Nothing too fancy here, but Samsung has reportedly developed a new single-chip RFID reader destined to hit mobile devices and cellphones in particular. Interestingly, Sammy didn't specific what it expected the chips to be used for, but we'll go ahead and assume the standard fare until informed otherwise. The new device was designed for a UHF range of 900MHz, and it weds an "analog front end, base-band modem, processor and a memory chip" on a 6.5- x 6.5-millimeter chip. Unfortunately, there's no mention of when we can expect these buggers to actually go commercial, but the outfit did note that initial batches would likely be on "card-type readers that plug into mobile handsets."

SK Telecom and McDonald's have teamed up in Seoul, Korea near local Yonsei University to enable RFID food ordering. Customers start off by downloading an application via SK Telecom's internet service. Once the application has been downloaded, customers can visit McDonald's to find an RFID adapter at each table. Customers plug the adapter into their cell, point it at the menu and then ta da! They are alerted via text message that their order is ready and where to pick it up. To top everything off, customers are billed on their wireless bill. Now how long will it be until we can order food via our cell phone and pick it up in the drive thru?

[Via Slashphone]

And you thought going away to college was the first step to freedom. Au contraire, students (and faculty, no less) entering Pennsylvania's Slippery Rock University will actually be faced with an RFID tag made for their handset, which will "allow them to pay for everything from laundry and copier services to movies and groceries in the surrounding town of Slippery Rock." The 13.56MHz tags were developed by Heartland Payment Systems and utilize NFC to make spending their parents' cash all the more simple. Of course, high rollers should be aware that their guardians can log in at any time and view their purchasing habits, so we'd be careful before pulling out the long face and car trouble story. The cards will reportedly cost around $1 apiece, but will be "available for free" to all of the SU students.

[Via Textually]

We've seen concept phones galore over the years, but a recent prototype spotted at the If Design Awards at this year's CeBIT convention piqued our interest a bit more than usual. Purportedly envisioned by Teague, the sure-to-be-renamed "Data Center Communications Vision of the Future Server" for HP looks to be a Pocket PC / rugged handheld hybrid with a slideout QWERTY keyboard, oversized touchscreen display, and quite a chunky motif. Of course, we doubt this will turn out to be your average PDA / phone, as it reportedly boasts "integrated hardware / software mobile technology to allow IT personnel to monitor data center equipment, diagnose and track problems, and perform system services" as well. Essentially, this presumably beastly device is intended to interface with HP servers and data centers rather than catering to the typical style-conscious consumer, as it even touts RFID / Bluetooth connectivity options to assist administrators in resolving outstanding issues sans wires. As with most products still stuck in the Photoshop stage, there's no word on whether this thing will actually hit the market, nor if it'll show up primarily through enterprise channels if it makes it that far, but it looks like the diagnostic handheld market is just starting to get interesting nonetheless.

If you're down with the whole "swipeless" idea, but don't much dig the potential lack of security associated with it, Elecom's coming to the rescue in an attempt to put your paranoia to rest. The Skim Black I lineup of gear consists of a thin, wallet-based card and a not-so-elegant adornment for cellphones (pictured after the jump), both of which eliminate snoopers from jacking your precious information (or identity) by cutting off a reported 99.9-percent of radio waves. To be effective, the skim prevention card must be close to any swipeless cards in your wallet or pocket, while the bulkier SKM-K001 needs to be stuck on the rear of your mobile to effectively destroy the hopes of data thieves (and all stylistic appeal your handset previously had). Both units should be hitting Japan any day, and while the SKM-C001 wallet card will run you ¥1,260 ($11), the cellphone guardian will demand ¥2,310 ($20).

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Here's a tip: don't relocate to Japan unless you're entirely down with being monitored practically everywhere you go. Sure, things aren't that serious quite yet, but with RFID tracking going on in schools, prisons, airlines, and now, um, everywhere else, you can pretty much rest assured that big brother is indeed taking notes. The next step in mass monitoring involves GPS, RFID, and cellphones, and the service is intended to track kids' whereabouts and alert parents whenever they enter potentially "dangerous areas." Reportedly, RFID readers will be setup in various areas (like school gates and electric polls) and track tags carried by (incredibly obedient) children, or better yet, simply monitor the GPS locator in the youngster's handset. Of course, we've no idea where these "danger zones" could be, nor how long the crime lords of the area will actually let that pole-sitting RFID reader remain in tact, but the system is supposed to be piloted in "20 regions across the country" real soon.

[Via Textually]

South Korea is bringing the heat yet again, and this time we're seeing the "first ever 900MHz RFID" services that can provide product, traffic, and other pertinent information directly to your RFID-equipped cellphone while out and about. If you're not totally freaked out about Big Brother being able to tell precisely what you're looking for on your mobile at all times, Alien Technology and U-IT have developed a mobile RFID pilot aimed squarely at business-to-consumer (B2C) scenarios. The team plans to implant the voyeuristic chips into "products from Symbol Technology" next year, and initial information is being offered about movies, wine, bus routes, and other publicly useful tidbits. The idea is to install RFID chips in all 70,000 taxis cruising around Seoul in order to give customers convenient access to the data they crave, and if all goes well, additional intelligence will be added concerning "medicines, food, and social relationships," while "travel and tourist related info" should be live in July 2007.

[Via CNET]

It's not as foreign of a concept now that PayPal is offering mobile payments in the good ol' US of A and RFID credit cards abound, but Visa and Nokia are getting their own little project off the ground in Malaysia for credit card payments from a mobile phone. The "Mobile Visa Wave Payment Pilot" is based on the simple idea of smart card payments, but embeds the radio inside a Nokia phone instead of a credit card. During the trial, 200 Visa Wave cardholders will get to spend their monies with the wave of a special Nokia 3230 phone, with 2500 retail outlets accepting such payments. Visa of course claims a great deal of security for the project, but we're still leaving that blink card at home for now.