Windows Phone NFC - Useless?

[hopmedic]

I use NFC every day. I have a sticker in my car that opens the BT settings, so I can easily tap to connect the BT audio receiver, which doesn't automatically connect. I use it to link to my JBL Power-up Speaker (that's how the speaker knows which phone to connect to - mine or my wife's). I use a sticker stuck to my laptop to open Internet Sharing to turn on the hotspot. I also have a sticker on my alarm clock next to the bed, which opens up ringtones, to shut off the "other" notifications. I find it quite useful. Yes, it could be made more useful, I'm sure, but no way is it useless.

What I want more than ever was to drop my phone volume to 3 at my desk. Then up to 24 when I'm in my car. Its not here yet. I think we'll get it.

Every OCD bone in my body just had a seizure. Volume has to end in 5 or 0. Period. There shouldn't even be numbers that end in anything else..... HOW CAN YOU DO THIS?????
:wink:

 

[tk-093]

Where is the best place to get tags? Are there different kinds I need to look out for?

I'm kinda excited about mobile payments, but until 100% of retailers accept that, I'm still gonna be stuck carrying a card around so I don't know when it will be worth it. I love the idea of it turning on and off things automatically. NFC is still pretty niche, hopefully they will address these things going forward.

P.S. hopmedic, I keep my volume turned up to 11.

 

[njnbat]

NFC is a great technology and its uses are plenty . Really loved the concept of nfc after researching it over web but feeling sad to realize that windows phone hardly support even 20 % of what we could have done with nfc task launcher in an android phone to automate and perform tasks faster.
i hope microsoft will make some changes in the next update to provide prompt less changes in settings as well as the facility to perform multiple actions in a single tag.

 

[hopmedic]

Where is the best place to get tags? Are there different kinds I need to look out for?

I'm kinda excited about mobile payments, but until 100% of retailers accept that, I'm still gonna be stuck carrying a card around so I don't know when it will be worth it. I love the idea of it turning on and off things automatically. NFC is still pretty niche, hopefully they will address these things going forward.

P.S. hopmedic, I keep my volume turned up to 11.

I got some tags from Amazon. I went cheap, so when iIgot them iIccouldn'tuse them. I had to uuses coworker's android since WP can't format (embarrassing). Once formatted, though, go to town. To avoid that, buy ones that are already formatted.

While iIdo wish tthat we could automate things with NFC, I totally understand the confirmation, and the security implications of not allowing systems settings to be changed. I, too, would like to see a compromise, but I don't know what that is.

11?!? Seriously!?!?

 

[MikeSo]

I use NFC every day. I have a sticker in my car that opens the BT settings, so I can easily tap to connect the BT audio receiver, which doesn't automatically connect. I use it to link to my JBL Power-up Speaker (that's how the speaker knows which phone to connect to - mine or my wife's). I use a sticker stuck to my laptop to open Internet Sharing to turn on the hotspot. I also have a sticker on my alarm clock next to the bed, which opens up ringtones, to shut off the "other" notifications. I find it quite useful. Yes, it could be made more useful, I'm sure, but no way is it useless.

Isn't this exactly the same in WP8 as just pressing a pinned shortcut on your home screen? Don't you still have to wake your phone, unlock it, and manually change the setting?

 

[hopmedic]

Isn't this exactly the same in WP8 as just pressing a pinned shortcut on your home screen? Don't you still have to wake your phone, unlock it, and manually change the setting?

It's the same. Except it doesn't take up screen real estate. But to say that NFC is useless would be the same as saying that apps that pin those tiles to the home screen are useless, wouldn't you agree? It's just a matter of preference - do I prefer one method of access while others prefer another? Sure.

 

[K_lando]

It's the same. Except it doesn't take up screen real estate. But to say that NFC is useless would be the same as saying that apps that pin those tiles to the home screen are useless, wouldn't you agree? It's just a matter of preference - do I prefer one method of access while others prefer another? Sure.

Except that pinning an app to the start screen doesn't cost me $2 for an app to do it (NFC Interactor), plus an average of $1 per tag.

The issue is that Android phones CAN do all the things that people are saying they wish they could do here. That's so disappointing to me, and I had no idea until I got some tags the other day and tried it myself with my 920. Can't toggle a setting, only go to the settings page... can't launch an app without a confirmation. Can't do multiple commands.

For the in-car example, it somewhat defeats the purpose because the whole idea is to be as hands free as possible. Being able to tap your phone and TOGGLE the bluetooth while launching a car dock app is ideal and what I wanted.
As it stands now, one tap to ASK me if I want to launch an app. Press 'yes' (1). Then within that car dock app, I have the bluetooth setting pinned under 'Apps'. So swipe left to get to apps (2), choose Bluetooth (3), toggle On (4), press back (5), swipe back to car dock home screen (6). 6 times to touch the screen before I can safely roll out because I don't want to be doing all that while driving.

So the only benefit I get from a $1 tag is I save one square of screen re-estate. Definitely not worth it to me.

I get it for sharing information, like the NFC business card idea, its got some use... but I was really looking to implement some 'hands free' automation. I've always defended Windows Phone and I love my Nokia, but this is one of the few times where I realized I want to do more than the OS allows.

 

[hopmedic]

Except that pinning an app to the start screen doesn't cost me $2 for an app to do it (NFC Interactor), plus an average of $1 per tag.

The issue is that Android phones CAN do all the things that people are saying they wish they could do here. That's so disappointing to me, and I had no idea until I got some tags the other day and tried it myself with my 920. Can't toggle a setting, only go to the settings page... can't launch an app without a confirmation. Can't do multiple commands.

For the in-car example, it somewhat defeats the purpose because the whole idea is to be as hands free as possible. Being able to tap your phone and TOGGLE the bluetooth while launching a car dock app is ideal and what I wanted.
As it stands now, one tap to ASK me if I want to launch an app. Press 'yes' (1). Then within that car dock app, I have the bluetooth setting pinned under 'Apps'. So swipe left to get to apps (2), choose Bluetooth (3), toggle On (4), press back (5), swipe back to car dock home screen (6). 6 times to touch the screen before I can safely roll out because I don't want to be doing all that while driving.

So the only benefit I get from a $1 tag is I save one square of screen re-estate. Definitely not worth it to me.

I get it for sharing information, like the NFC business card idea, its got some use... but I was really looking to implement some 'hands free' automation. I've always defended Windows Phone and I love my Nokia, but this is one of the few times where I realized I want to do more than the OS allows.

First, I have already said that it is a matter of preference. The ways that we do it don't have to agree.

Yes, Android can do all of these things..... How secure is Android if 96% of all mobile malware discovered in the last quarter of last year was on Android devices? The point is that security is the reason that we can't do these things. If you're willing to sacrifice security for that simple convenience, feel free - that's your prerogative. I chose security. I'm not going to knock your choice.

In-car - I don't use the car app. I have a tag that I programmed that opens the BT settings. 1) tap tag. 2) tap yes. 3) tap the BT device that I want to connect to from the list (easy, since it is the longest-named one, so I can do it in a glance). I don't touch the screen six times.

I'll say it again - your preference and mine are not the same. So what? To me that means that NFC is not useless. If you say NFC is useless, as the title of this thread says, then how's that different than my saying that shortcuts to settings like BT are useless. I'm not saying that because both statements are patently false.

 

[K_lando]

First, I have already said that it is a matter of preference. The ways that we do it don't have to agree.

Yes, Android can do all of these things..... How secure is Android if 96% of all mobile malware discovered in the last quarter of last year was on Android devices? The point is that security is the reason that we can't do these things. If you're willing to sacrifice security for that simple convenience, feel free - that's your prerogative. I chose security. I'm not going to knock your choice.

In-car - I don't use the car app. I have a tag that I programmed that opens the BT settings. 1) tap tag. 2) tap yes. 3) tap the BT device that I want to connect to from the list (easy, since it is the longest-named one, so I can do it in a glance). I don't touch the screen six times.

I'll say it again - your preference and mine are not the same. So what? To me that means that NFC is not useless. If you say NFC is useless, as the title of this thread says, then how's that different than my saying that shortcuts to settings like BT are useless. I'm not saying that because both statements are patently false.

Interesting how in you world your opinion and preference instantly make the useless argument false and fails to see how other people's preferences make it true.

In my personally preferred opinion is that the difference between the way you go about it VS someone else is superficial and cost $1 more. Your choice, useful to you... useless to others.

So now where are we? Back at square one.

 

[tgp]

Yes, Android can do all of these things..... How secure is Android if 96% of all mobile malware discovered in the last quarter of last year was on Android devices?

That's only slightly higher than Android's market share!

 

[Calvin Cooper1]

The tags are pretty much useless. You CAN use NFC for "Tap and send" to share files and pics, etc. but even then you have to turn on BT besides. Kind of pointless but at least the option is there. The NFC and tags on the Glaxasy S3 are much more flexible but when it comes right down to it, it's not a deal killer for me, just something extra to play with.

Sharing pics is pretty usless as well. Every pic Ive tried to send it tells me is to big, same with getting them from someone else, always to big.

 

[hopmedic]

Interesting how in you world your opinion and preference instantly make the useless argument false and fails to see how other people's preferences make it true.

In my personally preferred opinion is that the difference between the way you go about it VS someone else is superficial and cost $1 more. Your choice, useful to you... useless to others.

So now where are we? Back at square one.

Was any of that supposed to make sense?

 

[tgp]

I wouldn't call WP's NFC useless. Even though it doesn't automate everything, it will at least take you to the applicable screen. It is less user friendly than Android's, but as has been pointed out the convenience of Android's NFC functionality comes with security compromises. As far as I know that has yet to be exploited, but as NFC becomes more commonplace it likely will happen.

 

[hopmedic]

Sharing pics is pretty usless as well. Every pic Ive tried to send it tells me is to big, same with getting them from someone else, always to big.

Hmm... weird. I've never had that problem sharing between my 928 and my wife's 822, in either direction.

 

[ranger604]

{let's blow the dust off this one}..

Anybody have any inside info about 8.1 and NFC?

 

[Lymeric]

It's all very good if you only want to do one thing and bond to a BT device. But if want to do other things as well then you can't without doing each thing manually with multiple screen touches.
eg.
I'd like to, with the first swipe of a single tag in the car, enable my 'Driving' mode:
Enable BT and bond to BT device
Turn off wifi
Increase volume to a set level
Disable screen timeout
Disable login screen timeout
Answer, disconnect phone with voice
and possibly start Nokia Here

then on second swipe of same tag, enable my 'Not Driving' mode :
disable, revert to normal or close the above settings or applications.

This is a reasonable expectation for NFC triggering and something similar can be done on an S3.

Also there is no reason why Microsoft can't maintain a security model and provide this ability with settings, by using a privileged NFC tag model or something similar... they just need the will.