Near Field Communication or more commonly abbreviated as 'NFC,' are among the many functions that give put 'smart' into smartphones. This relatively new technology was first introduced in Japan and other Asian countries such as Korea in 2004.The concept was developed by technology companies such as Nokia, Phillips and Sony. The technology has since diffused into North America but it is still developing.The concept is simple, it allows users to perform functions wirelessly by swiping their smartphone over a NFC enabled machine. It is commonly used for wireless transactions in person. In short, NFC is a short-range device that operates on wireless frequencies similar to Bluetooth.So how does NFC work exactly?
Each mobile device that is compatible with NFC is equipped with an NFC antenna. This antenna allows the user's mobile device to connect to a receiver that can be up to a few feet away. A majority of people believe NFC is simply a mobile credit card, however, NFC can do much more. It can act as gift cards, identification, bankcards, train passes and possibly even keys to your home or office! NFC allows easy access to trivial items in your wallet without having to carrying them all. You can also say, NFC works as if it is a virtual wallet!
Here is a video briefly explaining the gist of Near Field Communication: