Microsoft picks NXP for NFC in Windows 8

“NXP has a deep understanding of NFC and we are working with them to deliver the right hardware, software and support to bring this technology to our partners, developers, and ultimately the consumer,” says the software giant’s Aidan Marcuss.

Windows 8's start screen
NFC IN WINDOWS 8: 'A significant step in the roll out of this game-changing technology' says NXP's Ruediger Stroh

Microsoft has chosen to work with NXP on the development of NFC support in Windows 8, it has been revealed.

NXP says it has collaborated extensively with Microsoft to develop an NFC driver for Windows 8 that enables a variety of NFC use cases. NXP has configured its PN544 NFC controller chip to support Windows 8 and also revealed it is supplying the NFC solution used in the Windows 8 tablets, made by Samsung, which are being distributed to attendees of Microsoft’s Build Windows conference, taking place in California this week.

The NFC use cases available with Windows 8 include:

  • Windows 8 device pairing (eg Bluetooth headsets and speakers)
  • Data sharing (eg digital business cards)
  • Device control transfer (eg transfer a video call from a tablet to another NFC-enabled device)
  • Tag reading (eg linking the physical world with the cloud through interaction with smart posters and NFC-tagged devices)

“Developers and computing equipment manufacturers can take advantage of NFC support for Windows 8 to offer a wide variety of consumer and enterprise use cases such as offering promotions, coupons, and discount codes via NFC tags and posters; bringing physical touch points to online social networking for enhanced check-in experience; perform surveys and brand reviews; add NFC-enabled tokens to unlock or enhance a gaming experience; and, enable content delivery in document, audio or video format,” says NXP.

“We chose to work with NXP’s NFC solution because they are a proven technology leader in near field communication,” said Aidan Marcuss, senior director of Windows product management at Microsoft. “NXP has a deep understanding of NFC and we are working with them to deliver the right hardware, software and support to bring this technology to our partners, developers, and ultimately the consumer.”

“NFC support for Windows 8 is a significant step in the roll out of this game-changing technology and truly signifies that the time of NFC is now,” said Ruediger Stroh, executive vice president and general manager of NXP’s Identification Business. “NFC offers consumers an unprecedented user experience and we are very excited to be working with Microsoft to offer NFC for Windows 8.”

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