PR Newswire: PARIS, July 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Orolia SA (NYSE Alternext Paris - FR0010501015 - ALORO), group specialized in high-precision timing, positioning and synchronization electronics systems, announced today the signing of an agreement with Airtek Capital Group to acquire Kannad SAS, a key global supplier of maritime, aeronautical and land-based distress positioning beacons. Headquartered in Guidel, France, Kannad is a market leader in positioning systems for severe environments and with pro-forma sales of 17.7 MEUR in 2008 (excluding the scientific instrumentation business divested in late 2008), it is one of the world's largest providers of COSPAS-SARSAT locator beacons.
As an integral part of Orolia's overall strategy, this acquisition establishes a strong beachhead in a growth market segment adjacent to its core time & frequency businesses. Together with these operations and worldwide presence, this transaction advances Orolia's ambition to build a strong industry leadership position in positioning, navigation and timing for critical operations and clearly confirms its niche markets consolidation strategy.
Jean-Yves Courtois, Chairman and CEO of the Orolia Group, said "For many years, we have been providing our customers with systems to deliver and control the time and frequency information required by their vital applications, at any time and under any circumstances. In today's world where traceability is critical and expansion of geolocation services is prolific, it appeared natural to strengthen our product portfolio with solutions that allow our customers to track in real time and in any environment the position of their key assets. Thus, we have decided to extend our "Timing" expertise to the global Positioning, Navigation, Timing (PNT) segment that is closely linked to Global Navigation Satellite Systems where Orolia is already a renowned player." Courtois added, "Given the formative stage of markets for time and location applications and our focus on high-end, niche markets, we believe the 'Search & Rescue' sector is a particularly attractive area to advance this mission. The acquisition of Kannad, which has both a strong brand and business in this field, is for us a great opportunity to enter this market in a favorable position and expand new business as the PNT market structure solidifies."

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PR.COM:
Guangzhou, China, August 08, 2009 --(PR.com)-- DAILY RFID, a Chinese leading producer of RFID hardware, unveils its new PDA based Mobile RFID reader DL710 available in LF or HF version. It delivers high performance to cater for the requirement of RFID mobile solutions, with a low price at 380USD this month.
Designed for true mobility and mobile applications, this PDA based Mobile RFID reader supports GPRS Voice and Data transfer, Bluetooth 2.0 standard, WiFi and various physical layer communication interfaces. RFID tags can be easily tracked when this Mobile RFID reader is moved throughout your operations.
The Mobile RFID reader DL710 features 400MHz Samsung S3C2440 Processor, 128MB SDRAM and 64MB Flash ROM storage to protect data from resets or even complete power loss. In addition, it suuports numerous advanced applications such as integrated barcode scanner, bluetooth and camera, thus allowing for the capture of a comprehensive range of data – including RFID tags, barcodes and images.

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Mass High Tech:
Precyse Technologies Inc. has launched in Norwalk, Conn. with a technology the company hopes will spell the end of both radio frequency tracking chips (RFID) and highway toll plazas, using a tracking technology developed for the Israeli military.
Precyse has its technology deployed with 10 enterprise customers, including construction equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) and aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, said CEO and president John Stopper. In addition, the company has a channel partner relationship with software giant SAP AG (NYSE: SAP), as seen in this YouTube video showing SAP vice president Dennis Browne demonstrating the company’s technology.

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DVICE: Always losing stuff? If you carry an assortment of expensive gear around, here's a great idea that will assure you you'll never again leave anything behind. DeWalt teamed up with Ford Trucks to create Tool Link, a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag reader that electronically accounts for each item on which you place a small transmitting tag.
Using two RFID antennas in the truck bed, when you press a button on the in-dash computer screen it does an electronic roll call, showing you if any of those valuable tools are missing. This is a great idea. It would be useful beyond just accounting for tools in the back of a pickup truck. I could have used one of these when I was shooting video for a TV newscast, where we were responsible for dozens of different pieces of unbelievably expensive equipment. A tiny RFID tag on each item and this electronic accounting system would have saved us a lot of time and heartache. If the RFID tags are small enough, this could even be useful for frequent travelers who would never have to worry about leaving something in a hotel room again. With enough transmission power, it might even be able to help you quickly locate lost items around the house. For now, this is a $1,500 option for Ford trucks, but maybe someday small RFID tags will be readable and accounted for on cellphones. Useful, unless, of course, you've lost your cellphone.

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RFID News: German retailer Metro Group is working with Checkpoint Systems, a N.J.-based solutions provider, to enable real-time tracking visibility across its global supply chain through its RFID “Tag it easy” program.

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Supply Chain Digest : Use of RFID tags to track reusable logistics containers and platforms has already emerged as one of the top commercial supply chain applications for RFID deployment. Now, a study based on research from Michigan State University and others shows that RFID tags can take a beating and keep on reading even after multiple uses and under fairly harsh handling and environmental conditions.

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RFID update: Battery manufacturer Blue Spark Technologies' closing of the first $1.5 million of an anticipated $5 million round of Series B funding. The new funding will be used to support production ramp-up for large volumes of battery-assisted passive RFID tags.

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SYS-CON Media : SAN DIEGO, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 07/21/09 -- Awarepoint Corporation, a provider of real-time location solutions (RTLS) to the healthcare market, today announced that it has been selected to the 2009 AlwaysOn Global 250 List. The Awarepoint asset tracking management solution (analogous to indoor GPS) provides location awareness through a ZigBee-based wireless sensor network that offers enterprise-wide location, status and movement visibility of both equipment and people, allowing for real-time remote monitoring and proactive management of critical resources. The AlwaysOn Global 250 Award is given to private, emerging technology companies creating new business opportunities in high-growth markets. Awarepoint was selected by the AlwaysOn editorial team based on demonstration of growth, market opportunity, quality of innovation and customer traction.

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mobihealthnews: FDA OKs St. Jude wireless implant: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted St. Jude Medical approval for its its Accent RF pacemaker and Anthem RF CRT-P, which feature secure, wireless transmission of data that the clinician or a home monitor can track. St. Jude claims its system is unique as an “integrated system of pacing devices with wireless telemetry from implant through follow-up.”

Aurora gets asset tracker: Aurora Health Care has tapped Patient Care Technology Systems (PCTS), a subsidiary of Consulier Engineering, to deploy its Amelior Tracker system throughout its St. Luke’s Medical Center campus. The Amelior tracker will be used to automatically track and manage over 3100 hospital assets throughout their 538-bed, 1.65 million square foot center. As part of the deal Aurora will integrate a Real-time Location System (RTLS) from Skytron, powered by Awarepoint to provide location data capture to the Amelior Tracker end-user software.

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RFID Journal: The 4.1-million-square-foot hospital is deploying hybrid infrared-RFID technology to monitor vaccine temperatures, while future plans include tracking assets, patients, employees and hand hygiene.

By Claire Swedberg July 21, 2009—Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (WFUBMC) has begun an ambitious wireless deployment that will ultimately include tracking patients, staff members and assets throughout its 4.1-million-square-foot facility, but is initially focused on tracking temperatures within its 300 refrigerators and freezers. The size of the medical center makes this the largest health-care tracking deployment, according to technology vendors implementing the system. Patient Care Technology Systems (PCTS) is implementing its Amelior Tracker software application in conjunction with the InTouchCare real-time locating system (RTLS) from Newton, Pa., health-care tracking technologies company CenTrak. The InTouchCare system employs infrared transmitters and sensors to determine the room-level location of its 900 MHz RFID tags.

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