TAZCARD: 'Think iPod Touch, not iPhone', says TazTag's Eric Fouchard (click to enlarge)

TazTag's stand-alone NFC device, the TazCard, is set for commercial launch before the end of this year, CEO Eric Fouchard has told NFC World, with a target price of €150 once the device has entered mass production.

Similar in area to a standard credit card, the TazCard is a Java-based handheld device able to support a wide range of NFC applications including payments, ID, ticketing, loyalty and other services. TazCards feature a 3.5-inch (9cm) touch screen and a biometric fingerprint sensor plus near field communication, USB and ZigBee communications interfaces.

TazCards do not, however, include a mobile network interface — although it will be possible to add mobile functionality as an optional extra. Instead, the device uses USB to connect to the internet from a PC, NFC for contactless proximity applications and ZigBee, rather than the mobile internet, to access and download information services and applications in the field.

Zigbee is a wireless technology, developed originally to meet the needs of low-cost, low-power wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) networks. Zigbee devices can communicate with each other over a range of up to 30m and can be connected together using mesh networking technology so that multiple Zigbee 'nodes', each costing in the region of US$10, can transfer information from one to another over longer distances.

In practical  terms, this means that the TazTag operates in a similar way to an iPod Touch, which has Wifi and USB interfaces but no mobile connection, rather than an iPhone. It means also that there is no role for a mobile network operator in a TazCard ecosystem — and also that, like the iPod Touch, the TazCard is designed to be a product that consumers purchase as an extra rather than a replacement for an existing device, and for which there's no need to take out a data plan.

"The TazCard is not a competitor of phones, it's a companion," says Fouchard. "Some people would prefer to have only one device... fine. But our customers are all agreed on one point: A highly secure device, without a third party as an operator, gives them what they need to provide new services today."

How would an NFC ecosystem that does not include a mobile network operator work in practice? A mobile connection is not needed to use an NFC device to make a card transaction, whether that is for a payments, transport ticketing or an access control application, but most tag reading applications do use the mobile networks. Here, when the user reads a tag, typically a hyperlink stored on the tag is transferred to their mobile phone, enabling the user to easily access a website to view information or download a coupon or voucher. And, when a customer signs up for a new NFC service, the mobile connection can also be used to download the application over-the-air to their handset.

In both of these applications, the same functionality could be provided by Zigbee, Fouchard explains. For instance, a shop assistant could use a TazCard to read NFC tags on products, then check stock availability, reserve the item for the customer and read his retail loyalty card — all using a store's Zigbee network rather a mobile network.

Why not use WiFi or Bluetooth? "WiFi and Bluetooth are very sensitive to security issues," says Fouchard, "but the major problem is the power consumption of these technologies — too high!" And, for Bluetooth, "it's not a network technology, just a point to point, so you can't have the same uses" while "WiFi is already used for computer networks so it is too difficult to manage the network too."

"The TazCard is a part of a complete ecosystem dedicated to contactless applications," says Fouchard, "we have many products for infrastructure ready to go. Our strategy is to offer a highly secure NFC/Zigbee device, a developer community and products for infrastructure."

A Java-based software development kit is available now from TazTag and the first TazCards will be available in test quantities from June 2010. The first commercially available devices are due before the end of the year and, Fouchard told NFC World, mass production is expected to begin in 2011.

TazTag has also partnered with Sagem Orga and with Inside Contactless on the development of TazCard technology and a prototype device featuring an Inside Contactless Microread NFC controller and a single wire protocol-enabled SIM card, developed by Sagem Orga and running Inside's Java-based test payment application, has now also been developed.

"We believe this device will enable card issuers to provide their customers with a viable NFC bridge — a key success factor towards market adoption of mobile NFC payments," says Jean-Christophe Tisseuil of Sagem Orga, which is working on a number of innovative solutions for bridging the NFC handset gap. Last year, the company signed a deal with Twinlinx, developer of the MyMax Bluetooth-enabled NFC sticker, under which Sagem Orga will offer MyMax to its customers under its own SIMply Mobile Wallet brand name. And, at the Mobile World Congress in February, the company announced the development of an NFC-enabled key fob containing a WiFi-enabled SIM that could be used to deliver NFC functionality to 100% of today's mobile phones.

"Maybe the market will be first for VIP customers of transportation companies and banks, but I believe that many people will be ready to pay a little to secure their credit cards," Fouchard concludes.

This article was first published at www.NearFieldCommunicationsWorld.com.

Related news:

• Inside Contactless signs development partnership with TazTag
• Atmel and TazTag collaborate on NFC wallet
• Twinlinx NFC sticker set for commercial launch in March 2010
• CES 2009: Cell Idea and TazTag wave the flag for NFC
• Sagem Orga adds Java Card functionality to MyMax NFC stickers

Inside Contactless has formed a partnership with TazTag, supplier of the TazCard NFC wallet, to develop and bring to market a variety of highly secured, multi-application contactless solutions based on near field communication technology.

TazCard is a mini Java-based tablet computer about the size of a credit card and is designed to support a variety of identity, healthcare, transportation, loyalty, ticketing, payments and other secure NFC-based applications. It features a 3.5 inch colour touch screen, biometric authentication, audio output, data storage and a tamper-resistant secure element, and offers USB and 6lowPAN communications in addition to NFC.

TazTag has also developed the TazKiosk, an interactive NFC urban advertising kiosk, developed in partnership with Hyundai IT.

"Inside has been instrumental from the beginning not only in providing the core NFC technology for our products, but also in supporting our vision and introducing us to potential customers," says Eric Fouchard, CEO of TazTag. "We look forward to working with Inside on new and exciting products based on NFC technology."

"The TazCard represents a new class of versatile NFC devices that will open the door to a broad range of new NFC applications," added Inside Contactless' Bertrand Moussel.

This article was first published at www.NearFieldCommunicationsWorld.com.

Related news:

• Atmel and TazTag collaborate on NFC wallet
• TazTag’s stand-alone NFC device to hit the market by the end of 2010
• CES 2009: Cell Idea and TazTag wave the flag for NFC
• Sagem Wireless and Inside Contactless sign handset platform development deal
• Inside Contactless to acquire Atmel’s secure microcontroller business

The answer for organisations looking to launch NFC-like services to large numbers of customers now looks set to be a dual solution approach: Make NFC phones available to early adopters once they become widespread later this year, and employ one of several possible interim solutions to enable everyone else to participate in your service right away — albeit less elegantly but at little or no cost.

Depending on the kind of service you want to offer from launch, options could include the simple RFID stickers being tested by Dairy Queen, a standard prepaid card linked to a mobile wallet, as launched this week by Canada's top mobile operators, or a more sophisticated sticker incorporating contactless card functionality.

Alternatively — or as well — one of the NFC/Bluetooth solutions that enables any Bluetooth-equipped phone to act as an NFC device could be offered. Options here include MicroSD card based solutions, as offered by Cell Idea and Tyfone, and Twinlinx's My-Max sticker, which has caught the eye of Bouygues Telecom. Or you could offer a separate device, such as the TazCard or With Me.

Whichever option is taken, though, the important lesson to be learned from the latest mobile payment developments is that the road to NFC doesn't necessarily have to involve an NFC phone.

Sarah Clark, Editor

This article was first published at www.NearFieldCommunicationsWorld.com.

Related news:

• CES 2009: Cell Idea and TazTag wave the flag for NFC
• Lack of handsets delays launch of commercial NFC services in Dubai
• Cell Idea adds NFC to any Bluetooth phone
• Now any Bluetooth handset can do NFC — for just $25
• Fonelabs launches range of low-cost NFC phones

TAZCARD: TazTag's multi-function NFC wallet is to be secured with an Atmel security module

Atmel and TazTag have announced they are collaborating on the development of all-in-one contactless solutions to store and protect personal data. As a first step, TazTag is using the Atmel AT98SC016CU turnkey security module in its TazCard, a secure multi-function NFC wallet the size of a thick bank card that incorporates a touch screen, fingerprint sensor and NFC, USB and ZigBee communications interfaces.

First announced at the CES show in January, the TazCard has the potential to be used in a wide range of applications including access control, ticketing, couponing and payment. A Java Software Development Kit is available for developers interested in exploring the possibilities.

"The choice of an Atmel security module became obvious when we decided to secure our nomad contactless smart object," says Eric Fouchard, CEO of TazTag. "The cooperation between a fingerprint sensor and the AT98SC016CU safely protects the access to personal data and the applications in the TazCard."

"Our AT98SC turnkey security solutions are the right choice when it comes to securing portable compact devices with energy constraints," added Olivier Debelleix, Atmel's marketing manager for embedded security. "We are excited to bring our security expertise to this original and modern communicating application."

Atmel also offers a Single Wire Protocol-compatible chip, the AT91SC464384RCU, for NFC SIMs.

This article was first published at www.NearFieldCommunicationsWorld.com.

Related news:

• Inside Contactless signs development partnership with TazTag
• CES 2009: Cell Idea and TazTag wave the flag for NFC
• TazTag’s stand-alone NFC device to hit the market by the end of 2010
• Inside Contactless to acquire Atmel’s secure microcontroller business
• Alcatel-Lucent introduces turnkey pay-as-you-go mobile wallet platform for operators

HANDHELD: TazTag's TazCard is a biometrically secured NFC-enabled alternative to a mobile handset

Last week we wrote about four companies who showed products at CES 2009 that compete with or enable NFC applications and asked readers to let us know about any other companies at the show who were working in the NFC space. We've now received details on two more, Cell Idea and Taztag, and we're still open to hearing about any others we might have missed.

• Like Tyfone, Hong Kong-based Cell Idea is offering NFC functionality built into a microSD card format. Unlike Tyfone, however, Cell Idea's microSD's don't include an antenna and are designed to work with phones that are already equipped with a built-in antenna and NFC circuitry. In those circumstances, though, Cell Idea's microSD cards could enable issuers such as financial institutions, transit companies and others to bypass the mobile operator and deliver their own service direct to customers. (Smart card and SIM specialist Giesecke & Devrient also has a microSD-based product, the Mobile Security Card CL.)
• TazTag is working on an innovative way to enable secure NFC-based communications without a mobile phone. The company's TazCard is a compact hand-held tablet with a screen and onboard fingerprint-based biometric security which can communicate via USB, NFC and Zigbee and has the potential to handle access control, coupons, ticketing and payments applications.

This article was first published at www.NearFieldCommunicationsWorld.com.

Related news:

• Cell Idea adds NFC to any Bluetooth phone
• Atmel and TazTag collaborate on NFC wallet
• Inside Contactless signs development partnership with TazTag
• Demand for mobile payments at the point of sale drives creative solutions to lack of NFC handsets
• TazTag’s stand-alone NFC device to hit the market by the end of 2010