CES2015: We were promised personal jetpacks, we got… smart belts.
First of all, a belated Happy New Year to our readers and subscribers. This time last year, I started this editorial saying that the mood in the NFC and contactless industry seemed subdued. I am very happy to say that this year I feel the mood is one of optimism - almost giddy with possibilities. The future is here to be embraced. Oh, and to prove how cool the next 12 months are going to be - there is always the CES in Las Vegas.
For those of you old enough to have seen ‘Back to the Future II’ (when it was released in the cinema - not on DVD), you may remember that Marty McFly travels into the future to the year 2015 and is surrounded by flying cars and hover boards. I am sure that NFC and contactless technology were also prevalent in this envisaged scenario. Lucky for us that CES this year included products that worked with NFC technology but not in personal jetpacks, working hover boards and flying cars (as we were promised), but in washing machines, luggage tags and smart belts. The future is a little more humdrum than I expected.
Yes, you read correctly, a ‘smart belt’ – called ‘Belty’. There is no way that I can do justice to this product so I will let the Guardian’s columnist Charlie Booker do it for me (cue sneering sarcasm): “This week it’s the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, an annual opportunity for tech companies to unveil their latest gizmos during January’s traditional slow news week, thereby picking up precious coverage that might otherwise be spent detailing something – anything – more important than an egg whisk with a USB port in the side. At the time of writing, the show is yet to kick off, although some of the offerings have already been unveiled – such as “Belty”, the world’s first “smart belt”, which monitors your waistline and tells you when it’s time to lose weight, just like a mirror or a close friend might. More excitingly, it adjusts to your girth (again, like a close friend might), and will tighten or loosen itself according to your current level of blubber. No word yet on whether it’s possible to pop a Belty round your neck and order it to squeeze you into the afterlife, but there’s no reason they can’t incorporate that feature in Belty 2.0, except maybe on basic ethical, moral and humanitarian grounds. According to Bertrand Duplat, whose company manufactures the Belty, “the belt experience hasn’t changed in centuries”, which is a) true but b) wasn’t formerly a problem worth solving, and also c) how does “doing up a belt” qualify as an “experience” anyway?”
I told you there would be sneering sarcasm, didn’t I?
There were, however, a couple of other decent NFC-based idea out there (I am disregarding the almost sentient-like washing machines that were unveiled - it sometimes feels that NFC has almost become more ubiquitous and pervasive in them than in smartphones. Probably because Apple doesn’t do a washing machine). Leaving aside payment-based solutions, the two solutions we singled out were security locking devices; for the house and for your luggage.
First was a solution demonstrated by those well-know lock people – Yale. Yale Locks & Hardware will now offer homeowners a new level of convenience and security with the introduction of the first NFC residential door lock designed for the U.S. market, operated with the tap of a smartphone app. The new Yale Real Living™ NFC Deadbolt replaces conventional keys with digital keys accessed through the Yale Digital Keys app for NFC-equipped Android mobile devices.
The Yale app allows homeowners to unlock doors, send keys to others, control when others have access, get a message when someone enters, and revoke a digital key at any time. Homeowners can also unlock the deadbolt using its capacitive touchscreen and a four- to eight-digit code, which makes the new deadbolt the only key free digital lock that provides two electronic options for unlocking. or enhanced security, the lock and app are powered by HID Global’s Seos® technology, a multi-platform ecosystem for issuing, delivering and revoking digital keys across a broad range of smart devices.
“Our NFC lock and Digital Keys app deliver a new level of security, convenience and versatility to homeowners, and most importantly, keeps it simple – all that’s needed is the lock and a phone to manage access to your home,” said Jason Williams, General Manager, Yale Residential. “And Seos reassures homeowners that their homes are secured by robust, proven technology.”
The Yale Real Living Digital Keys app displays a patent-pending digital key ring that’s swiped to easily scan keys. Set colors and upload photos to match keys and locks with people and lock locations. Share or revoke keys any time, manage when each user can access the lock, and receive notifications when a key is accepted or used. For convenience, the same digital key can be used to access multiple locks on one or more properties, and there’s no limit on the number of digital key users.
Following this physical security trend is DIGIPAS USA, with their eGeeTouch® Smart Luggage Lock – an NFC-enabled luggage lock that can be unlocked with a tap of an NFC device or a pre-programmed NFC tag. It was named as a 2015 CES Innovation Awards Honoree under the ‘Tech for Better World’ category for its outstanding innovation, engineering design and positive impact in enhancing the quality of life for the increasingly mobile worldwide travellers. The patented eGeeTouch® Smart Luggage Lock is embedded with state-of-art proximity access security technology effectively resolves the foregoing disadvantages; requiring no key, no digit-wheel dials and no code-memorizing to safeguard personal belongings in a luggage/suitcase unmatched by any conventional lock. DIGIPAS say that these radically simplified one-touch function and enhanced security features offer differentiated value propositions of a truly hassle-free user experience with unique selling point. “Unlocking a luggage is now a breeze providing incredible convenience and peace of mind to frequent travellers, family as well as senior citizens’ holiday makers”, says the company. The device can be unlocked using an NFC tag or an NFC mobile device, as well as a mechanical backup key. A built-in USB port allows users to power the lock from an external source if the two AAA batteries inside it — expected to last for at least three years — run flat.
Perhaps the future for personal NFC is more connected to a feeling of security for your person or belongings than an experience on the high street? Either way, anything must be better than a smart belt – although a personal jetpack WOULD be nice.
Nominations for the Contactless & Mobile Awards have continued unabated over the holiday season. We have already gone past the number of entries that we had at this time last year and so we are set to have our biggest award show ever! There is still a couple of weeks to go before deadline so anyone interested in entering should do so now, by visiting the nomination page and letting us know. I really think that will be our biggest and best CMA event ever!
Don't miss it. Make a note of the date, 28th April, and get those nominations in. It's free to enter so there really should be no excuse not to.
Until next week.
Steve Atkins
Contactless Intelligence
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