TECHNOLOGY and MEDIA  

Oh how we North Americans delude ourselves!

The United States may be the world leader in patents and prides itself on the ingenuity and innovation its capitalist economy, but at least in the world of electronics, North America is really the tail of the dog, not its head!

Think Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation.  Think flat panel TVs.  And think QR codes and NFC!!!

QR codes, those now ubiquitous advertising square boxes with lines and ink blots is the bar code of the future and invented by TOYOTA,  to track parts in its Japanese auto plants (see Wikipedia).

And now, Canada and the U.S. are introducing ‘new’ NFC technology that allows smart phones to wirelessly communicate with various vending machines and other devices to instantly make purchases and payments.    No money or credit card/debit card needed.

This ‘revolutionary’ way of paying is lauded in a full 4 page ad in the Globe and Mail, Nov.8, 2012, MC 1-4, with partner companies prominent in the photos.

Too bad that NFC, i.e., near field communication technology, is OLD news in the Far East and Europe!  In 2006 Nokia, Philips and Sony set up the NFC standard and the Nokia 6131, released in 2006, was the first phone to offer it (according to Wikipedia).  In the 6 years since, the technology has become standard on some 75 phone models worldwide, including Blackberries and even the Google Nexus 7 tablet (see full list at www.nfcworld.com/nfc-phones-list) !!!

Scenes of Japanese teenagers buying from vending machines using this technology is a common sight.

While Apple is glorified and its new iPhone 5 is the darling of the general North American media press, it is a disappointment to many who prefer the fine tune adjustments the Samsung Galaxy phones offer.  To them, the iPhone is like a good point and shoot camera while Samsung and others are selling ‘professional’ level equipment for the same price – or even less. And the iPhone 5 does NOT have NFC capability!

So much for American technological leadership!!!  

So much for Apple leadership!!!

 

P.S.  And don’t even ask me about chip cards. North America has only recently introduced them for banking purposes, but that is old hat in much of the world. In Indonesia and elsewhere you get ONE CARD to replace the various and incomplete I.D., driver’s, SIN or Green card, health, hospital, insurance cards, etc. that we carry around.  A smart card can hold all this and more – including one’s allergic reactions and full, updatable medical history that any doctor or emergency first responder can scan and call up!!!!

Again, North America is dragging its feet and lags behind the rest of the modern world!!!