Posts tagged NFC
Google wants NFC wireless payments to work
Apr 1st
NFC, the near field communications technology for wireless payment systems, has made a major market breakthrough.
It has won the support of internet giant Google.
In addition, Intel and CSR have significantly increased their support for the technology, which could turn every mobile phone into a contactless payment credit card.
The NFC Forum, the industry body tasked with promoting the use of the technology, has announced that Google has become a principal member.
CSR and Intel, formerly associate members, have raised their membership status to the principal level.
“The NFC Forum thrives on the active participation of global industry leaders and innovators such as CSR, Google, and Intel,” said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum.
“Their energy, ideas, and influence will greatly enhance the work of the Forum,” said Tagawa.
The UK and France are developing the technology rapidly. There are plans to introduce it in the US, and the technology is already widespread in Japan.
As a principal member Google will have a voting representative at each of the technical, marketing, and compliance committees which drive the global standardisation of the tyechnology.
NFC technology allows users to pay for low cost goods, such as coffee or train tickets, up to a value of £15 by passing their mobile phones over a proximity reader.
In the UK, 02 plans to offer mobile phones with a built-in wallet. Everything Everywhere (T-mobile and Orange) is working with MasterCard to roll out a commercial NFC service by the second quarter.
NFC can be used in other applications, for example to verify the identity of a person entering a building or logging on to a computer, or to allow a customer to use their mobile phone as a hotel room key, in addition to mobile payments.
The technology could also allow people to transfer money to each other by touching phones.
See: Gemalto and MasterCard make NFC secure
From www.electronicsweekly.com
Microsoft bringing NFC to Windows phones this year?
Mar 30th
Microsoft bringing NFC to Windows phones this year?
By Christopher Brown | NearFieldCommunicationsWorld.com | 30 March 2011, 14:54
Software giant Microsoft could be introducing NFC capabilities to Windows mobile phones as soon as this year, according to Bloomberg:
Microsoft Corp. is working on a version of its Windows Phone software that will let users buy merchandise with a flick of the handset at a checkout counter, two people familiar with the plans said.
Microsoft plans to include mobile-payment technology in new versions of its operating system for smartphones as part of an effort to narrow Google Inc.’s lead in handset software, said the people, who asked to remain anonymous because the features aren’t public. The first devices boasting these features may be released this year, the people said.
“Having NFC features may be crucial to Microsoft’s efforts to boost shrinking market share,” Bloomberg adds. “Microsoft is expected to hold about 5.5 percent of the mobile operating system market this year, compared with 39.5 percent for Android, 15.7 percent for Apple’s IOS, and 14.9 percent for Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry.”
In February, Microsoft announced a partnership with mobile phone manufacturer Nokia, which is committed to including NFC in all its new smartphones. The deal between the two sponsor members of the NFC Forum, will see Nokia use the Windows phone operating system for its smartphones.
Last week, Nokia told NFC World that buyers of the Nokia Astound smartphone, a T-Mobile USA version of the Nokia C7 that will go on sale in April, will be able to access the phone’s in-built NFC capabilities from day one.
From www.nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com
NFC gains traction as Google eyes system with MasterCard, Citigroup
Mar 28th
Computerworld – Google, MasterCard and Citigroup are reportedly working together on Near-Field Communication technology inside of Android phones to allow quick, contact-less payments at 150,000 NFC-ready terminals in the U.S.
According to unnamed sources quoted by the Wall Street Journal, Google would not collect a portion of transaction fees, opting instead to use purchasing data from customers to target retailers’ ads and discounts for mobile phone users.
The project is reportedly in its early stages, although the Google-backed system is expected to be released sometime this year. Citigroup would allow its debit and credit card customers to pay for purchases at train stations and retail shops using an app on various Android phones enabled by an NFC radio chip inside the phone.
Google’s interest in NFC — combined with other announcements involving Visa and American Express — show that NFC “is the new holy grail for…credit card issuers who see the hundreds of millions of smartphone devices being equipped with the technology as ripe for the picking,” said Jack Gold, analyst at J. Gold Associates. “No one wants to be left behind.”
VeriFone Systems, which makes credit card readers used widely by merchants, is also reportedly involved in the Google project for NFC-capable Android phones.
There are about 150,000 contact-less NFC-based terminals already in McDonald’s and DuaneReade drug stores and other locations in the U.S., and contact-less chips are already installed in many credit cards, unbeknownst to users.
A phone with an NFC chip installed or added through a special case would allow an application to be layered on over the NFC capability, even allowing person-to-person payments between two capable phones in close proximity, said Dave Wentker, senior leader of mobile product development at Visa.
Visa is working on four pilot NFC projects in San Francisco and New York with US Bank, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Chase, Wentker said in an interview at International CTIA Wireless last week. MasterCard officials also held meetings, but its place in the race to offer NFC was unclear.
Wentker said the Visa trials, first announced in December, use BlackBerry and Android smartphones with special microSD cards installed. The trials also have used the iPhone 4 with a special case that switches the NFC antenna on and off.
From www.computerworld.com
Google To Trial Mobile Payment System Using NFC
Mar 16th
Google is reportedly planning to test a mobile payment system based on NFC (near field communication) technology in shops in New York and San Francisco within the next four months.
People familiar with Google’s plans have told Bloomberg that Google will be installing thousands of NFC enabled cash register systems at partner locations. The new technology would work like the Oyster card system used on London Transport, except cutomers would place a mobile device on the reader instead.
The special cash registers have been built by VeriFone Systems and have been designed to accept mobile payments from mobile phones that are equipped with NFC chips. Google is hoping to a get a head start in the mobile payment market by bringing its own payment services to the market before any one else.
Google’s service will compete with an upcoming mobile payment system being developed in a partnership between Ebay’s PayPal and ISIS. The system is backed by wireless carriers AT&T and Verizon Wireless with the payments being handled by Discover Financial Services. The service will be trialled this year.
Google’s NFC service, or any other mobile payments service for that matter, will be counting on mobile phone and smartphone makers to include NFC technology on their devices.
Samsung’s new Nexus S smartphone is one of the few devices that comes with this technology but Nokia and Research in Motion have both confirmed that they will launching NFC enabled devices soon.
From www.itproportal.com
Innovative key fob brings NFC capabilities to all mobile phones
Feb 15th
The latest wireless technology finding its way into mobile phones alongside Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is near field communication, or NFC. It has taken a few years but the short-range wireless technology is gathering speed, with the number of NFC-enabled handsets on the increase and numerous trials of the technology being carried out around the world, mainly aimed at contactless payments and public transport ticketing applications. But if you’re worried you’ll have to throw out your current mobile phone to take advantage of the convenience of NFC then relax, because Simlink has teamed with Morpho to develop a key fob that brings NFC technology to any existing mobile phone.
NFC is a set of short-range wireless technologies that allows mobile phones, or other devices, to collect data from another device or NFC tag at close range – usually 4 cm (1.5 in) or less. The major application for the technology is expected to be contactless payment, with MasterCard and VISA both members of the NFC Forum founded by Nokia, Sony and Philips in 2004 to advance the use of the technology in mobile devices, consumer electronics and PCs.
To ensure users won’t need to shell out for a new mobile phone to make use of NFC technology, Simlink has crammed all the necessary bits and pieces, along with a Morpho NFC-enabled SIM card, into a key fob that connects wirelessly with any mobile phone via Wi-Fi. “Equipped in this way, the key fob can help to deploy any kind of Near Field Communication service – such as mobile payment, mobile ticketing or loyalty services – enabled by an NFC SIM card, with any kind of Wi-Fi enabled mobile phone right now,” explained Paul Naldrett, Senior Vice President for Telecoms at Morpho.
And if you’re still clinging to an older phone that doesn’t boast built-in Wi-Fi, the key fob can connect to a phone using a Wi-Fi-enabled ConnectSIM card, also developed by Simlink parent company Sagem Orga and Telenor, which combines Wi-Fi functionality with the security of a SIM card.
No release date or pricing details have been announced, but live payment and ticketing demos of the key fob are being run at Mobile World Congress 2011 this week.
From www.gizmag.com
Google Working On NFC-Based Mobile Payment Service: Report
Jan 4th
Google has its eyes on a mobile payment service that would allow users to pay for common goods and services by waving or tapping their mobile phones. That’s according to a BusinessWeek report that cites “two people familiar with the plans.”
BusinessWeek’s sources say the payment service could debut this year. It would be based on near-field communication (NFC) technology. Back in August, Google purchased Zetawire, a Canadian startup with a patent covering a variety of mobile commerce functions, from banking to credit card transaction processing. Bill Slawski wrote about that patent a couple weeks ago.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt spoke about — and briefly displayed — how NFC works on the Gingerbread OS when he appeared at the Web 2.0 Summit in November. (See the 2:00 mark on this YouTube video.) “One way to think of it is that this could replace your credit card. The term in the industry is called ‘tap-and-play’,” Schmidt said.
The BusinessWeek report expands that with a few more details:
A single NFC chip on a mobile phone would hold a consumer’s financial account information, gift cards, store loyalty cards, and coupon subscriptions, say the people familiar with Google’s plans. Users may also be able to make online purchases from their phones. By scanning a movie poster, for instance, a consumer might read reviews and use the Google service to purchase tickets.
Google declined to comment to BusinessWeek. But the company’s interest in NFC is certain: When it began promoting its Hotpot effort in Portland last month, it gave free marketing kits to local businesses, each with an NFC-powered window sticker.
(image courtesy pittaya via Creative Commons)
NFC Phones Poised for a Worldwide Boom, But US Mobile Payments Will Lag
Dec 16th
NFC Phones Poised for a Worldwide Boom, But U.S Mobile Payments Will Lag
Dec. 16, 2010
The global market for smart phones with near-field communication technology (NFC) will heat up in 2011, opening the way for contactless payments via mobile phones, according to a new report from Mercator Advisory Group Inc. But while the U.S. is poised to be a breakout market for NFC at some point, it is not likely to be among the first countries to roll out contactless mobile payments.
Mercator forecasts that a total of 116 million smart phones equipped with NFC will be shipped globally in 2011, barring a major setback. The firm expects the number of NFC-equipped smart phones to more than double in 2012 to 260 million and exceed 510 million by 2015.
While the U.S. market has seen some major developments in NFC mobile phones—including the announced joint venture of major carriers T-Mobile, AT&T Mobility, and Verizon Wireless—no major banks or mobile network operators have announced any plans or timelines for rollout of NFC services, Mercator says.
The joint venture in November announced the establishment of the Isis mobile-commerce network, and its bank partner, Barclaycard U.S., will be launching multiple mobile payment products during the next 18 months, Mercator says. But no specific timelines have been announced. Transactions will flow over Discover Financial Services’ network.
The market for NFC is in danger of being limited to solutions run by specific operational systems, device manufacturers, mobile networks, and the joint venture, says George Peabody, director of the emerging technologies unit at Maynard, Mass.-based Mercator. “As we’ve seen over and over again with new technology, the more open the platform, the more usage,” Peabody tells Digital Transactions News by e-mail. “The NFC ecosystem will succeed if it offers low-cost, flexible access for all participants including merchants, third-party developers, and competing payment systems. Open access to the capability means consumers will find more and more uses for ‘tapping their phones.’”
Another factor that could slow the rollout of NFC smart-phone technology in the U.S. is the selection by the Isis joint venture of Barclaycard as a bank partner and Discover as a card-network partner, Mercator says. The report notes that neither is a leading player in their field in the U.S.
“[Exactly] how much Discover could bring to the table when it comes to NFC and contactless remains a big question. And unlike MasterCard, who has spent lots of time and resources over the past several years building its contactless user base and merchant networks, Discover has not taken on similar initiatives,” the report says. Discover, however, just recently announced the rollout of its Zip contactless card and sticker after a long period of testing.
The U.S. also lacks several factors that characterize countries with more advanced markets in NFC mobile payments, such as Japan, South Korea, and China, Terry X. Xie, director of Mercator’s international advisory group and author of the report, says in an e-mail from China. In those countries, there do exist user bases of contactless payment cards such as the Visa payWave and MasterCard PayPass, and a commitment from banks to offer mobile payments, Xie says.
Also, those countries enjoy “strong interest from the mobile industry in terms of making mobile payments and other NFC-based services part of their core competition strategy,” he says. In addition, the three countries have relatively friendly regulatory environments and government support for mobile payments that allow mobile carriers to actively get involved in mobile banking and payments.
In the U.S., carriers want to get paid for rendering key services in support of NFC traffic, but issuers typically are reluctant to share card-related transaction revenues.
NFC-Enabled Window Decals For Nexus S Included In Google Hotpot
Dec 10th
Google validated that Hotpot will certainly start up in Portland, Oregon within the upcoming few months. The communal endorsement engine for nearby eateries, bars, as well as other small businesses will comprise of NFC-enabled window decals included in the Hotpot enterprise package. These types of decals is going to be allocated to partaking businesses, who are able to set them up within a noticeable area inside their store. Users making use of NFC-enabled mobile phone, such as the Nexus S, can position their own mobile phone over the window decal and recover all the stuff concerning this specific business. Bragging while using camera to take a QR code has become outdated with this particular smart use of NFC technological innovation.
Precisely, what is “Hotpot” service which is going to hold Portland, Oregon by surprise? The unclearly called service brings a neighborhood suggestion engine to Google Locations. Locations, in summary, is a business model of Google. Making use of the Places’ modifying aspect, a small business can easily personalize the data that shows up on Google Maps as well as the Places web page. Small business can also add details like retail store working hours, visuals, campaigns, discount coupons, and so forth.
Hotpot at this point provides a professional recommendation engine moreover small business directory. Hotpot enables you to rate small businesses also view evaluations produced by your pals. It’s much like Yelp, but is linked directly into on Google’s services. It offers a web-based program which allows you to rate localized businesses and is also incorporated into Google Maps 4.7 meant for Google Android 1.6 and over. An iPhone edition is predicted to release shortly. Google is providing these types of services and mobile phone functions such as NFC collectively to create a detailed interpersonal professional recommendation system. NFC is crucial to this progression of this platform while it causes it to be extra easy to recover data and, sometime soon, to possibly to pay straight from your mobile phone.
Related Posts:
Sagem Wireless Launches NFC-Enabled Mobile Device
Nov 9th
press release release detail Sagem Wireless Launches NFC-Enabled Mobile Device
COSY Phone to target vertical business markets and consumer micro-segments
Paris, 09 November 2010 – Sagem Wireless today announced the commercial launch of a new NFC-enabled mobile device. The COSY Phone combines cutting edge NFC (Near Field Communications) technology with an elegant design and easy-to-navigate user interface to create a connected device for markets underserved by traditional mobile phones.
Contactless NFC technology enables users to access features and content without navigating through menus on the handset. Preconfigured tags allow users to initiate calls or texts, open applications, and received content by simply waving their device over an NFC tag. The tags can be easily customised, meaning that users easily assign the action of a tag. These tags can also be used in commercial applications for access and data capture.
The Cosy Phone design includes ergonomic features that improve comfort and usability. Raised and enlarged keys make typing easy; micro vibration feedback confirms the input of each entry. High contrast legible fonts, a unique menuing system, and innovative recharger cradle ensure that the device is simple and intuitive to use.
Available in both 2G/EDGE and 3G/HSPA but based on a common platform, the COSY Phone provides a immediate opportunity for developers to create new applications that take advantage of cellular and NFC connectivity.
For the growing seniors market, the COSY Phone’s easy-to-navigate user interface, specialised NFC features and ergonomic form factor combine to create a highly accessible device and connection to senior-oriented services. In a work context NFC provides an easy, intuitive and reliable communications channel for time and location reporting, inventory management, and access. The COSY Phone is the only NFC device currently available that is targeted at these markets.
“We approach the design and development process looking at both market needs and a strategy that makes the most of available technologies. NFC is a perfect example of a technology which, when used intelligently and creatively, can deliver real usability benefits that transform the mobile experience,” said Jerome Nadel, EVP Marketing & User Experience, Sagem Wireless. “The COSY Phone leverages the capabilities of NFC to improve usability for personal use while enabling a growing ecosystem of business applications”.
The COSY Phone is available in France through some operators as well as selected mobile phone retailers, and in November in the UK and Ireland pushing ahead its European deployment. The devices will be available SIM-free, or subsidised by local operators as part of a contract bundle.
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Barphone; 95g weight and dimensions of 112 x 49,3 x 12,99mm
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2.2′ inch screen with 240×320 QVGA resolution
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Connectivity: NFC, GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA, USB 2.0 high speed, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR
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Music: 6 hours and FM radio
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Internet: Browser (Myriad 7.2.7), WAP Push and built-in data modem
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Memory: 128MB internal, Micro SD HC slot
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Messaging: SMS, MMS
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Camera: 1.3 Mpx, 6x numerical zoom
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Video: 3gp, H263, H264, MPEG4 (playback) MP4, H.263,H.264, 3GP, RTP/RTS protocols (video streaming)
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Talk time up to 270min with 10 days stand-by time; music player time 6 hours
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Includes automatic charging cradle, headset and user guide CD-ROM
About Sagem Wireless
Sagem Wireless provides customised connected lifestyle devices and services to leading consumer lifestyle brands and mobile network operators worldwide. Using technology innovation and customer insight as strategic tools in the product design process, Sagem Wireless develops a range of connected lifestyle devices personalised to the specific needs of different customer segments. With industry leading technology partners and its own R&D centres based in Europe and Asia, Sagem Wireless offers pre-requisite manufacturing expertise intrinsic to the product design process that relies on both flexibility and the highest level of quality to assure successful entry into new and existing markets. For more information, visit: www.sagemwireless.com
Media Contacts:
UK Media:
Richard White
AxiCom (for Sagem Wireless)
Tel: +44 20 8392 4057
Email: sagem@axicom.com
French Media:
Laure Bilhere
Cohn & Wolfe (for Sagem Wireless)
Tel: +33 1 49 70 43 78
Email: laure.bilhere@cohnwolfe.com
NFC mobile phones replace hotel room keys in Sweden
Nov 4th
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NFC mobile phones replace hotel room keys in Sweden
A world’s first pilot is starting at the Clarion Hotel Stockholm in Sweden. ASSA ABLOY, Choice Hotels Scandinavia, TeliaSonera, VingCard Elsafe and Venyon, a fully owned subsidiary of Giesecke & Devrient, have joined forces to replace hotel room keys with NFC-enabled mobile phones. The technology makes it possible for hotel guests to check-in and out using their mobile phones.
The goal of the pilot is to get feedback from guests and employees using the NFC phones for a variety of services. Guests will be able to check in to the hotel and receive the hotel room key directly onto their mobile phones before arriving at the hotel. Guests can also access other services via their mobile, and on departure, the check-out process using the phone promises to be easy and stress-free.
The technology also increases security. If a mobile phone is lost, the access credentials can be revoked remotely and then reissued. This makes it impossible for unauthorized people to use a lost or stolen NFC mobile phone.
The pilot starts this week and will last for four months. The experience gained from the Clarion Hotel Stockholm pilot is planned to be enhanced and expanded over time to other hotels as well as to commercial and residential buildings.
Mobile-contactless services such as payment, ticketing and loyalty have enjoyed successful pilots and are now being made available to the commercial market. Following the success of those pilots there is now a new category of services – mobile keys that can be added to the mobile-contactless industry.
The five companies providing this service each brings its specific expertise to deliver a scalable and secure end-to-end solution created to improve the guest experience.
About NFC | NFC, Near Field Communication, is a short-range wireless communication technology standard that enables the exchange of data between devices over up to a 10 cm distance. Applications include contactless transactions such as payment and transit ticketing, keys, data transfers including electronic business cards, and access to online digital content.
About the trial at Clarion Stockholm | The selected hotel guests receive a Samsung mobile phone with NFC and relevant software. They book hotel rooms the usual way and receive booking confirmation on the mobile phone. The guests can check in on the mobile phone already before arrival at the hotel. When check-in is complete, a digital hotel room key is delivered to the mobile phone. On arrival at the hotel the guests skip the check-in line, go directly to their room and open the door by holding the mobile phone close to the door lock. When leaving the room, the doors lock automatically, the guests checkout from their mobile phones and the digital hotel room keys are deactivated.
Pilot Partners
CLICK HERE to learn more about VingCard Elsafe
clarion hotel stockholm, vingcard elsafe, choice hotels scandinavia, hotel room keys, wireless communication technology, assa abloy, giesecke devrient, field communication, guest experience, room key, hotel guests, residential buildings, venyon, data transfers, teliaso
Ivan Aramayo
Director of Marketing and Communication
Email: iaramayo@vcegroup.com
VingCard Elsafe
www.vingcard.com
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