Nokia 6212 - 1st Near Field Communication mobile phone

Today Nokia announced they have released their first Near Field Communication (NFC) mobile phone. The new mobile phone known as the 6212 a 3G handset will allow users to share information, access services and information easier than ever before. With this technology mobiles could finally become practical ‘virtual wallets’ by allowing owners ‘one tap’ convenience purchasing.

This slimline mobile comes with such standard features as a 2 megapixel camera, 2-inch QVGA display, FM radio receiver and mp3 player. Interestingly it has a microSD slot that is capable of holding up to 4GB. I am not really sure how anyone buying this type of phone could ever want to use 4GB of memory but hey it is there if you need it.

Contract-free pricing for the Nokia 6212 is expected to be around €200 when it starts shipping in the third quarter of 2008. The US/Canada are not on the early list so if you are from those countries do not expect this mobile probably until 2009 if at all.

About NFC

Earlier this year SMSTextNews wrote about how it was unsurprising that testing NFC was occuring as that is completely normal with any new technology or even handset for that matter, but Ewan noted that the site and number seemed to growing at a consistent pace.

This led us over at TechWinter to consider not ‘if’ NFC would become a mass technology but ‘when’ assuming of course the always present problem - adoption from competitors that typically hate paying each other for proprietary and patented technology. If Nokia can navigate this issue and comfort their competitors then we could be seeing the dawn of a truly paperless currency in Europe.

Below is some informatin from Nokia’s website about the NFC technology;

http://europe.nokia.com/A4153291

“NFC-capable handsets such as the Nokia 6212 classic are set to change the way mobile phone users interact with devices and services in their surroundings,” says Jeremy Belostock, the Head of Near Field Communications, Nokia. “With the Nokia 6212 classic, people can swap items like business cards or calendar notes by simply tapping their handsets together. With ever-increasing device functions and services available, ease-of-use is essential. One way to keep things simple is NFC.”

Near Field Communication is designed for intuitive, simple and safe interaction between electronic devices. By tapping an NFC-enabled tag, consumers can receive new content such as weblinks, audio files or contact data directly to their phone. They can activate a profile in their handset or open applications such as FM radio or web browser. Photos and videos can be easily shared by tapping another NFC-capable phone and pairing with a Bluetooth NFC-enabled device, like the new NFC variant of the Nokia BH-210 headset, happens with just one touch. The lightweight Nokia BH-210 with NFC headset allows users to access all functions easily with a single multifunction key. The widely compatible headset can be used with a number of Nokia devices as well as other manufacturers’ phones.

The Nokia 6212 classic can also be used as a travel ticket or for mobile payments. Travel tickets can be charged over the air, so there is no need to wait at the service counter. Users can store their credit card information on the device and access their account online directly from the handset. Using the Nokia 6212 classic for payment and ticketing purposes requires a service subscription and the installation of an appropriate secure application. Security for transactions is assured as the handset can be set to allow payment only when the user expressly authorizes the transaction via an additional passcode.

What do you think? Will this technology finally standardise touch-less payment? I cannot way for one payment system because these combination credit cards are a real pain in the b**t