Near Field Commu nication With the introduction of Android 2.3, we now have the ability to work with special tags using Near Field Communications (NFC). NFC tags are similar to Radio Frequency ID tags (RFID) except that the range for NFC is less than four inches. This means the sensor in the Android device must come very close to the tag to be scanned. NFC tags can be programmed to give out text information, URIs and metadata, such as the language of the information. Note that NFC is not a new technology, and has been used in other parts of the world for years. In fact, in several countries, point of sale terminals that read NFC tags are quite common. When these terminals detect an NFC tag, the shopper can complete the financial transaction using an account linked to their NFC tag ID. There are many demonstration videos on the Internet that show how a user can tap an object carrying an NFC tag next to one of these terminals to begin the payment process. Google talks about a promise of one day being able to use the phone in place of your wallet. This is a promising concept indeed. Android supports being able to let the device act like a tag to another reader, or to be a reader to detect and scan NFC tags. There are actually three modes of NFC operation. The first mode of NFC is the reading and writing of contactless tags. The second mode is card emulation mode. This allows an Android device to act like a tag itself. The obvious benefit of this is that your device could act like one tag, then act like a different tag at the touch of a button. This is how an Android device could replace your wallet. Whatever credit card you own, or bus pass, or ticket, your An...
