The NFC Forum (http://www.nfc-forum.org), a non-profit industry association that
advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, today
announced it has selected 20 finalists for its NFC Forum Global
Competition 2010. Entries were received from a variety of countries
throughout Asia, Europe and North America. The submissions cover a broad
span of consumer and business application areas, including mobile
couponing, healthcare, building access and security, retail
merchandising, online user authentication, nutrition management, gaming,
online banking and support for the disabled.
The Competition’s Commercial Track recognizes the commercial solution
judged “The Best NFC Service of the Year 2010,” while a Research Track
honors the academic organization that develops “The Most Innovative NFC
Research Project of the Year 2010.” Three winners in each track will be
awarded cash prizes. First-place winners will receive 5000 euros,
second-place 1500 euros and third-place 1000 euros. Finalists and
winners may look forward to global media coverage, increased awareness
among industry leaders and venture capitalists, and opportunities to
forge partnerships and share ideas.
The 10 finalists in the Commercial Track are:
BCNTouch (Spain): Chasing Clothes
Mautilus (Czech Republic): The 3rd Eye Platform
MoLo Rewards (USA): MoLo Wallet
Objecs LLC (USA): Personal RosettaStone
Adamsoft d.o.o. (Slovenia): Smart Poster System
Clear2Pay (Belgium): NFC Vouchers â Next-generation Payments at Your
Fingertips
ITN International, Inc. (USA): BCARD Reader â NFC Ecosystem for Events
and Tradeshows
NEXPERTS (Austria): Touch& Pay
NTT DOCOMO, Inc. (Japan): Wellness Support â NFC Dynamic Tags Enable New
Style Data Communication
VTT Technical Research Centre (Finland): Worldcom
The 10 finalists in the Research Track are:
Artesis University College Antwerp (Belgium): NFC Learning Environment
Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (Germany): “localice” â a
Corporate Location-based Infrastructure Built on NFC and Wi-Fi
Interactive Research& Development (Pakistan): Interactive Chart for
Childhood Diseases
LaBRI, University of Bordeaux I (France): ZeKmop â Zero Knowledge Mobile
Phone
Lancaster University (UK): MyState: Allowing Users to Describe
Themselves and Their Environment with NFC and Facebook
NTTPC Communications, Inc. (Japan): The Digital Contents Distribution
System with NFC P2P
Technische Universität München, Chair for Information Systems (Germany):
DropTheBeat â Making Online Music Playlists Touchable
Technische Universität München, Chair for Information Systems (Germany):
Touch ‘n Document â a Nutrition Management System on an NFC-tagged TFT
Display
Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, Club de Innovacion (Spain):
PharmaFabula â NFC Mobile Technology and RFID for Identification of
Medicines for the Blind
Universite Joseph Fourier â Polytech’Grenoble (France): TouchKey : Home
and Building Access Management Platform for NFC Doorlocks
“This yearâs NFC Forum Global Competition finalists underscore the
remarkable versatility and applicability of the technology,” said Koichi
Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. “These creative solutions introduce
new business models, capabilities, and convenience, and we are delighted
to showcase them at this yearâs WIMA event.”
Each team of finalists will deliver a presentation and live
demonstration at the WIMA NFC Developers Summit demo space
(http://www.wima-nfc.com) on April 21, 2010. Following these events, the
jury, composed of senior and recognized professionals and experts from
academia and sponsoring companies, will vote to select the three winners
for each track. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony that
evening at WIMA. The finalists will continue to showcase their entries
in the WIMA demo space on April 22.
Further details about the competition may be found at
http://www.nfc-forum.org/competition.
WIMA is a Platinum sponsor of the Competition. Adamsoft d.o.o., Nokia,
and Over-C are Gold sponsors, and Stollmann E+V GmbH is a Silver sponsor.
About Stollmann E+V GmbH
Stollmann, http://www.stollmann.de/, based in Hamburg, Germany, is one
of the leading developers and suppliers of standard products and
licensed products for communications technologies such as NFC,
Bluetooth, and ISDN. Stollmann’s team of 40 specialists develops
protocol stacks, reference designs, and modules. Stollmann provides a
complete NFC Forum standard compliant protocol stack which is chip and
interface independent. Stollmann offers a complete JAVA JSR-257 API for
mobile phones, PDAs and smart phones, and an NFC kit, featuring an
easy-to-use interface, USB reader, and NFC tags, all complying with the
most recent NFC Forum standards. Support of upcoming NFC chips and
interfaces with unchanged Stollmann API is warranted.
About Adamsoft d.o.o.
Adamsoft is an NFC (Near Field Communication) service and solution
provider. The company is an innovative market leader in the fast growing
NFC business solutions area. Clients include Mobile Network Operators,
security companies, retailers and wholesalers. Adamsoft’s R&D of NFC
future models is the basis for successful business cases of its clients.
About Nokia
At Nokia, we are committed to connecting people. We combine advanced
technology with personalized services that enable people to stay close
to what matters to them. Every day, more than 1.2 billion people connect
to one another with a Nokia device â from mobile phones to advanced
smartphones and high-performance mobile computers. Today, Nokia is
integrating its devices with innovative services through Ovi
(www.ovi.com), including music, maps, apps, email and more. Nokia’s
NAVTEQ is a leader in comprehensive digital mapping and navigation
services, while Nokia Siemens Networks provides equipment, services and
solutions for communications networks globally.
About Over-C
Founded in 2001, Over-C is the leading provider of hosted Near Field
Communication software applications focused on the management of tag
events, from tag scan through the back office. Over-C’s hosted solutions
help companies get the right data to the right person at the right time.
Over-C is at the forefront of development of both the technological and
business potential of NFC, and is committed to the provision of
innovation, quality and technology-based experience to all its
customers. With clients in a broad range of industries, Over-C
consistently monitors around one million NFC activities each month. For
more information on Over-C, visit www.over-c.com.
About WIMA
WIMA is the leading international Conference& Exhibition exclusively
dedicated to NFC technology, bringing together industry leaders,
start-up companies, application developers, standards organisations, and
research& educational institutions to its annual event in Monaco. Book
your agenda for WIMA 2010 — 4th Global NFC Business& Technical
Developers Summit from 21-22 April, featuring the NFC Forum Global
Competition Finals& Awards Ceremony, plus an exhibition and
demonstration floor packed with the latest, most innovative NFC
applications, products and services, parallel Business& Technical
conference tracks, NFC Forum Programmes for Developers and, in
conjunction with NFC Research Lab Hagenberg and VTT Technical Research
Center Finland, the NFC2010 IEEE Workshop. Excellent networking guaranteed.
About Near Field Communication Technology
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a standards-based, short-range
wireless connectivity technology that enables simple and safe two-way
interactions between electronic devices. NFC technology allows consumers
to perform contactless transactions, access digital content and connect
devices with the simplicity of a single touch.
Near Field Communication (NFC) technology provides global
interoperability of contactless identification and interconnection
technologies. NFC operates in the 13.56 MHz frequency range, over a
typical distance of a few centimeters. The underlying layers of NFC
technology are based on ISO, ECMA, and ETSI standards. NFC technology is
supported by the worldâs leading communication device manufacturers,
semiconductor producers, network operators, IT and services companies,
and financial services organizations. NFC is compatible with hundreds of
millions of contactless cards and readers already deployed worldwide.
About the NFC Forum
The NFC Forum, http://www.nfc-forum.org, was launched as a non-profit
industry association in 2004 by leading mobile communications,
semiconductor and consumer electronics companies. The Forumâs 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 Forumâs 140 global member
companies currently are 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 Forumâs Sponsor members, which hold seats on the Board of
Directors, include leading players in key industries around the world.
The Sponsor members are: Innovision Research& Technology plc, INSIDE
Contactless, MasterCard Worldwide, Microsoft Corp., NEC, Nokia, NTT
DOCOMO, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Renesas Technology, Samsung, Sony
Corporation, STMicroelectronics and Visa Inc.