'DNA' digital: How to make the best use of NFC

Near Field Communication, or NFC, is the next wave of contactless communication in smartphones and can already be found in all major high-end handsets. So, what is NFC exactly?

Similar to the way hotels use swipe cards to access rooms, NFC works using magnetic induction. The device or phone in this case, generates a small magnetic field and when it comes in contact with another similar object or ‘Tag’, it enables transfer of data almost instantaneously. Tags could be active, which has their own power source or passive such as stickers, which rely on the power of the phone to communicate.

Most smartphones these like the Galaxy S III, HTC One X, Galaxy Nexus, etc have NFC built into them. However, most people aren’t aware of the fact that this feature actually exists in their phones, let alone use it. The primary aim of NFC was to streamline payments in malls, gas stations, shops, etc where in instead of carrying cash or credit cards, you simply tap your phone at the counter and make a payment. This system isn’t yet fully realised globally and only a few banks have this in the US, while it’s still relatively unheard of in India right now. Other than payments, you can actually use NFC tags to automate day-to-day tasks.

Sony ships NFC tags with some of their Xperia phones, but one can also buy it online. aTuch.in is one of the first Indian companies to start selling NFC tags here and you can get them in different forms like stickers, posters, etc. NFC tags can be programmed to do a task through apps and you can re-use the same tag for different functions. Here are some scenarios where you could use NFC followed by some of essential apps to make it work.