MyTechieGuy Question Of The Day - What is NFC and what is it used for?

Today i have launched my series of "MyTechieGuy Question Of The Day" where i will be asking myself and at the same time answering the hottest questions running in my mind everyday. I am a very curious soul and this will help me to always find answers to the new stuff that i meet everyday. I hope this helps the same curious minds out there looking for answers to similar questions.

What is NFC?

NFC stands for "Near Field Communications"

NFC is a wireless communications technology based on RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology (ISO/IEC 18092 standard) that permits data transfer between two NFC enabled devices over a distance of up to 10 cm.

What is NFC used for?

NFC today is used in various industries which include; Mobile telecommunications, finance, banking, commerce, automobile, medical, transportation and manufacturing.

Here is a list of some of the cool practical applications you can archive with NFC:

1. Mobile payments

NFC assisted mobile payments

2. Using programmable NFC tags, you can control, launch and start some tasks on your mobile device for example; turn your WiFi on/off, bluetooth ON/OFF and much more

NFC tags

3. Creative marketing. If you own a business for example a bar, restaurant, saloon, events, you can use NFC tags to promote your business by placing NFC tags on your posters, when someone scans the poster, the NFC tag will automatically launch google maps showing the location of your event or business.

4. Automobiles; some BMWs have NFC-enabled car keys.

NFC enabled car keys

5. Data exchange between two mobiles; two NFC-enabled phones can be made to exchange data such as photos, contacts, music, documents after establishing a connection within NFC operating range (10 cm).

Data exchange between two NFC enabled phones

6. e-Health and public safety. Doctors will be able to use NFC to scan their patients phones for live health statistics such as pulse, blood pressure, body temperature etc.