We're taking a bit of a break to be with our loved ones over the holiday, and we hope you are too. A very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you, and we'd like to pass along a heartfelt "Thank You" for your readership. We'll be back posting again tomorrow once we can burn off some of the egg nog!

Counterfeit drugs are the dirty little secret in the pharmaceutical industry, and the continued and (unfortunately) growing distribution of them not only hurts the industry as a whole, but can certainly harm unsuspecting patients who need what they think are the right drugs to help them fight off disease.

In an attempt to keep counterfeit drugs from entering the supply chain, IBM and AmerisourceBergen have launched a tracking program that leverages RFID technology. According to the companies, the new system will seal the supply chain and keep counterfeiters out who would normally find gaps iin order to place their lower-standard drugs into the process.

Will this be enough? Probably not, but this is the type of application that RFID is well-suited for--tracking of materials in a supply chain. The key is to make sure the people running the process are fully aware of how the system should work, and where to look if any discrepancies should occur.

As we put the cap on another busy week here at The Wireless Report, we ask that you take a glance at our Top 5 stories from the past seven days before we shelve them and get ready for another week of wireless news and information. Enjoy!

1. Have vehicle, surf web
   Many folks like me can't get enough of the web. We surf the web at home, at work, at the airport, on vacation, and on and on. But there is still one place where most of us haven't tried to surf the web yet--until now.
2. Astrology dictates mobile phone love usage
   I wonder if the global wireless providers look at subscriber birthdates and group customers into astrological signs in order to predict revenue levels? They should, according to Virgin Mobile UK, which recently conducted some research which it claims is rather revealing in the way in which your astrological sign impacts upon the way you use your mobile phones.
3. What's on your wireless holiday shopping list?
   As I'm sure you are quite aware, the holiday season is just around the corner. (In my family, I think it started the day after Halloween.)
4. Can RFID e-Passports be hacked?
   With newer international passports being enabled with RFID technology, can these systems be hacked and compromised easily? There are some that say any electronic representation that communications beyond its own chips can be hacked given enough patience and persistence. When it comes to electronic passports, though, that is a scary potential situation.
5. Despite growth of smartphones, many of us still carry more than one wireless device
   Despite the proliferation of smartphones and other wireless devices that can do it all--telephone, e-mail, web browser, camera, text messaging, streaming video, downloading of music, and so on--it seems that many of us have more than one device to perform one or more of these applications.
   

According to Tom Ridge, the former security of homeland security, RFID technology will be used with greater frequency as a means to provide increased security for this country's borders.

Ridge went on to say that despite the lingering controversy over how information gathered from RFID tags may be used by retail outlets and government agenices in monitoring user behavior, RFID can be effective in tracking containers and other goods being brought into the country through shipyards and other ports of entry.

Of course, Ridge intimated that controls must be put in place so that the technology will not be abused by those leveraging it and will protect an individual's privacy.

A new report from ABI Research indicates that because of various market factors, the company has reduced its 2007 market forecast for RFID software and service revenues down 15 percent to $3.1 billion.

The research firm says there are four interrelated factors as to why revenues are projected to take a dip next year, including market consolidation, collaborative solutions, the growing availability of off-the-shelf commercial RFID software packages, and the improving level of skills in RFID project planning.

ABI says this does not mean that RFID technology is going away anytime soon. Their belief is that since RFID has become more standardized and that it is finding more usage in a growing number of applications, the price of RFID chips invariably will lower. In addition, businesses are looking at low-cost off-the-shelf RFID solutions instead of custom ones which will make it more affordable to implement.

RFID chips that contain personal and medical information may soon be implanted in a bunch of folks before we know it. The VeriMed patient information system has over 100 medical facilities committed to using the and signs are that at least that many more will be leveraging the system by year's end.

At this point, this system seems to be most useful for those people who function as emergency responders (police, fire fighters, etc.) as well as those who suffer from debilitating illnesses that could render them unable to communicate. It also appears that insurance companies may well support this technology and the implantation, which looks to cost around $200.