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Thoughts on NFC

What do you think about NFC?

  • AWESOME!!! I<3 NFC!

    Votes: 24 38.7%

  • meh.

    Votes: 25 40.3%

  • It is useless.

    Votes: 13 21.0%
  • Total voters
    62
  • Poll closed .
Explicitic said:
The only way I see mobile payments via NFC becoming a big thing here in the states is if Apple adopts the technology into their devices. And I'm seriously serious here.
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The Robot Cow said:
If Apple placed Nfc in the next iPhone then it'll take off.
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iDoubt Apple will negotiate a 30% cut of all iPhone NFC transactions though... :D

Seriously though I agree; especially if they negotiate a cross-marketing advertising campaign with certain national merchants or one of the card processing companies. It could be another instance where Apple isn't the first to the party but their entrance into the market really brings it mainstream. (mp3 players, smartphones, tablets)
 
cynics said:
I think people here in the US just don't realize how many places support NFC because they don't have it.

For crying out loud the soda machine at my work supports NFC.

Image

There's also places like:

Best Buy
WallGreens
McDonalds
GAP
Foot Locker
Old Navy
Home Depot
Tons of gas stations
Wawa
CVS
7-11

And many more, those are just off the top of my head.

Its unlikely you don't go into a least one place a week that supports it. Those of us that live in more urban areas I'd say multiple times a day.
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Contactless payment and NFC aren't 100% the same thing. Many of the retailers you listed do not support NFC as a payment type. BB included.
 
Where I am in Scotland I rarely see a NFC device. I have NFC on my credit card but have never used it. Also, some store chains that use NFS for payment have reported some issues, such as customers inadvertently charging their cards when the cards are in a chest pocket etc. No doubt it will catch on, but right now I couldn't care less about NFC.....
 
VulchR said:
Where I am in Scotland I rarely see a NFC device. I have NFC on my credit card but have never used it. Also, some store chains that use NFS for payment have reported some issues, such as customers inadvertently charging their cards when the cards are in a chest pocket etc. No doubt it will catch on, but right now I couldn't care less about NFC.....
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considering NFC has a range of less than 10cm (~4 inches), to have a card located in a chest pocket be charged the person would have to bending over and leaning his chest next to the NFC reader.
 
Well, I saw in a YouTube video (lockergnome) some NFC tokens that you could program to automate certain things - like calling someone when you wave the token over your phone - which sounds ridiculous. I mean, if you have somebody who is THAT important just put them in speed dial. Waving a token to save 2 click is stupid.

That being said, NFC pairing is kinda nice. Sure, after the one time Bluetooth does that automatically, but its comfortable.
 
I use NFC tags for certain profiles like for bed time, work, driving, etc. But that can all be done with tasker as well. So it's not really a stand out feature for me right now. I'm using an S4 on ATT so I can't use my phone to make payments, which would be something I would use NFC for if I could. But carrier restrictions aside, most stores I go to don't support NFC payments.

I'd happily buy a phone that doesn't have it although those are fewer and fewer these days. I don't use it enough to where I have to have it right now. But I'm sure in time it will become even more useful than it already is. I'm waiting for NFC payments to actually take off and for Samsungs wallet app to arrive.
 
ReallyBigFeet said:
Contactless payment and NFC aren't 100% the same thing. Many of the retailers you listed do not support NFC as a payment type. BB included.
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Well when I say NFC I mean being able to use Google Wallet with my old Galaxy Nexus regardless of the exact tech (bands and such).

Every place I listed I've used a Galaxy Nexus to pay, including best buy.

Here is a YouTube video (not me) of someone using a Gnex at a lot of places including BB, excuse the music its terrible.

http://youtu.be/TQ2pSzpnY_g
 
I don't have a use for it. As far as using it to pay for things, I would still have to carry around my debit card because not that many places allow you to pay using NFC enabled devices... Swiping a card isn't even back breaking work...

It would be cool to use the tags around my house and car to quickly change settings, but I have none... and I barely use my nexus 7 anyway.
 
lazard said:
considering NFC has a range of less than 10cm (~4 inches), to have a card located in a chest pocket be charged the person would have to bending over and leaning his chest next to the NFC reader.
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See for example link - some people are reporting that their NFC credit cards in wallets and purses were triggering contactless payment at longer distances, but it is hard to verify those claims. I suppose it also depends on the height of the NFC reader and perhaps its orientation.

I am sure simple solutions (like a plastic cage that precludes all but intentional swipes) will be worked out. However, for now where I live in the UK NFC is simply not useful. Then again, I am pretty much at the Northern limits of civilization so things take a long time to percolate up to us....
 
I use it to open doors at work. I have no idea how it works but it has something to do with wifi and NFC but it's pretty cool and fast.

I am an auto shop teacher and I can also use it to LOCK all my doors (6 in total in my shop) and shut off all my lights at once for security during a lockdown. Again, has something to do with wifi as it does not work without it.
 
Verizon locks down Google wallet which theoretically would be the only time I'd use NFC. Not to mention I haven't seen any acceptance of NFC anywhere here in Ohio.

Also, the NFC tags I don't quite understand. My phone automatically connects to bluetooth in my car once I start it within 5 seconds.
 
Nabooly said:
Verizon locks down Google wallet which theoretically would be the only time I'd use NFC. Not to mention I haven't seen any acceptance of NFC anywhere here in Ohio.

Also, the NFC tags I don't quite understand. My phone automatically connects to bluetooth in my car once I start it within 5 seconds.
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No McDonalds in Ohio? No 7-11, Rite-Aids, Best Buys, etc? More places take it then you think, you just don't look for it.
 
Nabooly said:
Verizon locks down Google wallet which theoretically would be the only time I'd use NFC. Not to mention I haven't seen any acceptance of NFC anywhere here in Ohio.

Also, the NFC tags I don't quite understand. My phone automatically connects to bluetooth in my car once I start it within 5 seconds.
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The settings thing comes in handy every once and a while. I have NFC Task Launcher on my Nexus 4 and use an NFC tag on my bedstand to set all the notifications to silent, disable the LED, etc. It's a quick way to link a physical action to a settings change.
 
I do use NFC tags, but if it weren't for trying to prevent battery drain, Tasker (via GPS) would be the better option. I think the whole NFC tag thing is kind of just a passing feature right now. It's a way to make NFC useful on our phones while we wait for the carriers to ease up on Google Wallet or for other scenarios that would open up NFC payments.

I think NFC door locks are cool, but, the three seconds of time saved isn't really worth my peace of mind. Call me old school but I don't think keys are inconvenient. Or debit/credit cards for that matter.

When NFC payments open up and become more prominent I'll surely use NFC more.
 
Had NFC on my DroidDNA and never used it. I have chips to turn things on and off but that was about it. iPhone 5 doesn't have NFC or wireless charging for that matter because its metal not plastic. iPhone 5 just doesn't have room for the antennas (can't beam through metal). I think the new "cheaper" iPhone will have a better chance of adding those technologies.
 
NFC is over rated... I have a galaxy s2 right now and never used NFC.. In my country, Portugal, it's pretty useless, and it seems even in the US... I bought a higher mah battery for it so NFC isn't even available anymore on my phone.
 
zone23 said:
Had NFC on my DroidDNA and never used it. I have chips to turn things on and off but that was about it. iPhone 5 doesn't have NFC or wireless charging for that matter because its metal not plastic. iPhone 5 just doesn't have room for the antennas (can't beam through metal). I think the new "cheaper" iPhone will have a better chance of adding those technologies.
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Excuse my ignorance but what are the new HTC phones made of? I thought they were metal of sorts and used NFC. I don't really keep up with HTC.
 
it is a good step forward but i havent seen it in action much, the main problem is that people arent implementing it in different things because of which we dont get to use it.
 
cynics said:
Excuse my ignorance but what are the new HTC phones made of? I thought they were metal of sorts and used NFC. I don't really keep up with HTC.
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Plastic but the new HTC One is aluminum so I guess it is possible to get NFC through the metal not sure about wireless charging. .
 
I use it daily for commuting here in Tokyo. Having that integrated in my preferred phone it would be awesome; missing it in my favorite phone don't make me jump the boat.

It would be more important for me compared to a fingerprint sensor.
 
Everyone lambasted Apple for not including it in the iPhone 5, but I've never had a real world opportunity to use it here in the states with my GS3. All of the carriers disable Google Wallet here in favor of their own services they don't even use just yet. Seems like a good idea that's never been implemented.
 
I use it at Rite-Aid. And any other place that takes Paypass. In fact I used it tonight. I do find it handy, but it is certainty more of a novelty than anything. The cashiers at Rite-Aid were amazed by it, so I guess they don't see it much.
 
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