Originally there seem to be quite a bit of hype over RFID Tags and the industry said it would revolutionize the World and then things were quite for while as things did not pan out. Neverheless, the technology is now advances to a large degree.
Now HP has chips small enough and there are lots of cool technologies, attached to sensors, better batteries for Cargo Container safety and sensing. They are designing better systems and the tags themselves are getting a lot less expensive; both active and passive RFID Tags.
Indeed, the show must go on and the technology is very much needed, but how are things going right now? Well, Wal-Mart is only minimally using RFID and even Gillette's corporate plans for the super distribution, robotic factories still leaves a lot to be desired, but their initiatives have made headway as well as those of the United States Military.
Now they have RFID printables and the tags can be produced quickly and cheaply on labels like bar codes so dropping the price within range to have them at the actual product level at the retails and not just on the boxes or pallet shipments. What does this mean?
It means better cradle to grave tracking for hazardous waste products and better real time inventory to streamline systems. Yes, all computerized and ready to go in a complete solution. So, things are coming along, though a little bit slower than originally anticipated. Consider all this in 2006.