BKRFIDES.RVW   20071124

"RFID Essentials", Bill Glover/Himanshu Bhatt, 2006, 0-596-00944-5,
U$39.99/C$55.99
%A   Bill Glover
%A   Himanshu Bhatt
%C   103 Morris Street, Suite A, Sebastopol, CA   95472
%D   2006
%G   0-596-00944-5
%I   O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
%O   U$39.99/C$55.99 800-998-9938 fax: 707-829-0104 nuts@ora.com
%O  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596009445/robsladesinterne
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596009445/robsladesinte-21
%O   http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0596009445/robsladesin03-20
%O   Audience i+ Tech 2 Writing 2 (see revfaq.htm for explanation)
%P   260 p.
%T   "RFID Essentials"

According to the preface this book is intended for developers who are
beginning involvement with RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification),
system architects who need to know the elements, and project managers,
as well as professionals and students who want to understand the
technology.  Whiule it is more than a cursory introduction to the
field it is not an in-depth discussion of the various applications. 
The author does note that general information makes up the first two
and last three chapters, while the details for actual development are
in the middle six.

Chapter one provides a rationale for RFID, a bit of history, and an
outline of different types of applications.  Elements of RFID
technology (and terminology), as well as useful architectural
principles, make up chapter two.  Characteristics and categories of
the physical tags themselves are given in chapter three.  Chapter four
describes various protocols used between RFID readers and tags.  
Input and output is essential for any computer system, and chapter
five examines RFID readers and devices that print, produce, and apply
the tags.  Chapter six discusses the protocols that apply within the
infrastructure of the RFID system.  Middleware in RFID systems, as
chapter seven notes, is primarily concerned with error management and
event volume reduction.  Protocols in regard to storing and sharing of
data between companies and within the supply chain are reviewed in
chapter eight.  Chapter nine looks at principles in regard to the
management of the system.  Security and privacy are the particular
concerns of chapter ten.  Chapter eleven is the somewhat obligatory
look to the future, noting both short term plans and the applications
that may become available as the capability improves.

Basically, the book does fulfill its promise, providing an
introduction that is more than perfunctory, with added detail about
the major functions and characteristics of RFID systems and
operations.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 2007   BKRFIDES.RVW   20071124