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RFID bar codes in everything

In the future, expect to see cheap RFID tags in everything.  Yes, big brother will be always watching!

examples:

ScanLife: Barcode Scanning for the 21st Century and Beyond

Impinj Inc., a Seattle-based provider of semiconductor and RFID technology, has raised $14 million in sixth-round funding from strategic backers like Inventec Appliances Corp., LS Industrial Systems Co., Samsung Ventures America and YFY Group. The company previously had raised over $105 million from firms like AllianceBernstein, backers ARCH Venture Partners, GF Private Equity Group, Madrona Venture Group, Mobius Venture Capital, Polaris Venture Partners, Unilever Technology Ventures, UPS Strategic Enterprise Fund, VentureTech Alliance and the Viterbi Group. Get more info.

Next? Add even more info (of the multimedia kind) to these various ‘story prepping labels’ by adding any kind of interactive code to products. Keep a close eye on (or better yet, experiment with) SMS codes, QR codes, RFID, UPCODES and so on, especially as more and more phones will come with code reading software installed. In fact, expect infinite STATUS STORY prepping (including images, videos, micro-sites) to be 'attached' to products in the years to come. A few examples:

• ColorZip lets phone owners access large amounts of data from anywhere. Much like the old black-and-white barcode, users can point their phones at the multi-colored square, and view an enormous spectrum of information. Advertisers can use the code to insert a movie trailer on a 2D movie poster, place a full menu on a delivery van, or provide the latest sports news on the back of a sweater or t-shirt. Or add STATUS STORIES prepping of course.

• Dutch fashion brand Wickd calls itself ‘tech fashion.’ Wickd combines clothing and 2D barcodes technology to allow wearers of Wickd shirts, longsleeves or jackets to take their favorite websites with them. Every Wickd product has an unique Shotcode logo printed on it, which the wearer can link to his or her website. Using a cellphone camera, people can take a picture of the logo and the phone browser will open the related website. This can be a Wickd-hosted website, a user’s MySpace page, their blog, Flickr account, etc. Besides targeting consumers, Wickd also sells shirts to companies for events. Prices range from EUR 29.75 to EUR 40.

source:  trendwatching