Netcom shows off microSD card with integrated NFC

Here's an interesting idea from a Chinese company called Netcom (not to be confused with the Norwegian operator): adding NFC capability to existing phones via microSD. That's right, rather than relying on external add-ons that occupy ports, Netcom decided to fit NFC chips plus their antennas onto ordinary microSD cards, yet still managing to cram in up to 8GB of NAND memory at the same time. This sure sounds convenient, but there are some caveats: the first rule is that neither the back cover nor the microSD card holder should be made out of metal; then secondly, we noticed that due to the tiny antenna coil, scanning could become tricky if the reader has a small sensing area -- you'd need to position your phone at just the right spot; and lastly, the phone needs a special background app to communicate with the NFC circuitry.

The demo we saw used a Java app running on a Chinese dumbphone, and we were told that Android will be next in line to receive similar support. Alas, consumers won't be able to pick up one of these cards from the shops, though Netcom's already working with a "top ten" phone manufacturer on a compatible device due in three to six months, so stay tuned.

Google and Sprint team up to take your digital dollars with new NFC payment system?

There's been rumors of a Google-fied mobile payment system for some time, and now it looks like the Mountain View crew is teaming up with Sprint to finally make it happen. Last month, we heard that the Now Network would bring NFC payments to its customers this year, and Bloomberg reports that the partnership and payment system will make its debut on May 26th. Apparently, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington D.C. are the first cities getting the service, which is a much broader initial footprint than its Isis mobile payment competition. The anonymous sources also say that Verifone and Vivotech are providing the hardware and software that will let you replace your credit card with a Nexus S -- because you always wanted to replace your credit card with your Nexus S.

Update: According to All things D, the payment system will be put through its paces by none other than El Goog's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt at the D9: All Things Digital conference next week -- where we'll be on hand to peep the contactless payment presentation in person.

Amazon said to be considering NFC-based mobile payment service

As you may be aware, Amazon does actually already make it easier for you to shop at places other than Amazon.com with its Amazon Payments service, and it now looks like it might even be thinking about expanding things to brick and mortar stores as well. More specifically,Bloomberg is reporting that Amazon is exploring a mobile payment service based on NFC technology, which would let you pay for items and receive things like loyalty points using nothing other than an NFC-equipped cellphone. Not surprisingly, Amazon is also said to be considering some other features that would send folks back to Amazon.com -- Bloomberg gives the example of someone shopping for jeans in a retail store who can't find the right size, and says that they could simply scan the jean's tag to order a pair online. Details are otherwise a bit light, and the service is apparently still not quite a sure thing, although a person familiar with the matter says Amazon will decide whether to go forward with it or not "in the next three to five months."

NEC's MEDIAS N-04C is only 7.7mm thick, has Android 2.2, NFC

It's only been three months since the last avalanche of NTT DoCoMo phones, but that's not stopping the Japanese carrier from scheming up another hardware refresh. Leaked out ahead of what's expected to be a February 24th launch, we've now laid eyes on what's likely to be the highlight device of this year's spring batch : the 7.7mm-thick NEC MEDIAS N-04C. It follows last year's N-04B in nomenclature only, what with the older model being a flip phone, and offers a spacious 4-inch touchscreen, a 1seg TV Tuner, NFC contactless payments using Sony's FeliCa standard, and a skinned version of Android 2.2. Look out for it in Japan soon, but don't hold your breath if you live outside the sunlit kingdom -- history has shown devices like the N-04C tend to stick to their native market of Japan.

Samsung's Wave 578 outted with NFC, representing the Bada gang

Look, we all know Samsung's Bada platform isn't exactly everyone's first choice when picking a new phone, but if you're eyeing up an NFC-compatible handset within a reasonable budget later this year, then this Wave 578 could be a potential candidate. Packed within the metallic body is a dinky 3.2-inch 432 x 240 LCD screen with multitouch, compensated by a 3.2 megapixel rear camera, a VGA front camera, Bluetooth 3.0, and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi. Alas, there's no HD video support for both playback and recording, but you can at least take this as an indication for a wallet-friendly price point. Expect to see this featurephone on the shelves across Europe, South East Asia, and Middle East starting in May. 

Latest Android Gingerbread release brings NFC and Bluetooth together for tappable sharing

Sending a webpage from an HP Pre 3 to a Touchpad is as easy as tapping them together, a technique we've not previously seen -- but something that's now possible in the latest flavor ofGingerbread: Android 2.3.3. This adds some expanded functionality for working with the NFC chip found in the Nexus S (and, presumably, others soon) enabling, among other things, NFC to work with Bluetooth. As demonstrated a few weeks ago, the NFC chip can be used to send networking and establish a connection when the two phones touch, so no more manual pairing required, just sweet 

Stanford researchers demo social NFC applications on the Nexus S

To hear most mobile companies tell it these days, you'd think that NFC (or near field communications) is only for mobile payments. That's not the case at all, of course, and a group of researchers at Stanford's MobiSocial lab have now thrown a few new ideas of their own onto the table after getting a pair of Nexus S phones to play with. After first making a few tweaks to overcome some of Gingerbread's limitations -- it only uses NFC for reading tags -- they were able to develop a few social-minded applications that make use of the P2P functionality possible with NFC. That includes one example that lets you share photos simply by pressing two phones together, and a second that lets two phones share an application -- collaborative whiteboard, in this case. Unfortunately, those aforementioned tweaks to Android mean you can try out the apps yourself just yet, but the researchers are hopeful that similar applications will eventually be supported by Android and other platforms. Head on past the break to check them out on video.

Android 2.3.3 announced with more developer-friendly access to NFC

The Android versions keep on rolling today with the introduction of a new build in the 2.3 Gingerbread line -- 2.3.3 this time -- that improves developer access to the platforms newfound NFC capabilities as first seen on the Nexus S. What's new, exactly? Well, there's a new NFC read / write API that Google alleges will let you access pretty much any NFC tag on the market today, better control over what happens when a tag comes within range of the device, and "limited support" for peer-to-peer NFC communication -- something Stanford cobbled together for the Nexus S not long ago. The new build is available now to developers using the Android SDK; no devices have received an update yet, but we'd imagine the Nexus S is queued up to get it before too long.

Deutsche Telekom rolling out NFC payments with T-Mobile USA, other markets this year; NFC iPhone along for the ride?

At its press conference at Mobile World Congress today, Deutsche Telekom -- the German parent of T-Mobile subsidiaries around the world -- mentioned that it'll start launching NFC payment systems in handsets across multiple markets starting this year with full deployments in 2012. T-Mobile USA will be included in the action through the Isis initiative announced in late 2010 in partnership with AT&T and Verizon, but here's where it gets particularly interesting: DT execs apparently name dropped Apple during the live event for a 2011 launch. Of course, there's no shortage of rumors that the next-gen iPhone will include some manner of NFC capability, and it certainly seems like an Apple endorsement would work wonders in taking the technology to a new level of consumer acceptance. Follow the break for the full press release -- it doesn't mention Apple, interestingly, so it's entirely possible that this was an executive slip-up. More on this as we have it. Rich from Phone Scoop wrote in to let us know that the Apple mention was in a slide deck handed out during the conference, not verbalized by executives. Interesting!

iPhone 5 and iPad 2 will come with NFC built in

Richard Doherty of Envisioneering Group cites "engineers who are working on hardware" for Apple's latest project in asserting what that project actually is: NFC capabilities are apparently being built into the next generation of iPhone and iPad devices. Contactless payments via NFC have been steadily building up in hype and adoption recently -- at least in the western hemisphere, the stuff is commonplace in Japan -- and Doherty predicts Apple will make its move into the field with some new hardware and an accompanying "revamp" of iTunes. Hit read more for details.

Video : Google rolls out NFC-equipped Places business kits

The company's embedded near-field communications chips into each and every one of these "Recommended on Google Places" window stickers, which you'll be able to trigger with a shiny new Nexus S -- just hold your handset up to the black dot, and voila, your phone gets a "tag." Google's now distributing the signs on a trial basis to Portland, Oregon businesses as part of a larger Google Places kit, though it doesn't explain how (or if) they'll be able to program the chips. Find the sign-up form at our more coverage link, or watch a Nexus S doing its thing after the break.

Video : Near Field Communications (NFC) on the Nexus S with Gingerbread

NFC is might be the future of wireless money transfer (and death to credit cards) but right now it is taking its first baby steps. Go ahead and watch the new standard in action.