IGD.

The AD-222 inlay from technology provider Avery Dennison RFID will be used to tag the foam meat-packing trays used in the Future Store.

The meat tagging application is intended to help Metro manage the flow of perishable products, cut down on cost and save time on restocking.