NFC in smartphones is a very promising and exciting technology. Yet it’s unfortunate that the feature is not gaining a lot of traction here in Malaysia. In any case, more and more devices release this year will come equipped with NFC and like it or not, operators will have to pay attention and start offering compelling service propositions for consumers who are obviously ready and eager to adopt the technology.

While we wait for that faithful day when we can start using our NFC-equipped smartphones as cinema tickets or Touch n’ Go cards, here’s a comparison video we made comparing the rather rudimentary implementation of NFC on Android 2.3 Gingerbread with the more integrated approach in Ice Cream Sandwich through Android Beam.

What are your thoughts on NFC? We think local operators, banks and payment services are taking way too long to take advantage of this massive potential.

	Android, Galaxy Nexus, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Sony, Video
	Android, Android 2.3, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, Android 4.0, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Android Beam, Android Beam demo, Galaxy Nexus, NFC, NFC demo, Sony Xperia S, Video

Nokia has announced a its NFC enabled version of the Nokia Lumia 610 at Monaco today. This is Nokia’s 8th NFC device and their first Windows Phone with NFC built-in.

The Lumia 610 NFC is certified for contactless transactions with Mastercard Paypass & Visa payWave and it will be available on Monaco’s Orange network soon. Just like other NFC enabled Nokia devices, the Lumia 610 NFC can also be paired with their NFC accessories as well.

Windows Phone 7 doesn’t support NFC natively in the OS. To make NFC possible on the Lumia 610 NFC, they had to add a NFC software stack on top of the platform and additional NFC hardware.

For more information, head over to Nokia’s Conversation Blog.

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	Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Windows Phone
	Near Fields Communication, NFC, nokia, Nokia Lumia, Nokia Lumia 610, Nokia Lumia 610 NFC, windows phone 7, WP7

During our unboxing of the Xperia S, it lacked the additional accessories such as HDMI cable and NFC Smart Tags. At the Sony Xperia NXT Malaysian launch today, it is revealed that they are throwing more goodies worth RM534 with the Xperia S for a limited time only.

The special package comes with car charger with micro USB cable, screen protector, HDMI cable, LiveSound hifi heatset and Xperia Smart Tags. For the Smart Tags, we are told that they are including 4 pieces.

For those that pre-ordered with DiGi, no word whether they will be getting the extra bundles as well. The Xperia S will be sold at RM1,899 and will be available at Sony Stores and authorised dealers beginning 21st March 2012. The 4 big telcos – DiGi, Celcom, Maxis & U Mobile will be offering bundled plans for the Xperia S as well.

To stay up to date, follow us on twitter at @soya_cincau.

	Android, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Sony
	NFC, Smart Tag, Smart Tags, Sony, Sony Xperia NXT, Sony Xperia NXT launch Malaysia, Sony Xperia NXT Malaysia, Sony Xperia NXT Malaysia launch, Sony Xperia NXT Series, Sony Xperia S, Sony Xperia S Malaysia, Sony Xperia S Price, Xperia Smart Tags

Nokia has released the Nokia 603, which also runs on their latest Symbian Belle. Like the earlier Nokia trio – Nokia 600, 700 and 701, the new Nokia 603 is powered by a 1GHz processor and it is also NFC enabled.

The device measures 113.5mm x 57.1mm x 12.7mm and it weighs 106.7g. Compared to the Nokia 600, it is slightly taller and wider due to its larger 3.5″ Clear Black Display but it is slimmer by 0.3mm. The screen offers a nHD resolution of 640×360. There’s a 5MP at the back which supports 720p HD video recording. In terms of connectivity, it supports the usual Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi and 3G HSDPA with download speeds up to 14.4Mbps.

The Nokia 603 is available in both Black and White colours with back covers that comes in a variety of 6 colours. It is priced at about €200 before tax which is approximately RM867.

Head after the break for promo video and details.

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	Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Symbian OS
	NFC, nokia, Nokia 603, Nokia 603 Malaysia, Symbian, Symbian Belle

During the preview of Nokia 600, 700 and 701, Nokia has also announced NFC Hub for Malaysia. By now, most people are aware of NFC but what’s the use if there’s nothing tap on? In recent months, we’ve seen couple of NFC devices launched in Malaysia like the Nexus S but usability of it are often limited to the demo booths. The only real life usage we’ve seen so far is Maxis FastTap which integrates TouchnGo and Visa Wave on a Nokia 6212 classic.

This is where NFC Hub aims to change all that. It offers people to get onboard the NFC wagon with a range of tagging solutions in the most simplest way possible. Reaffirming that we are an important market, Malaysia is the second in the world to launch it.

So what does NFC Hub offer? As social networking is the next big thing, NFC Hub gives you the necessary tools to increase Facebook fans, check-in via Foursquare or increase twitter followers all via NFC. It is also possible to create custom text messages or direct to phone calls for immediate action. Need to raise funds for charity? NFC allows donation with a single tap which automatically sends a shortcode to a number for SMS donation. For personal use, you can use it to promote your blog, facebook profile or even link to maps on invitation cards.

To get started, the NFC Hub offers a variety of NFC enabled posters, cards and stickers that are ready to be purchased and customised to your need. Price starts from RM10 for a small tag (42mm x 42m) to RM100 for a big A3 poster. There’s also customisable business cards and stickers with embedded vcard info.

In terms of supported devices, they have listed models such as Nokia C7 (with Anna OS), Nokia N9, Nokia Oro and the upcoming Nokia 600, 700 & 701 as well. Nokia is also extending NFC hub support to non-nokia devices such as Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola, Sagem and BlackBerry which has NFC enabled features.

Nokia’s effort in promoting NFC in Malaysia is commended and the potential is huge especially for business owners. This also comes timely as it initially announced that all of their smart phones will be NFC ready by 2011. With the NFC Hub together with NFC devices in place, it all depends on us Malaysians to take it up and make full use of it.

For more information, head over to NFC Hub. All NFC promotional material can be purchased online and payable by paypal.

Head after the break for demo videos of NFC Hub in action

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	Mobile Apps, Mobile Devices, Nokia
	Near Fields Communication, NFC, NFC Hub, NFC Hub Malaysia, nokia

NFC in phones is a cool feature but the fact remains, in Malaysia and mostly everywhere else, there’s really nothing much you can do with it at the moment. That could all change if these new consumer-grade NFC-enabled door locks from Yale comes to Malaysia.

The Yale NFC door lock works just like any NFC terminal, just hold an NFC-enabled smartphone near the lock and the latch unlocks. All you need to do is configure the lock to recognise the device as a key. The best part is the NFC lock is self-contained which means you don’t need to invest in a home server or a home-automation system for the lock to work. Everything that’s required for you to use your NFC-enabled phone as a key is in the lock itself.

NFC door locks is not a new idea but this application is novel and has the potential to propagate the technology and drive adoption. What will be a hindrance is the cost of bringing this cool piece of futuristic tech to your home. Not many are willing to drip RM1,000 and up for a door lock no mater how cool you look using it.

[source]

	Cool stuff, Mobile Accessories, Mobile Devices, Others, Video
	doorlock, NFC, NFC door lock, NFC smartphone, Yale, Yale NFC door lock, Yale NFC doorlock

Google has announced Google Wallet, a mobile payment service which is currently being tested by Google, Sprint, Citibank, Mastercard, First Data and Sprint. It uses NFC technology which lets you make payments by simply tapping your device at the counter terminal.

Google Wallet is not just about payments as it also integrates merchant loyalty, rewards and even coupon programs that helps improve your shopping experience. What this means, you can get instant offers and redeem points instantly in a single tap. For those who are skeptical about credit card security, Google Wallet offers several layers of security which includes a PIN request before a transaction is made.

For those without credit card, Google is releasing Google Prepaid Cards which is a virtual credit that’s being offered by Mastercard and Money Network. In addition, it also can store shopping gift cards for selected retail outlets, making shopping more paperless. Overall, this eliminates coins, dollar notes and even the bunch of cards that we normally carry. The bad news however is that it will be available only in the US and only applicable for the Nexus S 4G for.

Maxis had a demo of the Nexus S’s NFC capabilities during the launch but so far we have yet to see any real application of it in Malaysia. However looking way back, NFC isn’t really new as Maxis does have a NFC solution called FastTap. Only available with a Nokia 6212, Maxis FastTap service offers both Visa Wave & Touch n Go mobile payments and it works in most places with Visa Wave and TnG terminals. We are wondering when Maxis is planning to extend this to the rest of the new devices with NFC. We simply love this concept and won’t mind using this for our day to day shopping.

For more information on Google Wallet, head over here.

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	Mobile Apps, Mobile Devices, Nexus S
	google, Google Wallet, Malaysia NFC, Mastercard, Maxis NFC, Mobile NFC, Near Fields Communications, NFC

Sharp IS03 is a new Android device that matches the retina display of the iPhone 4 with its 960×640 resolution display. Sharp calls it Advanced Super View (ASV) Technology which boasts wider viewing angles for its display.

Along with its high resolution display is a 9.6 Megapixel auto focus camera with image stabilizer capabilities. It even comes with TV tuner and Osaifu-Keitai, which is Japan’s version of NFC for mobile payments. Obviously this a very Japanese targeted device.

Engadget had a hands-on experience and they reported that the device feels rather cheap. Furthermore, it runs on Android 2.1 EClair with Sharp’s own custom UI. An interesting discovery is that the IS03 has an extra LCD strip below dedicated to show either the time during standby or navigation buttons during operation.

Don’t expect this coming to our shores soon as it operates on CDMA networks. However it could be used outside of Japan as it has support for Global Passport CDMA in countries like the US.

Check out hands on video after the jump
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	Android, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Sharp
	Advanced Super View, Android, IPS, Japan, NFC, Retina Display, Sharp, Sharp IS03

Apple is currently looking into instant product research capabilities for the iPhone which can be implemented via a simple bar code or even Near Fields Communication (NFC). What they plan to achieve is to allow users to get reviews, advise and detail information of products easier from a mobile device.

Apple had filled couple of patents for such use called Products+. The possibility is endless and the post by Apple insider had mentioned a number of interesting uses such as scanning codes on products for review or even using it to add events to your calendar. For barcode scanning, we don’t see what is stopping Apple of acheiving that now as even Google has being doing it through Google Goggles. All they need is to have a software that works and an online engine to transate that code to what it was intended for.

If it does use NFC, upcoming iPhones may join the likes of Nokia to expand NFC devices which isn’t doing massively well in Malaysia.

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	apple, Bar Code, iPhone, Near Fields Communications, NFC

Nokia’s Executive VP for markets, Anssi Vanjoki has announced that all Nokia smartphones will be NFC ready 2011 onwards. This is a huge commitment by the manufacturer but they didn’t mention which upcoming model will start carrying the feature.

According to the report, Nokia says that the NFC ready devices will support various business models for NFC, including SWP (Single Wire Protocol), Secured Elements (special microSD) and embeded secured element.

Maxis is the first and only operator in Malaysia to introduce NFC Service. Branded Maxis FastTap, the service integrates with Touch n Go and Visa Wave. The only model they have for this is the Nokia 6212. So far in Malaysia it didn’t really kicked off in a big way which we feel is partly blamed on the lack of choices. How many people would skip their smartphone purchase for a simple candy bar phone for the sake of NFC?

If Nokia really does embed NFC capabilities on all future smartphones, we might be able to see the rise of NFC users in Malaysia and the rest of the world. You can’t deny that Nokia does have a fair share of users particularly from the lower-middle income as well as youth groups. Imagine college kids being able to pay for LRT or even fast foods from your phone. The application for NFC is endless but definitely need more choice of devices.

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	Mobile Devices, Nokia, Technologies
	Malaysia NFC, Maxis FastTap, Maxis NFC, Near Field Communications, NFC, NFC Mobile, nokia