The good news is, these newer TecTile tags are backward-compatible with older Samsung devices that are NFC-enabled, allowing you to use them with your new Galaxy S 4, as well as any other Samsung devices you have lying around, including the Galaxy S III. These tags will allow you to automate a variety of tasks for certain situations, like adjustments to settings and opening up an app with a wave of your phone.

If you’re not all that familiar with TecTiles, they are Samsung-specific NFC stickers that you can program to activate certain phone tasks when the tag and the phone are touched together. You can place these tags all around your house and in your car, which allow you automate tasks, like setting alarms, switching a phone to silent mode, starting up media players, etc.

The downside is that if you’ve invested in the original TecTiles and have upgraded to the Galaxy S 4, you’ll need to grab the newer TecTile 2 tags, which sell for $15 for a pack of five, and are available now online, with availability in stores coming next month.

Currently, the only device that comes with native support for TecTile 2 is the Galaxy S 4, but we’re guessing that future Samsung devices will be utilizing the updated technology as well. As for the advantages of TecTile 2, it seems it’s a bit faster than the previous-generation, with the possibility of extended NFC capabilities, but if you can’t rush out and get new tags now, it won’t hurt you to wait around in order to grab some.

Earlier this week we shared the original details, and today we managed to catch up with Sony for a quick hands-on look at their new NFC enabled remote controls for their smart TVs. (read: the expensive ones). So you ask what this is for? And we’ll tell you below.

Want to share the song you’re enjoying on that Xperia smartphone, or the YouTube video you’re viewing on the small screen to the big one? Simply tap your NFC capable Xperia to your Sony remote and their One-touch mirror mode will activate. Within seconds you’ll be streaming that content or enjoying that music on the big screen and your home theater. We saw their easy-pairing approach already, and this is just one more aspect that will make their new smartphones and TVs great.

Sony doesn’t want us fumbling through settings, enabling share features or trying to pair our phone to the TV for hours. Let the built-in settings and NFC (Near Field Communication) feature do it for you. This is so dead simple the mass public should be able to adopt and enjoy the feature with ease. Simply tap your smartphone to the remote and a quick haptic feedback vibration lets you know the connection was received and mirror mode is active. A simple second tap and hold will kill the connection and let you get back to enjoying content on the Xperia display.

As expected, this feature will be exclusive to Sony’s own Xperia devices. While this makes sense for them, the mass public using iPhones or the Galaxy S III could also use this feature and I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of it soon. Hopefully one day soon they’ll open this up for all smartphones to enjoy.

Flomio set a goal of $80,000, and they actually passed it with 423 backers donating a total of $83,637 so far, with just 11 hours to go at the time of this writing. Flomio notes that these last 11 hours will be the last chance to buy a FloJack at a discount price before they eventually charge full price for the dongle. You can get one now for as little as $49.

During the Kickstarter campaign, the company unveiled what they call the FloCase. Thanks to a ton of reader feedback and suggestions, Flomio has now made an iPhone case that has an NFC reader embedded inside. This might be a better option for some users who don’t want to deal with a dongle that might get lost easily, but the case certainly doesn’t win any awards in the design department.

Flomio’s Tim Ronan says that “this is only the beginning” for Flomio. The company will continue to “deliver products that will prompt the NFC ecosystem.” Both the FloJack and FloCase are scheduled to ship sometime in March. You can get a FloCase now for $99, but just like the FloJack, the company will initiate full prices after the Kickstarter campaign is over. It’s yet to be known what these full prices will be.

It’s hard to predict what Visa’s strategy for mobile payments will be as they’ve remained quite mum about it. But they have been heavily pouring money into the space, recently investing in Square, the mobile merchant services company, whose device lets customers accept credit card payments via their smartphones. They also partnered with Gap in a program that alerts customers of discounts on jeans and apparel via text messages when the customer is in the vicinity of a Gap retail store.

“We’ve been reluctant to talk about it until we have put together…an appropriate [response], where we can tell you something positive and significant,” said Saunders. He also believes that for their strategy to be viable, it must address five characteristics: Convenience and simplicity, standardization, interoperability, global accessibility, and security.

“None of the solutions we have seen from competitors is comprehensive enough because they don’t address all of these criteria at once. Visa has long delivered solutions at the physical point of sale that passed this test and we are applying the same standard in the online and mobile arena,”

This feels a bit like a slap to the face for the competing ISIS mobile payment venture formed by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. ISIS started off with bold claims to completely replace credit card networks with their own mobile payment network, but recently scaled back those ambitions. Another contender in the space, but with a more modest approach, is Google, who has already deployed trial programs for NFC-based Places and coupons.

[via AllThingsDigital]

The lower end phone will have a 3.14-inch screen, support for HSDPA 7.2 and NFC.

The new models have yet to be named. We’ll keep you informed as we learn more.

[via Near Field Communications World]

Isis plans to roll out their trial system in early to mid 2012. And the lucky city to get a first taste is Salt Lake City. The trial will involve testing the system in both paying for goods at retail stores as well as paying for the city’s bus and train fares.

It’s still not certain which phones will be involved in the trial. The only phone with built-in NFC at the moment is the Nexus S, although upcoming BlackBerry and Android phones will likely be NFC equipped. The iPhone 5 rumored to launch early next year may also support NFC.

[via Electronista]

Sprint’s move to launch its NFC service this year will put it ahead of the Isis system which is scheduled for 2012. Sprint is also trying to differentiate its system from that of the Isis in its billing and revenue model.

Sprint’s NFC service will not only be a more open solution, but it will also be taking revenue from coupon advertising instead of a percentage from each transaction. This aggressive fee structure and early bird strategy is likely aimed at garnering a large market share rather than actual initial profitability.

Additionally, customers will be billed on their credit card bills for NFC payments instead of on their cellhone bills. This should eliminate the shock factor of getting a high cellphone bill due to NFC charges and could also help increase user adoption of the new service.

We intend to make this an open solution where consumers can use their phone in a variety of physical locations,” said McGinnis. “Because we’re allowing other brands and other institutions to participate, they can also tell their consumers that this is available on Sprint.

Rather than take a percentage of each transaction, as Isis plans, Sprint could share in revenue from sales off coupons sent to its customers’ handsets or targeted advertising, McGinnis said. Users’ purchases would be billed through their regular credit-card statements.”

[via Android Community]

[via Near Field Communications World]

Video demo after the cut

Since the NFC technology is embedded into the microSD card rather than the iPhone case or the iPhone itself, there’s a degree of cross-platform compatibility.  Assuming Visa offer a suitable app for your smartphone – and that said-smartphone has a microSD slot – you should be able to continue to use the modified card even if you decide to dump your iPhone.

Of course, Apple aren’t letting the NFC grass grow underneath them, and the company has already filed patent applications for various NFC-based ticket and mobile payment solutions that would be integrated into iPhones and other mobile devices.  There has been no sign of NFC hardware in the leaked iPhone HD prototypes we’ve seen to-date, but it’s possible that Apple could announce the functionality in their fourth-generation handset at WWDC 2010.

[via MobileCrunch]

While there are currently 16 different packages of the current Symbian release available, together with an EPL release of the microkernel that, Puckrin expects, will see semiconductor firms proliferate low-cost chipsets for the platform, Symbian^3 is on course for completion in Q1 2010; handsets are expected to reach the market in the second half of next year.  Meanwhile the Symbian^4 kits will begin to become available in Q1 2010, with the OS scheduled for completion in Q4 2010 and commercial availability of handsets in the first half of 2011.

Symbian^3 and ^4 will bring with them at least 466 new features from the Foundation team themselves; Puckrin also expects many more additions from the developer community itself.  The Foundation expects to differentiate its offering from Google’s Android by virtue of broader access to core aspects of the OS, together with a different open-source license which will require those modifying and tweaking the Symbian code to resubmit their changes and adaptations, a move Puckrin believes will prevent fragmentation.

Among the native functionality baked into Symbian^3 will be near-field communications, which will allow mobile devices to communicate wirelessly with in-car electronics, media systems and other handsets, together with a new social web API.  Similar to Android 2.0′s API “hooks”, this will allow social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to connect to core applications such as contacts and messaging, for aggregation of content and sharing profile photos and other information.  The upcoming OS will also feature hardware graphics acceleration, potentially boosting video playback performance to hitherto unseen levels on mobile devices.

Rather than leave finding applications to chance – or to the occasionally clunky Ovi store, Symbian Foundation have developed Horizon, a combination application publishing system – which will push new code into the Ovi store for download – as well as act as a “yellow pages” for apps.  Rather than replicate the Ovi functionality, Horizon will offer a full database of software from both large and small developers, as well as multiple links to the various places it’s possible to download those apps from.  There’s also a suggestion site, ideas.symbian.org, where smartphone enthusiasts can suggest new features, vote for other suggestions, and the Foundation will attempt to connect developers and popular ideas for later inclusion in the core OS.

While we’re inherently cautious about any platform purporting to be “The Future of Mobile”, some of Symbian Foundation’s approaches certainly seem to make more sense than rival OSes and the relatively tight grip they’re held in by the manufacturers.  More details on the Symbian port for BeagleBoard here; the device itself is available here.

Video demo after the cut

Initially the on-device ebook store will only be available in Germany, but the txtr is compatible not only with DRM-locked ePub files but unlocked pdf, epub, doc and PowerPoint formats.  Interestingly, txtr make details about the device’s hardware and software available on their developer site, and seem to be encouraging tinkering and modifications with a public API; we’re a little confused with the talk of 3G connectivity on the main product page, though, while the developer hardware page discusses an EDGE modem instead.  However the same page also confirms Bluetooth and Near Field Communications.

Monthly service plans will be around €11.99 to €14.99 ($18-22) depending on length of contract, but be optional; it’s not quite clear, but it seems that wireless book purchases will not require a subscription.  The txtr will come with an 8GB microSD card.  NewGadgets.de caught up with the txtr team recently, and shot the video below of the device in action.

[via MobileRead]

That means NFC credit and debit cards, travel season tickets and workplace access cards can be left out of a user’s wallet, with the 6216 classic stepping in instead.  Of course, that’s assuming that services sign up for the system, which requires an NFC-compatible SIM and the appropriate subscriptions. 

Otherwise, the Nokia 6216 classic is a pretty standard handset, with 3G connectivity, a 2-megapixel camera, radio and media player, and a microSD card slot content with up to 8GB.   It’s set to launch in “select markets” in Q3 2009, priced at around €150 ($195) before taxes and subsidies.

Press Release:

NFC technology takes its next step with the Nokia 6216 classic

Espoo, Finland and Monaco, Monaco – At the opening keynote of the 3rd annual WIMA conference, held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, Nokia announced its third fully integrated Near Field Communication (NFC) device, the Nokia 6216 classic. The new arrival is Nokia’s first SIM-based NFC device which enables operators to build NFC services on to the SIM card. With NFC consumers will benefit from greater ease of use, more convenient sharing of content – such as images, weblinks, audio files or contact data – as well as secure payment and ticketing transactions, all with just one tap of the device. The Nokia 6216 classic is expected to start shipping in the third quarter of 2009 in select markets with an estimated retail price of EUR 150 before taxes and subsidies.

“The Nokia 6216 classic will be amongst the first commercial devices in the market complying with operator requirements using the SIM card in connection to secure transactions with Near Field Communications,” says Jeremy Belostock, head of near field communications at Nokia. “With the Nokia 6216 classic in your pocket and the ticketing applications on the SIM you can replace the multitude of cards in your wallet. Having the applications on the SIM consumers can bring their secure applications to their next Nokia NFC enabled phone.”

Owner’s credit card information can be stored securely on the SIM card and waving the device in front of a contactless terminal enables quick payment and simple ticketing services*.

“The launch of the Nokia 6216 classic SIM-based NFC handset is a great step forward for payment and ticketing services,” says Alex Sinclair, the Chief Technology Officer of the GSM Association. “We believe this will drive more rapid deployment of the technology and expect this to signal launch of NFC services in the market by operators.

In addition to the NFC technology, the Nokia 6216 classic is outfitted with the features people desire from a next generation mobile device, including digital camera, bright display, stereo FM radio and music player, 3G connectivity and a microSD slot which is expandable up to 8GB.

*A compatible NFC SIM card is required in order to be used with contactless ticketing and payment services, and require a service subscription and installation of an appropriate secure application.

About Nokia
Nokia is the world’s number one manufacturer of mobile devices by market share and a leader in the converging Internet and communications industries. We make a wide range of devices for all major consumer segments and offer Internet services that enable people to experience music, maps, media, messaging and games. We also provide comprehensive digital map information through NAVTEQ and equipment, solutions and services for communications networks through Nokia Siemens Networks.