Smart Phone and Next Generation Mobile Computing

178 Smart Phone and Next-Generation Mobile Computing

identified using low-cost electromagnetic tags. In its simplest form,

an RFID tag attached to an object can store data that can be used

to identify the existence of the object or maintain other informa-

tion regarding the object. The RFID technology has been in place for

more than 40 years, primarily being used in a very narrow range of

industrial and military applications and remaining unnoticed by the

mass market. In the last several years, RFID technology has matured

in many ways such as a longer signal range, faster data transfer rate,

and shorter tag reading intervals. The reduced cost of RF tags has fos-

tered mass deployment and use of this technology. The retail chain

company Wal-Mart was