When is a sticker just a sticker, and when is it NFC?

OPINION: Purists maintain that simply attaching a contactless sticker to a mobile phone isn’t really NFC. And, on one level, they would be right.

True NFC uses the mobile phone as way more than just a convenient place to slap on a sticker. It also uses the phone’s in-built over-the-air capabilities to provide services that extend way beyond those that are possible with a contactless card or label.

Here at Near Field Communications World we like to take a practical view of the world. Yes, stickers aren’t technically NFC. But anything that gets consumers used to the idea of using their phone to perform touch-based functions can only help to build the market whilst we wait for mass market handsets to arrive…

Sarah Clark, Editor

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