Socket has announced that commencing in June, its SoMo 655 handheld computer will be able to read and process information using Near Field Communications (NFC) technology.  NFC is an RFID technology enabling the wireless transfer of information at short range with extremely simple setup.

The SoMo 655 RFID Reader with NFC operates both as a reader and writer.  The SoMo 655 will read NFC High Frequency 13.56MHz contactless smart tags including those that are ISO/IEC 14443A and B compliant including Mifare and Sony FeliCa.  It will also read tags that are ISO 15693 compliant, EPC GEN 2 HF and ISO 18000-3 mode 3 compliant, and will read many other proprietary tags.  The RFID NFC reader plugs into the SoMo 655 handheld computer and enables single handed operations.  The model 6E2 RFID reader has a U.S. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $225.00.  The model 6P2 is a combination RFID NFC reader and barcode scanner with a U.S. MSRP of $569.00.  The RFID Readers will be in black and antimicrobial white to match the SoMo 655 and 655Rx, respectively.

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Socket has released the SoMo 655 SDK, offering developers control over several unique hardware features of the SoMo 655 handheld computer. The SDK(Software Development Kit) provides flexible control via Application Programming Interfaces so developers can optimize hardware features of the SoMo 655 for their specific application and end user environment.

Controllable hardware features supported by the SDK include:

• WLAN and Bluetooth wireless radios
• Socket Mobile CompactFlash barcode, RFID, and magnetic stripe readers
• Touch screen / backlight
• CompactFlash I/O and microSD slot management
• Audio, visual (LEDs), and vibrate notifications
• Audio volume and microphone
• Bottom connector pin-outs
• Power management / monitoring

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