Near Field Communications – NFC

What is “NFC”?
NFC, short for Near Field Communication, is a short range wireless RFID technology that makes use of interacting electromagnetic radio fields instead of the typical direct radio transmissions used by technologies such as Bluetooth. It is meant for applications where a physical touch, or close to it, is required in order to maintain security. NFC is planned for use in mobile phones for, among other things, payment, in conjunction with an electronic wallet, and for setting up connections between Bluetooth devices (rendering the current manual Bluetooth pairing process obsolete). The technology is promoted by the NFC-Forum.

Google Wallet, the search giant’s new payment method that involves waving your smartphone in front of an NFC (near-field communication) scanner, has made the technology a hot topic in tech circles. Some Android and BlackBerry devices support NFC, mainly for sharing contact info and other snippets with other people with compatible devices.

But there’s more to today’s NFC than just paying for stuff (and those badges you use to get into your office every day). In fact, NFC use has expanded into all sorts of uses, from parking meters to health monitoring. Here’s a rundown of what’s been happening in the NFC realm.