Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Have you heard of Tikitag?  I first saw it at ShowStoppers in NYC and it officially launched on the 1st of October.  No, it has nothing to do with tikis.

It’s a RFID system.  You get RFID stickers, you put them on stuff, and then you place the tag near or on a reader connected to your computer.  Your computer will do some pre-programmed action like open a website, play music or whatever.

It’s almost a good idea. The problem is they are marketing it directly to consumers.  They want you to tag a picture, send the picture to your grandma and then your grandma will swipe the picture to the reader and the computer will open a Flickr slideshow or something else.

Will this thing succeed?  Keep reading.

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If you haven’t heard of a company called Tikitag, then you might be hearing more of the Alcatel-Lucent venture.  Tikitag has put out a product that allows a user to put a RFID tag anything, anywhere. 

The Tikitag works as easy as Post-Its, which allows for RFID technology to like any offline device will link with information online.  So, if you have anything that you want to put on a product, such as information on a business card, just use a Tikitag. 

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In a move to help support the reduction of data theft Sharkoon have launched the $50 Sharkoon Swift-Case Securita with RFID encryption to help protect against unauthorized access. Built into each of the cases for 2.5-inch SATA hard drives is a RFID transceiver that responds solely to the accompanying RFID transponder which is a simple plastic fob design that attaches securely to key chains.

When you first set up the security in produces a unique encryption key after which you can easily lock or unlock the drive using the transponder. Added security comes from the way the radio frequency itself is also protected by 128-bit AES encryption. What I really like is the fact the case can be used to encrypt up to three drives, which can then be swapped in and out of the enclosure.

Connection is through USB 2.0, and powered through an included USB-Y cable that uses the power from a second USB port. It works with Windows, OS X and Linux and comes with two RFID transponders, a USB-Y cable (2x USB A / 1x mini-USB), screw driver, transport bag and an instruction manual.

This really does look good value and very useful!

Read [Sharkoon]

Worried that you are being tracked by big brother everywhere you go, 24/7? I can’t say whether or not that is true, if I tell you the truth they’ll kill me, but I can warn you about getting a new passport. All passports issued by the US State Department after January 1 will have always-on RFID chips (radio frequency identification chips), making it easier for officials – and hackers – to grab your personal stats. These are the same chips used for the “quick pass” systems in your credit cards, tied into clothing for scanning, and are one of the bigger ways Wal-mart came to be a $250 billion business.

So if you weren’t already about credit card identity theft, how about passport identity theft (who knows how much data these chips will hold). Here’s the low down of how to get around the situation (via Wired):

• RFID-tagged passports have a distinctive logo on the front cover; the chip is embedded in the back.


• “Accidentally” leaving your passport in the jeans you just put in the washer won’t work. You’re more likely to ruin the passport itself than the chip.


• Forget about nuking it in the microwave – the chip could burst into flames, leaving telltale scorch marks. Besides, have you ever smelled burnt passport?


• The best approach? Hammer time. Hitting the chip with a blunt, hard object should disable it. A nonworking RFID doesn’t invalidate the passport, so you can still use it.

Oops, did I almost forget to say that tampering/destroying your passport will result in 25 years in jail for you—I take no responsibility. Happy smashing!

And now that you in such a sour mood, here is some RFID humor:

Perplex City creator’s, MindCandy, are prepping for the world’s largest alternate reality game (ARG) live event ever - The San Francisco Connection. Set to take place in San Francisco, CA on August 12, 2006, the event will have thousands scouring the city streets, taking part in a high-tech treasure hunt.

Up to 1000 players and spectators will take part on-site, along with thousands more online. The main puzzle will involve real-time RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tracking – something never done before, making it the most impressive and high-tech puzzle ever. Using special chips embedded within objects, RFID allows for a variety of games by tracking the chips within a specific area. The day’s activities will be ‘in-game’ - in other words, participants will influence a vitally important part of the Perplex City story.

There will be hundreds of puzzles for players to solve as they take to the streets. For instance, following a trail of puzzles might direct players to the Transamerica building, where they would need to find how many entrances it has in order to move on; other examples of puzzles will range from images and riddles to finding stale technology (where can one find a floppy drive these days?).

The event will begin and end at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco, and will run from 10:30am to approximately 4pm. It is open to everyone (if under 16, please bring a parent or guardian). Those planning to attend are asked to sign up beforehand at www.perplexcity.com (under ‘live events’), as there are a limited number of player spaces available. Players are encouraged to bring a car, bike, or another mode of transit if available (although it isn’t necessary) and a good map of San Francisco.

About Perplex City
Read [Perplex City]

Every Monday, Bryan Glanzberg contributes The Water Cooler, a column that bridges the gap between technology and business.

RFID technology has been around for a long time tracking everything from raisins to nuclear weapons in the armed forces.  Until recently, not many companies paid much attention to this technology except as an inventory management tool.  Think again...recently development has shown the ability of some hackers to purchase a product at a grocery store (or anywhere for that matter) and return items after switching RFID tags on the product.  When the products are re-scanned, inventory files become corrupted, updating prices, changing quantities, increasing orders....you get the point.

In an article from Business Week, they interviewed Larry Blue, a VP from Symbol Technologies, a company that develops RFID security technology, and he stated:

“It’s great in theory, it’s almost impossible in practice...” He cites tight security safeguards that are part of the chip’s design and related system software…

Trying to save business a little bit?  Get on your horse Larry...the next couple of months are not going to be so easy. 

Read [Business Week]