To NFC, or not to NFC, that is the 3.0 question. Sure, it’s not quite Shakespeare but what is these days? This very question is raging on as varying mobile OS platforms – mainly Android and iOS – are embarking on wildly different paths. A video of interactive signs featuring downloadable content from Google Play (Google’s App Store) just surfaced and it gives us a pretty cool glimpse into some fun ways that NFC can be more widely adopted. We’ve embedded the video below, please enjoy.
For those who might not know, NFC stands for Near Field Communications, and you likely have seen it in action, or at least have seen the now famous Samsung Galaxy S3 commercial where a perfectly suburban wife & mother taps phones with her husband who is about to head out on a business trip, and then ‘warns’ the husband that he ought not watch that video on the plane. It’s funny and linked above if you’ve never come across it.
NFC has hit what might be considered some early user-doldrums as widespread adoption just doesn’t seem to be taking hold… yet. TechCrunch recently published this aggressive post entitled NFC Stands for Nobody F***** Cares and Apple Gets That that talks about Apple’s decision to not incorporate NFC technologies into the iPhone; instead opting to deliver AirDrop as part of the newest iOS 7 offering that delivers users an ‘easier’ way to share files between mobile devices without the need to ‘bump’ phones.
But alas; if you are focused on mobile device to mobile device connectivity – as cool as it surely is – you are completely missing the bigger picture. The entire physical world is being digitally tattooed with sensor technologies and if you think there are a lot of humans on the Internet, just wait until that # is dwarfed by the # of “things” collecting and streaming data to the greater Internet. NFC enabled chips are streaming into all types of sensors and these sensors will ‘awaken’ industries to a new data renaissance, creating brand new user experiences for the individual holding their NFC enabled mobile device. Couple this with fast coming advances like the smartwatch and Google Glass and the ways in which an individual can interface with NFC embedded “things” will get easier, more niche, and more useful to the individuals. Speaking of useful, now is a good time to watch the video we teased at the top of this post.
Related Read: Innovating in a World Full of Sensors
This is just one man’s opinion, but I think the debate is already over. The Industrial Internet will demand it. This isn’t about sharing my Pandora playlist with my cousin through our phones at a family reunion, though it would be nice if he listened to music in the post-Twisted Sister era. Rather this is a complete re-invention of how humans interface with physical “things”, how these things collect and deliver data, and how we use these new delivery mechanisms to improve our lives.
Do you have an opinion on NFC technology and potential uses? Is NFC needed or are there simpler ways to deliver the same functionality? Please share your thoughts in the comments
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