Tego Radically Simplifies RFID with Drag-and-Drop Interface

April 2, 2012

Waltham, MA and Orlando, FL – April 2, 2012 – Tego, Inc., the leading provider of RFID solutions for smart assets, today unveiled its TegoDrive™ software at RFID Journal LIVE! in Orlando. TegoDrive treats information stored on RFID tags as files and folders on the desktop. By installing the software on an end-user’s desktop or handheld device, tasks such as adding new content to a tag are as simple as “save-as” or drag-and-drop.

With TegoDrive, RFID tags are represented as folders on the desktop, and files in the folder correspond to data stored on the tag in User Memory. High-memory TegoChips™ in particular are ideal when using tags to store data such as photos, documentation, scanned forms or web content via common file formats including pdf, jpg, htm, or txt data files.

TegoDrive eliminates the bottleneck and cost of customizing proprietary RFID reader applications to work with existing enterprise software. MicrosoftÒ WindowsÒ or MAC OS becomes the reader application program, and accessing RFID assets becomes a simple drag-and-drop extension of desktop computing. TegoDrive allows tag users to store and retrieve their own data, regardless of the format it is in, and to access tags using standard operating system commands already familiar to them.

“As RFID progresses to fulfill its promise as the ‘Internet of Things’, TegoDrive takes RFID usability to another level with a simple plug-and-play addition to enterprise networks,” said Timothy Butler, Tego president and CEO. “By eliminating the challenge of integrating readers into business computing environments, TegoDrive transforms RFID into a readily networked extension of user applications for immediate benefits.”

As Simple as Drag-n-Drop

“Seeing TegoDrive for the first time, our users were amazed by its simplicity,” said Dennis Khoo, CEO at Xerafy. “Now, TegoDrive makes it easy for customers to write data directly to our high memory XL tags without requiring special programs or data formatting for tag encoding.”  

TegoDrive will allow more first-time users to bring RFID into their business without the upfront cost and effort of customization with IT support. It transforms RFID from being a specialized adjunct technology into something as familiar as a USB flash drive.

In aviation, for example, an FAA Form 8130-3 must accompany each aircraft part. The industry has not yet developed a standardized format for including this document on RFID tags. TegoDrive resolves this issue since the complete Form 8130-3 can easily be put onto the part’s tag as a pdf, jpg, html, or txt file and then universally accessed at point of use.

The shipping industry provides another example. The Advance Shipping Notice (ASN) is a commonly used form that serves as a packing list or manifest for shipping containers and cargo pallets in almost every supply chain. The efficiency of including ASNs on tagged goods for easy inspection during transport, without needing customized reader software, will spur RFID adoption across this industry.

“It is critical for end users to understand how to effectively leverage and manage RFID data using today’s passive UHF systems,” states Michael Liard, Director of RFID at VDC Research Group (Natick, MA). “As a result, software has become more important than ever, serving as a key component to maximizing the value of RFID systems and data. Software innovations such as the drag-and-drop functionality achieved via TegoDrive enhance the value proposition of RFID for a broad range of applications and simplify the use of RFID technology.”

TegoDrive is a standards-based solution that works with both low- and high-memory RFID tags and chips. The user experience is identical to current practices like dragging data between applications or saving files to a new location. At work beneath its simple interface, however, TegoDrive technology provides users with additional benefits such as:

  • Optimized storage of information on tags, in terms of both speed and capacity;
  • A complete and auditable history of changes/additions to tag data, including the ability to resurrect the information as it existed on a defined date or time;
  • The ability to split tags into multiple memory segments, so that different organizations can have their own region,
  • Encryption and authentication of sensitive data (NSA Suite B) to prevent cloning of tags or counterfeiting of data or author.

Pricing and Availability

TegoDrive is currently in beta testing with customers across multiple industries. The product will launch in kit form in April, including a third-party reader and TegoChipÔ tags bundled for under $1,000 USD. A standalone software version of TegoDrive will also be offered with pricing comparable to typical office application software. A custom API will be available in the future to allow for reader and application integration.

About Tego, Inc.

Founded in 2005, Tego, Inc. is the leading provider of extended memory RFID solutions for creating smart assets. Tego products, including tags, system software and semiconductor chips, take RFID beyond identification. Tags with a TegoChip inside support high memory applications in the most extreme environments, storing and sharing information free of immediate network dependence. Across all industries and vertical markets, Tego solutions address demand for improved asset tracking and management, performance management, regulatory compliance and supply chain management. Tego, Inc. is based in Waltham, MA. For more information, visit www.tegoinc.com.

Tego, TegoTag, TegoView, TegoDrive and TegoChip are trademarks of Tego, Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.