HISTORY

Near field communication truly started in the early 1980s in the form of radio frequency identification or RFID. This technology allowed the user to send radio information to a reciever where it was identified. RFID is an excellent technology for tracking purposes and for the purpose of using it for security tags in retail locations.

This is a great website that talks about RFID tags used in security applications.

This is a webpage from the Emory University website that talks about RFID and how it works.

Charles Walton is credited with the invention (actually the first recorded patent) for an object using the RFID technology in 1983.

Now, fast forwarding to the beginning of the millenium, Sony and a company called NXP Semiconductors invented the new NFC technology in 2002. This technology was initially inspired by RFID. By 2004, many major cellular telephone companies had committed to the idea of incorporating near field communication and many of those had already begun incorporating it in production.

Two years later in 2006, the specifications for several “receiving” devices such as NFC Tags, Smart posters, smart tags were set and many of these ideas began to circulate to various companies for incorporation. These technologies would allow the user to collect videos, music, photos, product information etc just by waving their phone by the receiving or sending device. This very same year the Nokia 6131 was the first phone produced and sold to include NFC chips to enable them to use and to be compatible with nfc smart points.

In 2009 P2P or Peer to peer applications were applied to NFC technology which allowed its users to send pictures, music and movies to other nfc enabled phones using blue tooth or other NFC connections.

In 2010, the first “Android” operating phone to incorporate NFC technology was announced. This phone is manufactured by Samsung and is called the Nexus S(if you read my about me page, this is the phone I now have!!)

To infinity and beyond- As I’ve said in the past and will continue to say in the future is this technology will only be limited by the manufacturers’ imagination. I’ve recently read about nfc being used for games, mobile payments, replacing wallets altogether (identification, paying bills etc), p2p, advertisements, product information etc.

Within the next 5 or so years it is expected that over half of all phones manufactured will be nfc enabled with even more than that by the end of the decade. Whether people want to use it or not, they’ll have it. The only limitation in the coming years is it cannot be made to be mandatory for anything unless the company plans to alienate a huge percentage of the population. Either way, I think it will work much better in the next decade or so as a neat( but optional) option for doing just about everything you’re already doing today( Just in a much cooler, futuristic, way).

Anyone reading this who has not yet jumped on the bandwagon…. Get with the times!!!