29 Dec 2012

Technology reboot: NFC support in (even more) Xperia™ devices

At the start of the year, we reported on a number of Sony Xperia smartphones and accessories supporting NFC (Near Field Communication). In that article, we also looked at NFC technology in more detail, provided some use cases, and explained how we work with NFC. And in that time, we’ve introduced even more NFC-supported smartphones. Read on to get the full list and a general recap of what NFC is all about.
The beginning of 2012 marks an important milestone for us, because that’s when we introduced theXperia S and Xperia ion, the first Xperia™ devices supporting NFC. We also unveiled Xperia SmartTags, which are SmartExtras accessories that can launch a number of pre-configured profiles in the phone. Since then, the number of NFC-supported Xperia™ smartphones has grown, and the list now includes:
What is NFC?
Near Field Communication, or NFC, is a technology that enables data exchange between devices within a short distance, typically only a few centimetres. In most cases, the communication takes place between an active device and a non-powered target, but peer-to-peer interaction between two powered devices is also possible. Transfer rates are low, ranging from 106 Kbit/s to 424 Kbit/s, which means that use cases are all about small data exchanges. A typical use case would be to use the NFC connection as a trigger to set up Bluetooth™ or Wi-Fi™ connections.
NFC can be separated into three different technical modes which suit different use cases: reader/writer mode, peer-to-peer mode and card emulation mode. When developing your own NFC-enabled app, you will find out that the different modes all cater to different needs. These modes are introduced and explained on the NFC technology page. And if you’re interested in developing an app that uses NFC, you’ll find the information you need in the Android SDK to get started with NFC in your own apps. And stay tuned to Developer World for an update on what we’ll be doing with NFC in the coming year.

No comments:

Post a Comment