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07:14	Radio-frequency identification could be the next big thing in technology -- Barron's
	Barron's highlights RFID technology, which tracks goods from every stage of production to consumers' shopping carts, suggesting it has the potential to rev up the economy, perhaps even more than the Internet or PC's. "That's where all the action is," says Lyle Ginsburg, managing partner of  technology innovation at consulting firm Accenture. "The world keeps getting smaller and faster and more competitive, and the need for more information is king." Certainly, RFID is becoming one of the single biggest drivers of tech spending, according to William Whyman, co-founder and president of the Precursor Group, a technology and telecom research firm. And, in no small part, that is because two of the largest organizations on the planet, Wal-Mart Stores and the Defense Department, have seen the future and decided it includes RFID. Also other co's around the globe are quietly moving ahead with their own programs, including Metro, Tesco, Target and Boeing. As a  result, RFID is expected to be a $4.6 bln market by 2007, up from $1.03 bln at the end of 2003,  according to market-research firm Venture Development and brokerage house Robert W. Baird. Reik Read, a Baird supply-chain analyst, thinks that estimates could prove conservative as pilot programs and adoption mandates expand. According to the article, about 30 co's are playing an active role in the RFID market, including Accenture, Capgemini, Philips Electronics, Texas Instruments, Infineon, IBM, SAP, Sun Microsystems, Manugistics, Alien Technology, Matrics and VeriSign. In addition, as the technology becomes more pervasive, look for data-management and server-and-storage co's such as EMC, Hewlett-Packard and Network Appliance to benefit. Baird's Read is recommending Zebra Technologies, which makes printers and encoders for the RFID market; Unova, whose Intermec unit is a leader in data collection and wireless networking in the warehousing and distribution industry; and Manhattan Associates, another major warehouse-management-system co, as co's likely to profit in this early phase. Longer-term, Mr Read likes the positioning of Symbol Technologies, Accenture, Manugistics and SAP. Bear Stearns' supply-chain research team also likes Manhattan Associates, Zebra and Unova as well as Tibco Software, which writes computer programs that link trading partners with real-time data.