NFC (near-field communications) could be a buzzword you'll soon be hearing a lot more of over the coming months, particularly in relation to Bluetooth 2.1 devices. Bluetooth 2.1 supports NFC, which is a short-range radio technology similar to that used in RFID tags and London's Oyster cards. It lets devices communicate up to about 10cm away, and in Bluetooth it can be used to remove the need for going through the tedious pairing process. There are one or two NFC-capable phones on the market, such as Nokia's 6131 NFC , but to date NFC has been seen mainly as a way to let a phone become an 'electronic wallet', where you can simply touch your phone onto a till to pay for goods (or, if they're anything like Oyster cards, perhaps let any passing hacker clone them .) But today we saw an even handier use for NFC at the British Motor Show, where Parrot was displaying a new version of its Party Bluetooth mini-speakers . Due to launch later this year, the new Parrot Party is NFC-ready, which means if you have a suitable phone or MP3 player you'll be able to connect to the speakers simply by waving it near them. Yes, we know you can set up Bluetooth to automatically connect to paired devices, but this removes the need for the initial pairing entirely, making it ideal for Bluetoothophobes. Parrot says it will also have the same technology in some of its digital photo frames, so you'll be able to transfer photos at the swipe of a mobile. ...
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NFC (near-field communications) could be a buzzword you'll soon be hearing a lot more of over the coming months, particularly in relation to Bluetooth 2.1 devices. Bluetooth 2.1 supports NFC, which is a short-range radio technology similar to that used in RFID tags and London's Oyster cards. It lets devices communicate up to about 10cm away, and in Bluetooth it can be used to remove the need for going through the tedious pairing process. There are one or two NFC-capable phones on the market, such as Nokia's 6131 NFC , but to date NFC has been seen mainly as a way to let a phone become an 'electronic wallet', where you can simply touch your phone onto a till to pay for goods (or, if they're anything like Oyster cards, perhaps let any passing hacker clone them .) But today we saw an even handier use for NFC at the British Motor Show, where Parrot was displaying a new version of its Party Bluetooth mini-speakers . Due to launch later this year, the new Parrot Party is NFC-ready, which means if you have a suitable phone or MP3 player you'll be able to connect to the speakers simply by waving it near them. Yes, we know you can set up Bluetooth to automatically connect to paired devices, but this removes the need for the initial pairing entirely, making it ideal for Bluetoothophobes. Parrot says it will also have the same technology in some of its digital photo frames, so you'll be able to transfer photos at the swipe of a mobile. ...