What Is NFC and What Can It Do for You

NFC is getting a great deal of attention as it becomes included in more smartphone, laptop, tablet, and other device. It's being hyped as The Next Big Thing that will change how we use our mobile devices: everything from shopping to interacting with your home and unlocking your car. Here's an overview of the current and potential uses of NFC.

NFC in a Nutshell

NFC stands for Near Field Communication, and, as the name implies, it's a set of close-range wireless communication standards. NFC-equipped smartphones and other devices can exchange information with each other with a simple tap or wave.

Remind you of tap-to-pay credit cards or apps like Paypal "bumping" to transfer money? That's because NFC is the technology behind many new mobile payments types such as these.

NFC and RFID (radio frequency identification) are sometimes used interchangeably, but NFC is really a newer version or extension of RFID. RFID waves can have very long ranges (e.g., RFID is the tech that helps highway toll readers read your car's toll pass), while NFC limits the range of communication to within 4 inches. This makes NFC perfect for more secure applications like paying for things or securely logging in at a location.

NFC also allows two-way communication, as opposed to RFID's one-way reading technology. So transferring photos or contacts between devices is a common use of NFC (see the "Android Beam" feature on many new smartphones).

Which Devices Have NFC?

Many smartphones and new laptops have NFC chips. NFC World has an exhaustive list of all the phones around the world that are NFC-equipped (available now, coming soon, with limited availability, and more categories). Google Nexus variants have NFC, as do several BlackBerries, HTC phones, and others. NFC chips are also embedded in "tags," which are stickers that your device can interact with.

Among the phones without NFC: The recently announced iPhone 5, despite previous rumors. Apparently, Apple thinks its Passbook feature is enough and people don't need NFC.

Devices that supports NFC:

BlackBerry Bold 9790, BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Bold 9930, BlackBerry Curve 9350, BlackBerry Curve 9360, BlackBerry Curve 9370, BlackBerry Curve 9380, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Google Nexus 7, Google Nexus S, HTC Desire C, HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE, HTC Evo 4G LTE, HTC Incredible, HTC One X, HTC Ruby, Motorola Droid Razr, Motorola MC75A HF, Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE, Nokia 603, Nokia 700, Nokia 701, Nokia 801T, Nokia 808 Pureview, etc. (Read more here)

What You Can Do With NFC

NFC is most commonly associated with the "mobile wallet"—the idea that your smartphone will replace your cash and credit cards. In one tap or wave of your phone, you can pay for your groceries and redeem offers or coupons. Google Wallet, partnering with MasterCard PayPass, is one example. You can store all major credit and debit cards in Google Wallet and get a "virtual MasterCard" that pays for your purchases in-store wherever those PayPass scanners are or online.

At the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) this week in San Francisco, Intel showed off the interaction between a smartphone and an Ultrabook laptop. The phone, tapped to the laptop, logged into a site and paid for an online purchase—no form-filling required.

Beyond mobile payments, though, there are a world of uses for NFC, including:

● Paying for your parking meter, at least in some cities like San Francisco.

Getting tickets or boarding passes. Some airlines and buses are also experimenting with using NFC for boarding passes

● Opening doors. BMW has NFC-enabled car keys. Companies and universities are looking into or rolling out using NFC-enabled devices as security badges. To gain physical access somewhere, members need only tap their smartphones at the door.

● Downloading information. Advertisers and marketers can use NFC chips in porters and other promotional materials so all you have to do to get more information is tap or wave your phone (easier than QR codes, perhaps).