Most next generation smartphones are going to be equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technologies. In sum, it’s like Bluetooth- functioning as a short-range wireless protocol. Acting as a bridge, our beloved smartphones have yet again, found another way to connect us to a virtual world, using our physical devices. NFC brings hundreds of uses to the table like easy business card transfer, file transfer, but until then, the main thing that everyone is looking forward to is Mobile Payment support for smartphones.
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The mobile payment race is expected to heat up soon because Visa will be landing their “Digital Wallet” platform in Canada this Fall. The wallet consolidates multiple Visa and non-Visa payments accounts and can be used in mobile, eCommerce, social network and retail point-of-sale environments. Imagine walking into the grocery store and actually paying for your items through a secure transaction using your BlackBerry or NFC enabled handled? No more opening up your billfold/purse and fumbling through cards, Instead tap, confirm and effortlessly complete your transaction.
We truly need to get ready because NFC is near. So near, the next generation BlackBerry Bold touch 99xx announced at BlackBerry World Conference is set to launch with NFC technologies. Currently, the Google powered Android Nexus-S is loaded with NFC support but until VISA launches its“Digital Wallet”, will we see any noticeable innovation. As for the i-OS, reports have surfaced that the next gen iPhone will not be equipped with NFC -perhaps “until when the NFC infrastructure is more established.”
This is good news for RIM. Just remember the mark the iPad has left engraved into the tablet arena. Sure tablets were designed before the iPad but Apple’s timing seemed just right, something that RIM can accomplish when it comes to NFC. RIM is a leading innovator so they need to really show the world how its done. With their Super App campaign full force, one can just imagine the capabilities that can be born out of BlackBerry’s pledge to NFC starting with the Bold 99xx. Hypothetically speaking, its picture perfect when dealing with a merchant and being able to pull and transfer critical data within your handheld’s native BlackBerry application. Securely manage accounts, share data with other third-party apps, generate notifications, and much more should be coming from RIM with the use of NFC technologies and the Super App solution.
So RIM, I hope you read this and use this as good data. Readers, I hope you have a better understanding of what’s coming with NFC and what it should bring in next generation BlackBerry smartphones.
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