At least 6 ways we are using NFC

We all know that NFC works like magic. It allows us to communicate with other devices by just touching them or putting them very close together (no more than few inches). But what are we actually doing with NFC? Here is at least six.

An Epitome of Wearable?

Last month at WIT (World IT Show), a Smart Suit 2.0 (by Cheil Industries) was on display. So what makes Smart Suit so ‘smart’? Well, it features Samsung’s NFC chip inside the inner pocket of the suit to provide various features. For example, Smart Suit features the ‘Etiquette mode’, which allows users to mute or put the smartphone on vibration mode when it rings by simply putting the device back inside the inner pocket. Not only you can get the Smart Suit washed and dry cleaned, it is totally wearable.

Play the Tag Game

If you are a gamer and a user of Galaxy smartphone, you might be aware of the Samsung Gamepad and S Console. To turn your smartphone into a game console with the S Console app, all you need to do is tag your smartphone to the Samsung Gamepad using the NFC and mount the smartphone into the Gamepad. Or instead of mounting it, you can also plug in the smartphone in the smart dock which is connected to your TV via HDMI cable to play mobile games on a bigger screen.

No More Group Tour

The Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, uses NFC for its digital guides. It allows its digital guides to explain the works of art through voice and display to the visitors; but that isn’t it. You may be familiar with the fact that many museums prohibit visitors from taking pictures of the works of art to minimize the potential damage to them.

So Leeum’s digital guide eases this inconvenience by letting users download the image of the piece they like on their mobile device via NFC. All users have to do is just select the preferred picture on the digital guide and bring your mobile device close to it. 

Easy Rider

There is nothing wrong with giving people some peace of mind, even for a simple taxi ride. In Korea, many taxis have a NFC enabled ‘Safety Sticker’. Once your NFC enabled smartphone tags the sticker, it sends you the license number of the taxi and the time of use to your smartphone then automatically forwards the info to your choice of contact, such as family or significant other. A simple trick for some peace of mind.

Not like the One from the Office Space

Samsung introduced various NFC enabled printers since the Xpress C410W series, the industry’s first NFC enabled color laser printer and multi-function printers (MFPs). These printers can connect to your mobile device via NFC, so you can print pictures, documents, e-mails, and web content by simply tapping your smartphones on the printer. No more going back and forth between your computer and the printer!

Cash Only?

As long as mobile devices continue to evolve as primary tool for our daily lives, making payments through smartphones seems to be inevitable. Samsung has been working to bring safer and more secure mobile payments using NFC for a while. Recently, Samsung has agreed to a partnership with UnionPay – the only domestic bank card organization in the People’s Republic of China, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Westpac, both an Australian bank to transform the way we do digital banking and mobile payments. Maybe the day will come when we don’t even need to carry around any cash or pieces of plastic to make any purchases; we’ll just use our mobile devices.

Of course, there are many more ways people utilize the NFC technology besides the 6 we went over. How are you using NFC? Leave a comment below to share your knowledge! Thanks!

*All functionality features, specifications, and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.