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#ICYMI: NFC Cognac Caps, play a Virtual Neymar, and More
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-361023{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-361023, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-361023{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-361023").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Remy Martin installs NFC-enabled caps on its cognac bottles to prevent shady saloons from pulling the old switcheroo, Nike lets Google Cardboard users to play soccer as Neymar Jr., and a London-based artist creates custom Power Gloves that can carve through wood and stone. From the cutting room floor: This Auburn Fire Department quadcopter makes a special delivery of lifejackets and tow lines to a couple of guys stranded in the middle of a river. Let the team at Engadget know about any interesting stories or videos you stumble across by using the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Remy Martin thinks an NFC bottle cap is the key to authentic cognac
We hope you like your cognac "connected". Remy Martin's wants to give its drinkers with "rewards beyond only its dense rich flavors." That apparently corresponds to an NFC tag built into each bottle to ensure it's authenticity, freshness.. and that it hasn't been swapped out for some other brandy muck. A tamperproof tag in the cap will broadcast whether it's been opened or not, but only if you've installed the app, you big cognac nerd.
Sony's Cast-friendly speakers offer high-res and multi-room audio
Are you a fan of using Google's Cast tech, AirPlay or Spotify Connect to handle your wireless speaker duties? Well, Sony announced a trio of audio gadgets that play nice with all three. Continuing its affinity for alphanumeric product names, the company's SRS-X77, SRS-X88 and SRS-X99 speakers also feature a Sonos-like multi-room experience thanks to the Song Pal app. The pricier two of the lot, the SRS-X88 and SRS-X99, add in support for high-resolution audio via USB and a thumb drive or direct connection to your computer. If you prefer to go that route, you can expect compatibility with AAC, FLAC, WAV and other file formats that offer better sound quality over a regular ol' MP3. The SRS-X88 and SRS-X99 also pack in a S-Master HX digital amplifier and LDAC tech that's said to keep Bluetooth streams sounding top notch (from compatible devices, natch). The difference main between the two? Power. The SRS-X88 has five speakers at 90 watts and the SRS-X99 houses seven with 154 watts. I guess it really just depends on how loud you want to blast "Hells Bells."
Barclaycard steps up its contactless game with three new NFC devices
If you didn't know, Britain now prefers cashless payments to notes and coins. Contactless cards play a big part in the shift away from cash, but as technology evolves, smartphones and wearables are beginning to influence matters too. Barclaycard has long supported contactless technology, via its PayTag NFC sticker or bPay bracelet, but the credit card provider recently pulled the products and warned that something new was coming. Indeed, Barclaycard is back with three "new" wearable bPay payment devices: a wristband, fob and sticker.
Ricoh's big-sensor compact gets more social with NFC and WiFi
Ricoh is launching a new version of its GR compact camera. And, if you take a close look at the spec sheet, you'll see it's largely unchanged; why mess with a good thing? The GR II still has the same big 16.2-megapixel APS-C sensor, a fast f/2.8 28mm (35mm equivalent) fixed lens, built-in flash, 1080p video and 0.2 second autofocus speeds, all squeezed into a compact retro body. While that makes it an ideal grab-and-go street shooter, the last model unfortunately lacked any wireless functions to let you share those images. Luckily, Ricoh has finally rectified that.
Nintendo leaks an 8-bit Mario Amiibo ahead of E3
It should come as no surprise, given Nintendo's propensity for creating Mario games, that the company can't stop making Amiibo based on its most-famous character. Since the NFC toy line was introduced last November, we've already seen five: Super Smash Bros. Mario, Mario Party Mario, Gold Mario, Silver Mario and Dr. Mario. Thanks to an email from Nintendo Spain (first spotted by Nintendo Inquirer), it appears there's going to be a sixth: 8-bit Mario. The newsletter included an image of the retro-styled figurine along with a shot of an unannounced Animal Crossing collection that'll feature at least four characters from the series.
Apple Pay is reportedly coming to the UK this summer
Apple Pay's tap-to-buy service might not be confined to the US for much longer. The Telegraph's sources hear that Apple will use next week's Worldwide Developer Conference to announce the UK launch of its mobile payment service this summer. Reportedly, the company will flick the switch sometime in the next two months. It's not clear exactly which companies have signed up, but 9to5Mac claims that big bank Lloyds Bank is a launch partner; MasterCard, meanwhile, says that it's "absolutely ready" for an Apple Pay debut in Great Britain. There's no word of a similarly quick introduction for other countries (sorry Canada), but it's evident that Apple wants to spread its shopping tech far and wide before rivals show up.
Vodafone's mobile payment app to scrap top-ups with a new SIM
If you want to make contactless mobile payments in the UK, your options are pretty limited. Apple Pay is only available in the US (for now) and Google Wallet is bound to Gmail transactions and Google Play purchases in Britain. Spotting the opportunity to take an early lead, Vodafone is readying a new Visa-powered alternative. The company already offers an app called "Vodafone Wallet," but it relies on the user managing a separate SmartPass account. To pay with your phone, you first have to shuffle money across from your bank account to Vodafone's virtual piggy bank. It's a huge pain, so the network is prepping an updated app that allows customers to store their card details directly on the phone.
The big US carriers will shut down their mobile wallet this month
There was no question that AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon gave up on their Softcard mobile payment service when they agreed to pre-install Google Wallet, but it's now apparent that they're beating an especially hasty retreat. Softcard is telling users that its service will stop working after March 31st -- when April rolls around, both the app and your account go bye-bye. It's doubtful that you'll shed a tear for an offering that was mostly meant to stifle competition, but you will have to choose another tap-to-pay service fairly quickly if you happen to be one of the remaining customers. Thankfully, there won't be a shortage of alternatives any time soon.
PayPal's new Here card reader can handle NFC payments
PayPal is no stranger to mobile payment solutions, but at Mobile World Congress, the company is making a useful upgrade to its Here card reader. In addition to being able to handle payments from those chip-and-PIN credit/debit cards, the new version of PayPal's transaction tech will also support NFC. This means that not only will the latest version of Here wrangle touchless payments from the aforementioned cards, but it'll also allow retailers to accept funds from mobile devices. It's said to work just like terminals in retail stores, except this add-on connects with a separate mobile device to power the whole thing. That's good news for the PayPal faithful as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Android Pay all leverage NFC to transfer funds. There's no word on pricing just yet, but the new version of Here will hit the UK and Australia this summer, with a US debut slated for later this year. Don't miss out on all the latest news, photos and liveblogs from MWC 2015. Follow along at our events page.
Smart liquor bottles can keep tabs on your bourbon collection
A close friend of mine returned home from vacation to discover his house sitter -- his brother-in-law -- had downed an entire bottle Pappy Van Winkle 20 year bourbon. A tragedy, really. However, if an alcohol tech duo in Europe has its way, keeping tabs on your stash while you're away could become much easier. Diageo (an alcohol company) and Thinfilm (a printed electronics maker) teamed up to create a "smart bottle" that serves up cocktail recipes and can detect when a bottle has been unsealed. Thinfilm's OpenSense label sensor tags pair with a smartphones NFC chops to run the system that's also capable of tracking supply chain, in-store stock and promotional offers for brands and retailers. The pair constructed a prototype Johnnie Walker Blue bottle that'll be on display at next week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but there's no word on when a similar solution could make its way to your local liquor store. Maybe the final version will be able to determine how much is left in a bottle, keeping sneaky house quests at bay.
LG's premium smartwatch now comes with LTE and mobile payments
Believe it or not, LG already has an upgraded version of its luxurious Watch Urbane: meet the Watch Urbane LTE, a souped-up version that focuses on speedy mobile data. The timepiece (which isn't using Android Wear) isn't as substantial a phone replacement as Samsung's Gear S, but it will let you leave your handset at home sometimes. You can make LTE phone calls, share your GPS location, translate foreign speech and hold walkie talkie-style voice chats. LG has also upgraded the battery from 410mAh to a hefty 700mAh, so your cellular wristwear shouldn't conk out prematurely.
Nintendo shipped 5.7 million Amiibo figures (a lot of them were Link)
Nintendo said its now shipped over 5.7 million of its NFC-connected Amiibo figures, and more interestingly, it's showed which ones do the best around the world. There's indeed some variation, but Link, bless him, is the best-selling Amiibo globally, claiming first place across Japan, the US and Europe. Mario, however, prevents the the Zelda protagonist from getting a grand slam, claiming top spot in Australia. (Mario gets second place in the US, followed by Pikachu.) During the investor-only meeting, Nintendo added that it plans to use Amiibo to unlock vignettes of older games, as well as launch NFC-compatible cards to complement its figure series. We've translated the US' Top Ten right after the break. People like Donkey Kong! Who knew! (Thanks, Kyle.)
Circle's Bitcoin bank comes to Android Wear
Of the various attempts to bring Bitcoin into the mainstream, Circle's US-based bank is one of the more prominent. The outfit is now boasting about how managing your crypto-money is even easier, thanks to a series of tweaks for its mobile apps. The two most notable are that you can now use NFC-based payments with your Android smartphone, as well as check the value of your stash on an Android Wear device. In addition, iPhone-weilding Bitcoin enthusiasts can keep tabs on the cryptocurrency's health from inside Notification Center and even scan in a credit card straight from your camera. Both remain free to download from their respective App Stores, presuming you don't want to wait for the Winklevoss' alternative, of course.
Canon's Rebel T6s and T6i DSLRs tout WiFi and advanced controls
Despite the rise of mirrorless cameras, Canon has been relatively cautious updating its Rebel DSLR line. The last big upgrade was the T5i from two years ago, and even that was considered more of a refresh than a revamp. Well, the series is finally getting an overhaul -- and in some cases, it might be enough to make you skip more expensive shooters. Both the new Rebel T6i and T6s (above) carry sharper 24.2-megapixel sensors and DIGIC 6 processors that let them pull off feats that are both welcome and, frankly, a little overdue. They now have EOS-70D-like fast autofocusing embedded in the pixels themselves and (new to Canon) color tone detection. You'll also be glad to know that the Rebel range is finally getting built-in WiFi for photo transfers, and you can pair with Android phones or accessories over NFC.
The big phone carriers might sell Google their mobile wallet
Remember Softcard (formerly Isis, but renamed for obvious reasons)? It's a joint venture that AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile started in 2010 to get into mobile payments without ceding the market to Google Wallet and Apple Pay. That hasn't quite worked out, since few want to put a $70 case on their iPhone to use mobile payments, and a caseless option for the iPhone 6 has yet to arrive. Tonight Techcrunch first reported rumors that it's in talks for a sale to Google, while Paypal and Microsoft are apparently interested too. The initial report puts its pricetag at under $100 million, less than the hundreds of millions the mobile carriers invested in it. Google and Softcard have both declined to comment on the rumor, but it seems more a matter of when and who will pick up the pieces, not if.
Restaurants will soon take any mobile payment at the table
Sure, your local drug store or theme park may let you buy things with your phone at the counter, but what about paying at the table in your favorite restaurant? Never fear, as Verifone will soon have you covered. Its upcoming Payware Mobile e355 wireless terminal lets stores accept any mobile payment you have, wherever you happen to be. It'll take Apple Pay, Google Wallet and other NFC tap-to-pay transactions, and the design is meant to accommodate as many device shapes and operating systems as possible. You may never have to break out your credit card just because the shop can't handle your new phone.
Toshiba's TransferJet SD cards get NFC previews
Toshiba's been hawking its Eye-Fi competitor TransferJet for years now, letting you push data from your SD card to your PC without removing it from your camera. Now, however, the company has cooked up a way for users to see what's on the card without even picking it up off the table. Simply pick up an Android smartphone, activate the company's companion app and the built-in NFC will show you up to 16 random thumbnails of the images included therein.
The company behind Moto's smart tattoo made an NFC baby thermometer
We wouldn't blame you if the name VivaLnk didn't instantly come to mind, but you'd probably say "Ohhh, them!" if we tell you that it made Motorola's phone-unlocking temporary tattoo. Now, however, the company is deciding to get in on the temperature-monitoring game with this cute NFC sticker. The eSkin Thermometer pairs an NFC chip with a temperature sensor that'll tell you how warm your munchkin is in under three seconds. Oh, and it's shaped like a bear, so that's something.
Sennheiser's Momentum and Urbnanite headphones go wireless
Sennheiser introduced its Momentum cans back in 2012, and then tacked on an on-ear option about a year later. Both of those are quite capable headphones, but wireless is all the rage these days, so to keep pace with the competition, the company is cutting the cord. Here at CES 2015, Sennheiser is debuting wireless models for the over-ear and on-ear versions of the Momentum family. Both feature NFC pairing, Bluetooth connectivity with apt-X tech to handle "superior unaltered sound." What's more, the pair packs in NoiseGuard active noise cancellation to drown out the ambient clamor during 22 hours of playback before needing a charge. There's also version 2.0 of the wired varieties, and the entire series now features a folding design for easy storage. No word on pricing or availability just yet, but you can expect the two Momentum Wireless models to arrive in both black and ivory color options.
