No. 103: Mobile phone that can read out information in IC tag (July 16, 2010)

Hitachi and KDDI jointly developed a mobile phone that can read out information in IC tag. It allows for the user to read out information in the label tag on the commodity and organize the information for efficient inventory management. It will be put into practical use in 2011. A composite part to read out a tag is incorporated into KDDI’s mobile phone, and information is traded using electric waves in the UHF zone. Communication distance is 2-3 meters for a tag without build-in battery and more than 10 meters for a tag with built-in battery. The newly-developed mobile phone can recognize multiple tags simultaneously. Using the service number of the commodity, the user can access to the server on the Internet with his mobile phone to get information and images related to the tag. The two companies plan to use the technology for signboards in sightseeing spots and advertising boards.