Google Places Rolling Out NFC Stickers In [At Least] Five US Cities

It appears that Google has chosen Identive's ACIG Technology subsidiary as their exclusive supplier of NFC stickers for at least one of the five major US cities receiving NFC window decals across America. ACIG Technology will be in charge of supplying these stickers while they're manufactured by another Identive Group company by the name of Smartag, which is based in Singapore. These stickers are approximately 80x50mm and are currently being handed out in a big push in Austin to re-promote the Places environment.

Cities with these stickers already spreading through them include Las Vegas; Madison, Wisconsin; and Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as Portland and Austin, which've been with the program for a slightly longer. What the groups involved hope this service will do is make the process of both checking in at locations as well as getting and distributing deals, coupons, and etcetera much easier to engage in.

Bernardo Hernandez, senior director of consumer marketing for Google has made comments on the situation, noting that Google is considering these NFC-enabled stickers to be an integral part of their outreach efforts (in Austin, at least,) with "local" businesses. Because "20% of all searches on Google are for local information," Hernandez is hoping that NFC technology delivered by Smartag smart stickers will tie Google into the exchange between businesses and their customers implicitly.

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[via NFCommunications World]