DeviceFidelity adds full NFC functionality to iPhone

The NFC-on-microSD specialist’s new iCaisse4X iPhone case combines expanded battery life with NFC card emulation, tag reading/writing and peer-to-peer capabilities.

DeviceFidelity's iCaisse4X NFC
ICAISSE4X: Stylish case adds NFC and battery capacity to latest iPhones. Click to enlarge.

NFC microSD specialist DeviceFidelity has unveiled a new version of its iCaisse add-on for the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4 that brings full NFC card emulation, tag read/write and peer-to-peer information exchange functionality to the Apple devices for the first time.

The new In2Pay iCaisse 4X is a case for the iPhone that combines the NFC functionality with a battery pack that extends usage of the phone by several hours.

“The new design is an amazingly protective and stylish hard shell two-piece case that allows iPhone owners to simply slide in their phone and instantly enable NFC tag reading and writing, make mobile payments using NFC mobile wallets such as Moneto, gain secure entry through NFC enabled transit readers and share data between other NFC enabled phones,” says the company.

“The case itself doubles as an additional source of power complete with an extended battery that is controlled and monitored directly from the case,” DeviceFidelity adds. “The iCaisse4X NFC is one of the only extended battery cases in the market with a removable battery allowing users to carry yet another charged battery for extra long extended use period. iPhone owners can also choose from several fun case bands that come in spirited colors such as red, orange, green, purple, silver and clear.”

The iCaisse4X has been undergoing testing with development partners for the last six months, Deepak Jain, CEO of DeviceFidelity, has told NFC World. It has now received ‘made for iPhone’ certification and is ready to ship in volume to carriers and banks today.

From next month, it will also be available to purchase direct from DeviceFidelity’s Moneto service, which allows consumers to purchase an NFC add-on for the iPhone and for Android phones that comes with a prepaid card account. Pricing will be comparable to other iPhone battery packs, which typically cost in the US$60 to $100 range, Jain says.

The iCaisse4X will also feature a new secure element chip in the removable NFC microSD card, Jain added. This will feature up to 256KB of secure memory, allowing each device to support card applications from multiple payments networks.

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