Ray reports, “Near Field Communications (NFC) is a two-way standard for low-power-short-range radio communication. NFC builds on the one-way-induction-powered Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) standard by mandating that NFC devices have an induction-powered tag (which will operate even if the phone loses power) and an RFID reader which can be used to interact with other tags. So an NFC device can be an RFID tag, and an RFID reader, or even both at the same time.”
Ray reports, “We have comments, reported by Near Field Communications World, from the chap who runs the NFC Group on LinkedIn. He claims to have reliable information that ‘Apple has built some prototypes of the next gen iPhone with an RFID reader built [in]… its not full NFC but its a start for real service discovery.’
“Putting NFC into an iPhone would give Apple a distinct feature advantage: Symbian^3 will have APIs for NFC built in, but ^3 devices are a long way off, despite optimistic presentations at the recent Symbian Exposition,” Ray reports. “It was that dry, technical, explanation from Lee Williams which prompted speculation about how Steve Jobs might announce the capability: ‘Bang! My groceries paid for! Bang! My train ticket paid for! Bang! My car unlocked!'”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: ‘Tis “boom,” not “bang,” Reg hack.
“But Nokia has been pushing NFC for years, so why could Apple succeed where Nokia has failed …?”
Hahahahah!
Yeah, Jimithy, I’m still laughing at that one.
This is obviously in the “rhetorical” department.
As a germaphobe, I really hope Apple does this soon. I love the idea of being able to go places and not have to hand a card or touch a keypad or anything.
Got issues?
There could be an app for that!
Bing! And all your Booms are belong to us…
Did anyone read the articles about an iPhone drawback in the Japanese market where they pay for everything by waving their phone in front of it?
I just spoke to my colleague and he tells me that NFC does not currently include 15693(ie RFID). It is just 14443 which is short range.
RFID/NFC + iPhone accessory APIs = Boom!
Or, as one cook says:
BAM!
I thought
NFC = No Freaking Clue
so when I saw the headline, I was hoping the iPhone had finally figured out a way to give people one.
Man. I agree that there are problems with putting RFID tags in things, but some you are really confused about this. Remind me of the people who are so scared of the word “nuclear” that doctors call them MRI machines, when th real name is “Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging.”
If you want to be an activist for something, make sure you know what you’re talking about. Otherwise, you hurt your own cause by making it look dumb.
Reg writers are indeed hacks. I used to like reading that thing about eight years ago but now it’s just beyond a joke. Sad to see a good site turn to the hit-whore Fox News dark side, and turn into a dumber more acerbic version of itself.
I would rather have my next gen iphone have full bluetooth capabilities! Yes BLUETOOTH! not only it can send data from iphone to iphone but to other phones too like sending music, photos, etc. And yes radio on the iphone too! Juz like the ipod nano
I saw “NFC”, and thought “Nebraska Fried Chicken”.
-jcr
@ragarcia;
Now that was funny! I laughed at that one… thanks.
Ba-da-bing Ba-da-BANG
@Pablo
hahah you beat me to it!
Michael you ignorant slut,
Sure it only broadcasts an I’d number, no identifying information. But it always broadcasts that same I’d number.
So, I set up a system in my drug store to tie together your I’d number and the image on the surveilence camera. Now I know that number is from a 20’s something man from this zip code who, I tie in later, buys these products.
Now I sell that to Mario who buys such info from the whole region, ties it all together and sells his database to anyone with cash.
Boom. You no longer have privacy.
But it’s all okay because the RFID only sends out an I’d number. Yeah.
Here in Stockholm the public transportation system is now using Access cards that are a development of these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus_card
I find the card much easier to use than the swipe cards that we had previously. If Apple adds this type of functionality to the iPhone and iPod Touch, combined with an on-device reader that allows for balance inquiries and transferring money between the card and online bank accounts it will be a real game-changer.