RFID tags enable world's first Internet-connected magazine

Bridging the gap between traditional print media and the Internet at a very opportune time comes AMUSEMENT magazine, claiming to be the first periodical to offer content linked both on paper and online.

Big deal, you might think. Any printed magazine these days publishes its web address and readers can visit online and interact. Sure, that’s true, but what if the magazine had a unique RFID (Radio frequency identification) chip attached to it, and even its own email address and mailbox?

Last week, the quarterly magazine went on sale in various stores across Europe and the US. The RFID tag is attached to page two, and as soon as the reader touches the tag to the scanner, a request is sent to a remote server (Violet, in fact, makers of the nabaztag rabbit) that triggers various unique online content.

In the first edition, for example, appeared a video game designed by the artist Messhof, an interactive multi-user device by Digital Shadow, an interactive installation by Factoid (Pierre Nouvel, Valere Terrier) and The Tone, a 3D video by Gkastere and wallpapers by Philippe Jarrigeon.

The magazine’s editor could even interact with individual readers thanks to their unique email addresses.

Just a paper magazine? Not any more it seems.