RFID

Radio Frequency Identification, An RFID tag is an object that can be attached to or incorporated into a product, animal, barcode, or person, for the purpose of identification using radio waves. The tag's antenna picks up signals from an RFID reader or scanner and then returns the signal, usually with some additional data (like a unique serial number or other customized information).

The chip can be the even smaller than a grain of rice, many supermarkets implement in store with the chip embeeded in the barcode.

Many supermarkets use RFID tags in CDs and the most stolen item, Razor Blades, this use of technology has come under some arguement as some people see this as spying on customers.

"RFID tags in products, and on "smart" shelves, are able to tally the shelves' contents continually, and make more precise requests for inventory from suppliers.
The chips can also indicate when a CD is stored in the wrong shelf. This could mean that retailers have fewer empty shelves, and suppliers can eliminate wasteful overproduction of their goods, say supporters of RFID" www.bbc.co.uk

"The technology's supporters offer an idyllic image of a future where dangerous criminals can be 'tagged' and you could breeze through supermarkets and have the bill paid automatically by your debit card simply by walking past a scanner at the door without having to queue".

"Retailers see RFID as an ideal successor to the barcode for a number of reasons. First, the identification code is in digital format, meaning that each tag can have its own unique code, identifying not only what it is attached to but where it came from, how much it weighs and its date of production." www.vnunet.com

So maybe with this technology, RFID tags could be placed just in the shelf barcode allowing the users whilst on the PDA to locate the items with the use of an RFID scanner which is in the PDA.

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