An arfid-equipped Nokia

Mobile Phones
Nokia and Cingular last week said they will offer an RFID phone, the Nokia 6131 NFC (for Near Field Communication). It could replace the arfid smart cards many people already use to make contactless payments at pharmacies and convenience stores.

NFC devices transmit data wirelessly over short distances (up to 4 centimeters). Nokia and other manufacturers are promoting them as ticketing and payment devices, and marketing tools: Sweep your NFC phone in front of an NFC-embedded movie poster, for example, and download a trailer from the poster via Bluetooth, or the Internet via WiFi or your cellular service.

The Nokia 6131 NFC phone also has a music player and a microSD card slot, an FM radio, and a 1.3 megapixel camera.

NFC transactions can be made more secure than those between readers and the arfid tags that will replace bar-code labels on store items. But while NFC transactions can include password protection (as with a PIN on a bank card), rogue readers might be able to glean sensitive personal information from arfid devices and cards, and clone or spoof them, researchers have found.

Nokia and Cingular are conducting trials of the 6131 NFC in New York and Atlanta. No word yet on when it will be available to Cingular's customers in Boston.

Second Lifer

Sears and Circuit City establish footprints in a virtual reality neighborhood

I'm just starting my new Second Life (secondlife.com) with my avatar and alter ego, Oscar Finsbury. Oscar is a handsome devil, with a full head of hair and washboard abs. I think the resemblance to my true appearance is uncanny. My wife, however, sees Oscar as an idealized version of the original.

Last week, Oscar and I visited Second Life's version of Amsterdam. It's a far cry from the city of wooden shoes and chocolate I remember visiting as a boy. Many of the locals I met were offering products and services that would land them in prison if they were conducting their businesses on Boston Common.

At least I can take the family to the Sears and Circuit City showcase stores on the IBM Innovation Island, where we can check new widescreen TVs and Craftsman tools, and plan our new kitchen. The stores were created by IBM developers and partly furnished with items IBM purchased from furniture retailers in Second Life.

The retailers are working with IBM to establish their brands "in world" -- that is "in Second Life." The companies expect that they will be doing business on the future 3D Internet (which we might surf with our 3D avatars). But even now, Second Life presents a "valid opportunity for legitimate business," said Michael Rowe, senior project manager for virtual worlds and 3D Internet at IBM.

Boomer Tech

New search engine for the 50-plus set

Companies marketing to old-timers are still looking for the brands and images to will the senior zeitgeist. Geezer Jock is a magazine for 40-plus athletes; the November/December issue of AARP The Magazine ran a cover photo of Robin Williams on a tricycle.

On the Web, Boston-based Eons Inc. (eons.com) is building an online community for the 50-plus set.

Eons' founder, Jeff Taylor (who also founded Monster.com), is injecting just the right amount of humor into his venture. In his welcome message, Taylor encourages visitors to "Live to be 100 (or die trying)!"

Eons last week launched a clever search engine, Cranky.com, which will include star ratings and reviews of sites from Eons members. Cranky editors kicked the effort off with reviews of 5,000 sites popular with Web users over 45. For these features to become truly useful, Eons will need to generate a massive community. (Eons is off to a strong start, with more than 100,000 registered members.)

No doubt marketers will be anxious to tap Cranky for insights into the shopping interests of those over 50. At least some in that age group are thinking the same thoughts the rest of us are thinking: "sex," "blogs," and "Steven King" were among the top 10 Cranky searches late last week.