How useful is NFC actually?

[eruptflail]

I was just curious as to what the big deal about NFC is. I haven't found a real use for it and I am wondering what other people have found. Microsoft showed off a bunch of applications for it, but it seems to me that they are incredibly circumstantial and also nonexistent at this point in time for most people. I just haven't seen anything that NFC does that I couldn't do with bluetooth before, i.e. share smallish files over the air.

I'm one of the few who seem to think that wireless charging is a bit of a gimmick, but I can actually see uses for that, such as being able to pick your phone up off the charger, send a text, and plop it back down to resume charging. NFC, though, seems to be pretty much useless at this stage of the game, unless you're interacting with another WP user, which, to be honest, doesn't happen too often. So has anyone found any place, or thing that makes NFC worth the hype, or the demand to actually put it into the device, or is it just hype, like it seems to be to me.

Also, I was wondering if anyone has tips on how to make it useful in everyday situations. Could you buy a cheap NFC dongle and be able to push content from your phone to your PC? Anything like that?

 

[iPwnza]

It's a very useful feature, but only if your friend, for example, had a NFC Android or WP, You basically can share anything (Apps, Games, Pics, Videos) Instantly by touching phones together, as you know. Otherwise, I could see it being even more useful in the future when everyone's phones are NFC-Enabled WP's (Hoping for the best, here).

 

[eruptflail]

It's a very useful feature, but only if your friend, for example, had a NFC Android or WP, You basically can share anything (Apps, Games, Pics, Videos) Instantly by touching phones together, as you know. Otherwise, I could see it being even more useful in the future when everyone's phones are NFC-Enabled WP's (Hoping for the best, here).

I feared that this would be the case. I just find it kind of sad that it's so contingent on other factors, and that there aren't any other applications. I also don't understand that NFC has over bluetooth. I can share pictures and music (i think) over bluetooth so long as it isn't protected, and I assume that that is the same thing with NFC. If I could pay with NFC at every store instead of using a credit card, like they touted in the WP8 demo that would be awesome, but it seems like that technology has made it to the customer before it has made it to the retailer.

 

[SnailUK]

At the moment opening apps via nfc is fairly easy, past that you cant do much.

Im tempted to write Ann app that changes setting via command line, so nfc tags can be used to turn on bluetoothor turn off WiFi,or whatever.

So much interesting stuff could be possible. Just it isn't yet.
Sent from my RM-821_eu_euro1_342 using Board Express

 

[eruptflail]

At the moment opening apps via nfc is fairly easy, past that you cant do much.

Im tempted to write Ann app that changes setting via command line, so nfc tags can be used to turn on bluetoothor turn off WiFi,or whatever.

So much interesting stuff could be possible. Just it isn't yet.
Sent from my RM-821_eu_euro1_342 using Board Express

Now that seems like a really interesting idea. Using NFC tags to affect what your phone is doing. Like putting one in your car so that it changes from vibrate mode to ringer, or putting one on your night stand that sets it to alarm only, or one at your desk for vibrate. Combine that with a "do not disturb" setting and there are amazing possibilities. Too bad they don't exist yet. If you finish that app, tell me about it, I wouldn't mind spending a dollar or two for an app that made me less likely to forget to turn my phone up when I'm in the car.

Wouldn't that require a sort of root access to the device, though. I would have thought that changing settings would be a bit out of the realm of what an app typically can do on a mobile device, unless the app was created by microsoft or the device manufacturer. But still, I guess that the real response I keep getting is, "we don't have anything really useful now, but in the future we're hoping to make NFC cool!"

 

[scottcraft]

Right now NFC isn't very useful to me. I can't share pictures with Galaxy S3's or Note 2', I don't know anyone else who has a WP8 device, and I can't make payments via NFC yet. I guess if I had a wireless charging pad it would be handy for that.

 

[eruptflail]

I've also noticed that NFC seems to destroy the battery on, at least, the HTC 8x, is this the case with the Lumia 920 and other devices?

 

[jeremyshaw]

I've also noticed that NFC seems to destroy the battery on, at least, the HTC 8x, is this the case with the Lumia 920 and other devices?

So far, it seems to be the case for me.

 

[Coffee]

while NFC is definitely going to be bigger in the future, it can be very useful now. Simply by customizing some nfc tags for your car, bedside, kitchen, work, or wherever else you go, you can tap to complete tasks - similar to the 'location' based task apps that do the same thing when you go to a pre-set location and the phone switches wifi networks, adjusts ringer volume, etc.

The difference between location-based and NFC is that anyone with an NFC phone can use the tag. That's where you get into the restaurant/store business where a customer can walk in, tap the tag and get discounts, loyalty rewards, etc. A doctor's office could use a tag to give customers the wifi password so they can surf while waiting. Starbucks can link you their free MP3 track of the week the same way.

 

[ryan.kruger]

And THIS is why I'm going to school for computer science and software development.

writing NFC tags for my home automation system is a project I plan on undertaking in the near future.

 

[eruptflail]

Coffee, do you know of any apps that write NFC tags for WP8 now, though? If you do, would you like to pass them on?

 

[Muessig]

Does anyone know if you can get car radio's that are NFC compatible?

 

[eruptflail]

I don't think so, none that I know of. The only music players I know of are made by samsung and nokia, but I know you can get bluetooth car radios.

 

[ImmortalWarrior]

I feared that this would be the case. I just find it kind of sad that it's so contingent on other factors, and that there aren't any other applications. I also don't understand that NFC has over bluetooth. I can share pictures and music (i think) over bluetooth so long as it isn't protected, and I assume that that is the same thing with NFC. If I could pay with NFC at every store instead of using a credit card, like they touted in the WP8 demo that would be awesome, but it seems like that technology has made it to the customer before it has made it to the retailer.

NFC facilitates the connection. You don't actually transfer files with it. It is a way to quickly pair two bluetooth devices.

 

[eruptflail]

Seems to be a pretty small use if all it does is pair bluetooth faster on WP...

 

[05Paris]

Why NFC...why wireless, why camera, why Twitter, why do anything your smartphone can do today? Some of the greatest business models were based on either "finding a need and filling it" or "creating a need then meeting it". NFC is just another way to communicate only different from the way you "used" to. It may be before it's time but it's time is coming. I remember I time when if I wanted to share a song or a picture or a document I had to burn a cd from one bigazz computer then load it into another bigazz computer. Then came along "memory stick" and/or SmartCard, then wireless sharing. We have a ton of options to wireless ways to communicate. Today's Near Field Connection (Communication) needs relevance in the beginning and the market plan is simply to show how easy it is to transfer pictures or music. Tomorrow it will be a means to replace money transfers or credit cards...maybe even for a fee instead of for free...

 

[smurfercom]

Why NFC...why wireless, why camera, why Twitter, why do anything your smartphone can do today? Some of the greatest business models were based on either "finding a need and filling it" or "creating a need then meeting it". NFC is just another way to communicate only different from the way you "used" to. It may be before it's time but it's time is coming. I remember I time when if I wanted to share a song or a picture or a document I had to burn a cd from one bigazz computer then load it into another bigazz computer. Then came along "memory stick" and/or SmartCard, then wireless sharing. We have a ton of options to wireless ways to communicate. Today's Near Field Connection (Communication) needs relevance in the beginning and the market plan is simply to show how easy it is to transfer pictures or music. Tomorrow it will be a means to replace money transfers or credit cards...maybe even for a fee instead of for free...

Until they can fully secure NFC a passer by can bump your account and nab your personal records. Never put all of your eggs in one electronic basket.

 

[socialcarpet]

It's kind of funny that this is considered a "new" idea.

I was sending pics from my Nokia 3630 to my Powerbook via Bluetooth in 2002 and I was sending apps and files from one Palm OS organizer to another via IRDA in the late 1990s.

 

[eruptflail]

I'm not saying it's new, being as they've been doing this sorts of stuff for ages, like you noted, but the applications are different now, but apparently WP8 doesn't support the really nice features that would actually save us time.