Hasta La Gadget!

Apple is rumored to be testing a prototype of its fourth-generation iPhone with a radio-frequency identification chip, which could greatly enhance the handset’s capabilities for business and scientific applications.

Business news publication Near Field Communications World cites a “highly reliable source” claiming to have seen the next-generation iPhone in action with an RFID scanner.

“It’s not full NFC, but it’s a start for real service discovery, and I’m told that the reaction was very positive [and] that we can expect this in the next-gen iPhone,” the source told Near Field Communications.

The rumor comes in line with a patent Apple filed in July, which described an RFID antenna being placed in the iPhone’s touch sensor panel.

An RFID reader would scan RFID tags, which consist of a computer chip coupled with an antenna. Data stored on the chip transmits wirelessly through the antenna to an RFID reader operating on the same frequency as the antenna. Many retailers use RFID tags to track products in transit; libraries use RFID tags to track books. RFID tags are also used to track humans or animals for scientific and medical purposes.

Clearly, an RFID scanner in an iPhone would immediately impact the enterprise segment and the science community, but it could move beyond that, too. The video above demonstrates a modified iPhone with an RFID scanner attached. An iPhone scans objects containing RFID tags, which triggers the handset to play a specific video. Thus, an iPhone with an RFID scanner could have augmented-reality applications for general consumers as well.

See Also:

• RFID-Enabled Phones Could Let Credit Card Companies Track Users …
• 10 Best Uses for RFID Tags