Tag: nfc mobile

NFC technology forum board of directors adds Google

| March 9, 2013

NFC Technology GoogleThe online search giant has now added itself to the near field communication nonprofit industry association.

Google has taken another step to underline the increasing interest it has in NFC technology by joining the board of directors for the industry association that has taken on the task of moving its use forward on a global scale.

The organization is a nonprofit that is geared toward increasing near field communication use worldwide.

The internet search giant is now a contributor to the NFC Forum, which accepted its participation as of Tuesday. Google, the owner of Android, has a considerable interest in NFC technology for a number of reasons, including its own mobile payments projects which have not been taking off at quite the pace that was expected.

Google had previously been a part of the NFC technology forum at a Principal level.

Following Tuesday, Google’s membership was upgraded to the Sponsor level at the NFC technology organization. Having reached the very top level of membership at the NFC Forum, this entitled the industry giant to a seat on the Board of Directors.

According to the NFC Forum Chairman, Koichi Tagawa, “As both a mobile operating system and NFC payment solution provider, Google brings a great deal of knowledge and experience to our Board.”

The Chairman went on to say that “The NFC Forum – and NFC users everywhere – will benefit greatly from the contributions of Google and our new members from around the world.” This is the belief upon which the organization was founded and that drives it to progress NFC technology around the world for a number of different uses.

The forum has said that it is still adding innovative companies from all over the world to its membership list and that the fact that this roster is growing at such a rate is a clear reflection of the “growing momentum for the adoption and implementation of NFC technology.” Though Google is an important addition to the Board of Directors, the organization does not feel that it will be the last important addition to the group. As adoption and awareness increases, so will the length and quality of this list.

NFC technology to be used for Wii U payments and in-game purchases

| February 8, 2013

NFC Technology Wii UThe prototypes for the devices that are enabled with these chips are expected to be released this year.

The Wii U GamePad already includes a function that is enabled with NFC technology, but most users aren’t even aware of it, as it is not extensively discussed on any level, except among developers and intense gamers who talk on the internst.

This is because it isn’t yet used for anything, at the moment.

Even Skylanders, which is shipped with its own reader for NFC technology, does not use it for any purpose. That said, even though it is coming to the forefront once again, most of the purposes for its use have not yet been finalized.

When discussing the topic with investors, Satoru Iwata, the CEO, said the NFC technology plans were not yet concrete.

Iwata said that there are two primary branches of ideas being considered by Nintendo for the use of NFC technology. The first is for toys in the style of Skylanders. The second is to be able to read credit cards so that purchases and payments can be made through the Wii U devices.

As a for instance of the first type of use for the NFC technology, Iwata said “For example, we can create cards and figurines with NFC and design our video games to work in conjunction with them.” He also stated that “Also, an increasing number of arcade games are utilizing IC cards which can read and write data in order to record users’ scores and it is possible for Wii U games to connect with them.”

There are a number of different developers who are working with Nintendo on this type of idea. Iwata said that by the end of 2013, it is likely that there will be something more finalized to show for it, and that some more solid examples will become available. As of yet, however, it appears that the company remains in the concept phase.

Other possible uses for NFC technology that have previously been mentioned by Nintendo include payment cards. In theory, this would make it possible to use an e-money card and either wave it over the device or tap it in order to make a mobile payment.