Forty-three developers produced nine prototype NFC applications at Isobar’s 48-hour hackathon in Boston, including systems for ordering drinks in busy bars and an innovative car parking app. Paula Berger was there for NFC World… More
Travel and ticketing
Sonim launches XP1301 rugged NFC phone
The ultra-rugged phone maker’s first NFC handset offers special features designed for tough commercial applications. More
Google Wallet is now live
The first public version of the Google Wallet app is being sent out to Sprint customers via an over-the-air software update today. More
Casio launches NFC-enabled rugged handheld terminal
The DT-X8 with RFID is designed for use in warehouses, ticketing and security applications and includes support for ISO 15693 RFID tags as well as ISO 14443 A/B, FeliCa and Mifare NFC tags and cards. More
Arizona State University tests NFC
Some 80% of participants in the access control pilot say that using a smartphone to unlock a door is just as convenient as using their campus ID card and almost all are interested in using their NFC phone to make payments and access other services. More
French carriers launch second NFC city
The Cityzi NFC mobile payments service will go live in the city of Strasbourg on 17 October. More
OSPT Alliance publishes open standard for contactless transit payments
The organisation, which aims to establish an open standard for transport ticketing to rival Mifare, has made available the first version of its Cipurse specification. More
EU invests €3.41m in project to make self-service terminals more accessible
The APSIS4All project plans to use cutting edge technologies including NFC to make it easier for the elderly and the disabled to make use of ticket vending machines, public information kiosks, cash dispensers and other self-service terminals. More
Cashless festivals to take off in 2012, with NFC to follow in 2013
Following the successful trial of Mastercard’s PayPass prepaid wristbands at the UK’s Isle of Wight Festival last June, cashless music events are set to take off in 2012 — with NFC in wide use by 2013. More
Deutsche Bahn to roll out Touch&Travel across Germany
The service allows travellers to check in and out of rail stations using NFC or by scanning 2D barcodes, then the fare due is calculated by Deutsche Bahn and a bill for all journeys made is sent at the end of each month. More
TazPad Android NFC tablet to include fingerprint biometric security
French NFC and Zigbee specialist TazTag has integrated AuthenTec‘s TCS2 TouchChip sensor into its TazPad Android tablet... More
Ticketfriend unveils NFC event ticketing system
The new service is designed to provide event promoters with an end-to-end ticketing system which is cheaper than existing solutions and provides a wide range of added value social media, marketing and promotion options. More
Telefonica begins Czech NFC payments trial
The trial will see customers of two banks being able to make payments with NFC phones at branches of the Globus hypermarket chain in the cities of Prague and Pilsen. More
Hungarian mobile operators form NFC alliance
Magyar Telekom, Telenor and Vodafone have joined with MasterCard, OTP Bank and loyalty programme operator SuperShop to establish the Hungarian Mobile Wallet Association with the aim of developing a technical and operational infrastructure for NFC services in Hungary. More
Nokia: No mobile wallet support in current NFC phones
Nokia’s C7 and N9 NFC phones are not equipped to support either an embedded secure element or an NFC SIM, the handset maker has told NFC World, so it won’t be possible to use them for mobile payments or other secure NFC services. More
Transport for London to accept NFC payments from 2012
TfL has agreed to relax its transaction speed requirements to allow payments on London’s bus and underground network to be made via NFC phones and contactless cards from next year — and expects faster NFC phones and contactless cards to arrive in the near future. More
FC Barcelona to test NFC at Camp Nou
Spanish soccer giant FC Barcelona has signed an agreement with the R&D arm of mobile network Telefónica that will see the club’s Camp Nou stadium being the first to test a wide range of leading edge mobile communications technologies... More
NFC news in brief • 27 June 2011
News in brief from the NFC world and beyond: Korea gets NFC Forum test lab • Verayo hires CTO from Apple • US Bank issues contactless EMV cards • SPVA releases secure payment device standards • Majority don’t trust mobile phone companies • 20m Visa contactless cards in UK by end of year • Groupon ties deals to loyalty cards • Identive appoints NFC VP • and more… More
Beeline and Alfa-Bank launch Russian mobile payments brand
The Russian bank and mobile network operator have created a new payments system called RuRu that will begin with mobile and ecommerce, P2P transfers and mobile remittances. NFC services will follow “in the near future.” More
VimpelCom and Ambiq provide NFC ticketing for St Petersburg Metro
The Russian telecoms giant has partnered with the NFC specialist to allow St Petersburg commuters to use their mobile phones to pay for their tickets, in the first stage of a planned national NFC service. More