MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Forget about batteries. Use NFC to power your next E Ink display!

Nate the great · 08-20-2013, 10:01 PM

This is a neat trick but it's not exactly new.

E-ink demoed a similar idea a couple years ago. British Airways is using similar tech for their luggage tags. And a European startup called Mpico is working on several different systems which use the same basic beamed power idea to make smart cards, shipping labels, and luggage tags.

Edit: Those other examples don't use NFC, though. They use some type of proprietary RFID.

What's the difference? RFID is an older and well established standard which is a close relative of NFC. It can work over longer distances (5 to 10 feet), while NFC is a newer still a fledgling standard that has a distance limitation measured in inches.

08-20-2013, 10:01 PM	#7
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	This is a neat trick but it's not exactly new. E-ink demoed a similar idea a couple years ago. British Airways is using similar tech for their luggage tags. And a European startup called Mpico is working on several different systems which use the same basic beamed power idea to make smart cards, shipping labels, and luggage tags. Edit: Those other examples don't use NFC, though. They use some type of proprietary RFID. What's the difference? RFID is an older and well established standard which is a close relative of NFC. It can work over longer distances (5 to 10 feet), while NFC is a newer still a fledgling standard that has a distance limitation measured in inches. Last edited by Nate the great; 08-21-2013 at 08:11 AM.