SD Memory Card Turns Cell Phones Into RFID Terminals

Wireless Dynamics' new memory card turns mobile handsets into an RFID reader, and can also be used to store RFID applications and data, the vendor said Wednesday.

The SDiD 1212 plugs into the Secure Digital (SD) slot built into many mobiles, and is the industry's first card with embedded 512 MB SD memory, according to Wireless Dynamics.

"By inserting the SDiD 1212 into the SD slot of a smartphone or PDA, the integrated device can be used for most low frequency RFID applications such as asset tracking, field services, work-flow control, logistics, pet and livestock animal identification," Wireless Dynamics said, in a statement. "RFID tag data transactions can be processed in real time through mobile connections such as Wi-Fi, CDMA, GSM/GPRS, or UMTS associated with the portable device."

More and more organizations are turning to RFID for a wide variety of requirements including Wal-Mart, Airbus, American Apparel, and the U.S. Department of Defense.

The SDiD 1212 can query most RFID tag formats in the 125 kHz and 134.2 kHz frequency ranges, including TI TIRIS, NXP Hitag, Q5, EM4100 series, and ISO 11784/11785 half-duplex (HDX) and full-duplex (FDX). A software development kit is also available for running apps on PocketPC 2002/2003, Windows Mobile 2003, Windows Mobile 5.0, and Windows Mobile 6.0 operating systems, Wireless Dynamics said.

The card comes in three versions: the s512MB with "commercial grade" memory; the i512MB with "industrial grade" memory; and the SDiD 1210 with no memory at all. Pricing starts at $209 per unit, but is volume dependent.