iPhone 5 to get NFC: will change the way we use smartphones

 

The iPhone 5 is likely to have NFC (Near Field Communication) technology built-in, letting its users use the smartphone as a digital wallet for paying for goods. NFC already exists in smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Nokia 808 PureView, but with backing from Apple the technology could really take off.

Apple news site 9to5Mac claims to have pulled some information via an iPhone 5 prototype of sorts that suggests NFC will feature in the next iPhone.

The site has previously posted photos said to reveal the design of the next iPhone, with a taller screen, and a mini dock connector. The site also believes those models will use NFC, to possibly tie-in with Apple’s new PassBook app.

PassBook was recently revealed at Apple’s WWDC event. PassBook stores all iPhone owners tickets, passes, vouchers, loyalty cards and more in one place. PassBook will also display vouchers, that you can scan at various venues offering services and products to take advantage of the latest offers.

Apple developed PassBook with the ability to work without NFC. The app will be available as part of iOS 6, but it is thought that NFC will play a major role in the app going forward.

Jim Peters, CTO of communications specialist SITA claims it will have huge repercussions. on the way we all use our smartphones.

“Opinion is that Apple is going to incorporate NFC into Passbook,” he said. “There aren’t any transactions in it yet, but I think that’s how Apple is going to sneak up on the industry. They are going to get people used to using it and then all of a sudden they will allow credit cards to be used in there, on the next iPhone, which will include NFC.”

By the end of the year the majority of smartphones that you go and buy will have NFC on them. If in October the next iPhone comes out and it has NFC on it, it’s game over.”

In fact NFC can be available on any device. Barclaycard recently launched its PayTag scheme that sends NFC-enabled stickers to users to stick onto their smartphone, letting them pay for goods up the the value of £20.

Would you use Wallet services through NFC on your iPhone? Let us know your thoughts. After all, we could all be using NFC very soon.

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LG Miracle Windows Phone with NFC exposed

An image of a new LG phone reported to be named the LG Miracle has surfaced, revealing a mid-entry Windows Phone to compete with Android and iOS devices. Rumoured specifications of the LG Miracle have also surfaced, showing the LG Miracle to have NFC technology, a decent processor and HD video recording

The LG Miracle was first spotted in leaked photos last December. Back then the name of the device was known the ‘Fantasy’. A name change later and we have the LG Miracle, and with leaked specs revealing the LG Miracle to have a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, and a 4-inch NOVA display, Pocketnow reports.


NOVA displays promise to be better and brighter than some of the Super AMOLED displays we’re now seeing on the latest Android phones such as the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy S Advance and even the Samsung Galaxy S3.

For storage we’re talking 8GB of built-in space for photos, movies, music and apps. Other leaked features include HSPA connectivity, front-facing VGA camera, and a five-megapixel rear camera capable of 720p HD shooting.

The LG Miracle is also being reported to feature an NFC chip that would let the LG Miracle exchange and share information with another NFC-enabled phone by tapping the two devices together.

NFC technology is still in its early days, currently being adopted by more manufacturers in the hope that we will use the technology more often as an alternative to Bluetooth sharing, and paying for small goods at shops by touching our phones on a sensor, sending a payment via a users phone bill.
Availability and a release date have yet to be revealed, but expect to hear more at the upcoming Mobile World Congress convention in Barcelona at the end of this month