I've just got a set of wearable NFC tags, and I've discovered something interesting about the way data is stored on them. tl;dr Overwriting a tag can leave old data intact, and still readable. Here's the decoded memory layout of a tag with data written to it. In this case, a (failed) experiment at storing… Continue reading →
My fingers are now Internet-enabled. Well... sort of! My dexterous digits can now wirelessly broadcast URls and all sorts of other information. Here's a video showing how! I have a small NFC chip sandwiched between my finger and a fake nail. NFC - Near Field Communication - is the magic which makes your contactless credit… Continue reading →
Four years ago, I wrote an article for Moo.com about using QR Codes on business cards. At the time, it was the easiest way to get VCARD information from a physical card and onto a phone. I notice that Moo are now selling NFC enabled business cards. As regular readers know, I'm not a great… Continue reading →
Public transport is a great way to assess the Zeitgeist. Watching commuters transition from iPhones to Samsungs, and from paper books to Kindles, really gives one a sense of how the world is changing. Advertising is also a great way to measure society; seeing lots of adverts for dodgy loan companies can give you an… Continue reading →
I've talked before about advertising hoardings with combined NFC & QR codes. It looks like Clear Channel - the advertising behemoth - is getting into the game. Spotted all over London are these bus stops with built in advertising poster. Look on the right hand side, and you'll see the interactive element. It's pretty well… Continue reading →
I'm not a big fan of NFC. I think it's an impractical technology except in very specialised use cases. Because it's so rarely seen in the UK I don't tend to post about it much. The Boy Whatley recently posted about his new favourite NFC toy - the Nokia MD-310 (catchy name, guys!). That reminded… Continue reading →
My first QR code post of 2013! I'm a long term fan of QR codes. I know some people don't like the idea of augmenting reality with specific tags for computer vision - but I do. Some people prefer RFID/NFC. Others still prefer dedicated augmented video apps. As I've written many times before, QR codes… Continue reading →
Can you spot anything interesting on this poster? Yes, there in the corner - living in blissful harmony are a QR code and an NFC tag. There's an excellent call-to-action which even works for people without either a QR reader or NFC scanner. The destination is this mobile friendly landing page. Of course, you should… Continue reading →