One of the hot topics at this year's CES is Near Field Communication (NFC), a technology that brings very short-range wireless communications to mobile apps. NFC is the technology empowering mobile e-commerce systems like Google Wallet, and can also be used to display info on nearby items to consumers. It's also being incorporated into conference technologies to identify participants and as a "virtual business card" exchange. Industry sources predict that the technology will be built into up to a half billion high-end smartphones by 2015.
A big issue for now is the fact that current NFC systems are not encrypted, making it a bit of a concern for e-commerce uses and consumer privacy. Still, as NFC systems improve and diffuse, it should join GPS-enabled mobile devices to offer a range of hyperlocal services.
Sources: CES 2012's Big Sleeper: Near Field Communications, InformationWeek
IT Pro Impact: NFC and Mobile Commerce, InformationWeek Reports
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