[04/16/12]
The NFC Forum, a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC), and WIMA, a worldwide event dedicated to NFC technology, have announced the winners in their Tap Into Innovation: NFC Global Competition 2012. Travel was the common theme in the judges' selections, while the audience voted for NFC badges that support non-profits.
The winning entries were named at an awards ceremony held tonight as part of the WIMA event taking place in Monaco:
Best Innovative Solution for the entry that uses NFC technology in the most inventive way to address a market, business, or consumer need -- SAi (Israel): Tag-a-Bag luggage tagging and identification
Best Business Viability for the entry that offers an NFC solution with the most commercial potential -- Korea Smart Card Co., Ltd. (South Korea): Mobile T-money ticketing solution
Best User Experience for the solution that best leverages the power, ease, and convenience of NFC technology -- Korea Smart Card Co., Ltd. (South Korea): Mobile T-money ticketing solution
The Audience Award, given at the ceremony to the solution that received the most votes from the WIMA audience - good2gether (USA): good2gether and Do Good Badges for nonprofit support
The winners were selected by a panel of expert judges from a pool of entries triple the size of the last competition, which highlights the dramatic surge in growth and interest in NFC implementations. The 2012 entries covered a broad range of new approaches to established applications and inventive solutions in new fields, for both consumer and business use.
"The Tap Into Innovation entries - especially the finalists -- demonstrated very high quality overall, making it a challenge for the judges to select the best," said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. "We look forward to seeing many of these creative applications come to market in the near future, all over the world. Congratulations to the winners, and our thanks to everyone who took the time and made the effort to enter the competition."
"It is an honor and a privilege for WIMA to showcase the winners of this exciting competition," said Joanna Merchie, WIMA Executive Director. "We hope these impressive innovations will inspire others to harness the power of NFC technology to benefit consumers and businesses, and we will welcome their participation in future WIMA events."
The winners received Global Competition trophies, and they have the opportunity to demonstrate their solutions at the NFC Forum booth, F10-F11, at WIMA on April 13. Further details about the competition may be found at http://www.nfc-forum.org/events/2012_competition/.
About WIMA
WIMA is the leading global conference and exhibition held in Monaco and the U.S. exclusively dedicated to NFC applications, products and services and a name of confidence for hundreds of industry companies. The events bring together the entire ecosystem with both transversal and vertical sectors from industry leaders to startups, and from application developers to merchants and service providers spanning a wide variety of industries. WIMA is a catalyst, facilitating networking and information sharing, enabling partnering and business to take place within the NFC industry. More information at: www.wima-nfc.com.
About Near Field Communication Technology
NFC technology makes life easier and more convenient for consumers around the world by making it simpler to make transactions, exchange digital content, and connect electronic devices with a touch.
A standards-based connectivity technology, NFC harmonizes today's diverse contactless technologies, enabling current and future solutions in areas such as access control, consumer electronics, healthcare, information collection and exchange, loyalty and coupons, payments, and transport.
NFC technology is supported by the world's leading communication device manufacturers, semiconductor producers, network operators, IT and services companies, and financial services organizations. NFC is compatible with hundreds of millions of contactless cards and readers already deployed worldwide.
About the NFC Forum
The NFC Forum (http://www.nfc-forum.org) was launched as a non-profit industry association in 2004 by leading mobile communications, semiconductor, and consumer electronics companies. The Forum's mission is to advance the use of Near Field Communication technology by developing specifications, ensuring interoperability among devices and services, and educating the market about NFC technology. The Forum's 160+ global member companies currently are developing specifications for a modular NFC device architecture, and protocols for interoperable data exchange and device-independent service delivery, device discovery, and device capability.
The NFC Forum's Sponsor members, which hold seats on the Board of Directors, include leading players in key industries around the world. The Sponsor members are: Barclaycard, Broadcom Corporation, INSIDE Secure, Intel, MasterCard Worldwide, Microsoft Corp., NEC, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Renesas Electronics Corporation, Samsung, Sony Corporation, STMicroelectronics, and Visa Inc.
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