Nfc holds up well in combat bluetooth - IDG.se

Near field communication, nfc, have a short range, which makes the technology well suited for payment solutions. You have to hold the phone next to the reader. It is part of the security.

Nfc pronounced dead by several American commentators when Apple released version 7 of iOS, the operating system for iPhones and iPads.

Class=”paragraphIntro”> Mobile Phones with Android can nfc, as well as phones with Windows Phone. But Apple does not want it. Instead, Apple is investing in its own ecosystem, based on the low-power version of Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy. How this can threaten nfc, one might wonder.

Apple ecosystem based on the program Ibeacon included in iOS 7. Beacon means ‘lighthouse’. There are shops and public facilities to be set small lighthouses. The beacons detect if someone passes with Ibeacon turned in his Iphone. In this case, phone holder is greeted with a discount offer. The technique works on about ten feet away.

actual communication going on Bluetooth low energy. At one time it was called Wibree. Nowadays it is one of two equal variants of version 4 of bluetooth. A single touch is enough to switch from classic bluetooth to the more power-efficient variant. The price for power saving is shorter range.

The relatively short scope allows for fairly accurate positioning. One can imagine help locating in shopping malls and museums.

already exists company that manufactures and sells “lighthouses” for Ibeacon, but if any company have introduced the function so it has escaped me. Programmers have already started experimenting with it. We need not give any particular lighthouse. You can run two or more mobile phones against each other, such as a treasure hunt.

But a threat against nfc?

Nfc requires a active action from the user. One must keep nfc card next to the reader. NFC can also be part of a cell phone, but then you have to hold the phone to the reader. So it is a more convenient alternative to swipe the card through a card reader slot.

There are pay services that uses NFC, but they seem to be on growth. However, nfc in general use for entrance. Using Apple’s wireless service for access or payment does not seem like a good idea, given that the range is approximately ten meters. It would be much clicking in subway turnstiles when it says a gang of youths close by.

And who of s, it was like paying for a cup of coffee?

class=”paragraphIntro”> Apple’s calculation is to store cards and the like can not be replaced with nfc. Most people will not go to a card reader at the mall and hold up their card to get a special deal. If the offer popping up on your phone automatically when you pass takes enough out.

For payments required the authentication solutions, which complicate the comparison with nfc. But of course, Iphone reads fingerprints now. It’s still a gamble to introduce such a system without inviting other players.

So I think not that nfc is threatened. There is room for both technologies.

But there’s undeniably a plethora of wireless technologies for data transfer. Computer Sweden has compiled some of the best known, and a few lesser-known side bar.