NFC poll: does your phone have NFC and do you use it?

[mikedt]

Was thinking about the recent iPhone 5C thread which got onto the subject of NFC, Near Field Communications. How many people have an NFC equipped phone, and do you use it, and what do you use it for?

I know the possible uses for NFC, like contactless payments, but I've not seen that yet. Transferring pictures and files between phones, most people I know use Bluetooth, and almost every phone has BT. Tagging items, that seems to be pretty well taken care with by QRcodes, which are like everywhere now, and almost every phone has a camera. Exchanging contacts and social networking details, I use QRcodes for that. I even put my WeChat QRcode into my lesson materials so students can contact me if they want.

So I'm thinking NFC is a technology that's yet to find a proper and widely accepted roll.

I'd like to hear your opinions and experiences.

About tagging items. QRcodes are ubiquitous now, see them everywhere. Like this one for getting you connected to a department store's WiFi network.

...also it would be pretty much impossible to NFC tag a TV programme or a high up billboard.



EDIT:-

Where the ballot says "phone", include any NFC equipped device you may have.

 

[sntaylor]

Well we actually have a similar thread over in the s4 forum, Personally I hadn't realised you had to have the screen on and unlocked, I however root my phone and soon found a mod for this to allow the use of it with the screen off.

my personal usage is in the form of tags, as it works with the screen off I just have a few tags set up to change sound, Wi-Fi setting etc, really quite lazy but that's what is there for. I've one in the car sets volume to max so I can hear it, one next to my seat in living room turns Wi-Fi on, volumes more acceptable, bedroom turns silent and a screen dim app as I'm always in bed after the Mrs. If I had a set time to get up everyday I'd have it set the alarm!

these are just some of the extra uses, which I could have done with the screen being turned on, but thanks to the mod it works more effortlessly

 

[sfbloodbrother]

haha, I currently do not have a phone. I have 3 tablets, 2 of which have NFC, but I do not use it.

 

[sntaylor]

On that note,I don't actually use it on my tablet! Lol

I suppose it is like all other technology, takes its time to be properly implemented and it will be even more so with more technology available, New tech will find it harder to come into play, take video-DVD-Blu-ray!

 

[mikedt]

OK where I said "phone", include tablet or whatever other NFC enabled device you have. Myself I only use an Android phone, which doesn't have NFC, and a couple of laptops, no tablets at the moment.

 

[trophynuts]

current phone doesn't have it. But the G Nex i had did. Never used it. I think it's a long way from becoming main stream. IMO i think it's a total gimmick for the most part at this point.

fwiw i couldn't care less if the next 2 generations of phones have it. However we all know that if the Iphone gets it then it actually may cause the NFC tech to grow. Which could benefit us all.

 

[zuben el genub]

Frozen by TB. Have no use for it. Will not use it on an Android Phone or tablet.
Give me back the IR that came with the PDAs. You could send stuff from one PDA to another, and there were programs that let you print, control your TV and anything else that used IR. HP had some printers with IR built in. It stayed on the device. Nothing got sent out to the cloud or another service.

 

[sntaylor]

Frozen by TB. Have no use for it. Will not use it on an Android Phone or tablet.
Give me back the IR that came with the PDAs. You could send stuff from one PDA to another, and there were programs that let you print, control your TV and anything else that used IR. HP had some printers with IR built in. It stayed on the device. Nothing got sent out to the cloud or another service.

S4 has ir too which admittedly I haven't really used, despite using it back in my old Nokia days!

 

[nickdalzell]

Both my Nexii and Samsung GS3 have it, and no, I never use it. The town I live in is so far behind there is nothing to even support it. Heck, I hardly use my phone's camera and never got into the whole QR code thing. I see QR codes as useless as CueCat from RadioShack. The only use I get from my phone's camera is using the flash as a nice flashlight at work.

Most who troll Apple sites/forums slam Apple by claiming the iPhone lacks NFC, despite many who make that claim failing to either know what it is exactly, or even use it, just knowing it exists and is on their phone is enough.

 

[AntimonyER]

I had a vending machine that had paypass, I used that pretty regularly with my GNex and N7, until they took out the paypass reader sure to malfunctions. I have some NFC tags that I use occasionally, but not very much. Finally I have beamed a few videos to and from my wife's phone. So yes I use it, but not very much.

 

[9to5cynic]

I voted Yes and Yes, and while true, is a bit inaccurate. I have used NFC several times to send URLs to other people who have NFC on their phones, but that's pretty much the extent of it. Very rare usage on my end. Though, I've used less QR codes if that has any relevance.

 

[nickdalzell]

Perhaps I'm dumb but along with QR codes being useless IMO, every time I took a pic of one I got a gallery image of the sticker, nothing more. How exactly does one 'scan' those without a proper scanner?

 

[mikedt]

Both my Nexii and Samsung GS3 have it, and no, I never use it. The town I live in is so far behind there is nothing to even support it. Heck, I hardly use my phone's camera and never got into the whole QR code thing. I see QR codes as useless as CueCat from RadioShack. The only use I get from my phone's camera is using the flash as a nice flashlight at work.

CueCat LOL I remember that thing. The company went bust in the end. WeChat uses QRcodes as a standard way exchanging contact details. I put my code up on the projector at the end of lessons sometimes, students can just point their phones at it and add me. Also see QRcode tags on so many things here now, like TV programmes, in stores and restaurants, billboards, buses, trains. I'm pretty sure at least some people are scanning them. Unlike CueCat though, it's not controlled by one company and requires no specific hardware. Don't even have to pay any patent royalties to use QRcodes, Toyota basically gave it away.

A train ticket.

Scan the code with your phone, and it should tell you if your train is going to be late or whatever. A similar thing could probably done with NFC, but it would no doubt make train tickets more expensive to print, and not everyone has NFC in their phones. Although in theory with NFC your phone could be the train ticket.

Most who troll Apple sites/forums slam Apple by claiming the iPhone lacks NFC, despite many who make that claim failing to either know what it is exactly, or even use it, just knowing it exists and is on their phone is enough.

Trolls...go figure.

 

[9to5cynic]

Perhaps I'm dumb but along with QR codes being useless IMO, every time I took a pic of one I got a gallery image of the sticker, nothing more. How exactly does one 'scan' those without a proper scanner?

Yeah, I think it's only possible with a qr reader/scanner. Otherwise the phone just takes a picture of it.

I just don't trust 'em very much. And most of the time, they're used for advertizements. No thanks.

 

[XplosiV]

I used to use it with stickers, but Tasker has since made them obsolete, however if I could use it for contactless payments, I would, and hopefully this will become more wide spread in the future.

 

[nickdalzell]

That is why I never got into them. You never know what is going to happen. On the one hand, you might get a nice, handy discount coupon, but on the other hand, you could be spammed with emails/airpush.

 

[XplosiV]

Perhaps I'm dumb but along with QR codes being useless IMO, every time I took a pic of one I got a gallery image of the sticker, nothing more. How exactly does one 'scan' those without a proper scanner?

Red laser is a great app for QR codes / barcodes, fast at scanning, easy to use

 

[XplosiV]

That is why I never got into them. You never know what is going to happen. On the one hand, you might get a nice, handy discount coupon, but on the other hand, you could be spammed with emails/airpush.

Air push, AFAIK, requires a download/install of some slimy lil code, which require user prompt. Bar/QR codes are usually pretty safe and have multiple uses for convenience. The key imo, is to try them them at least, then make an informed decision as to if you want to continue with them or not.

 

[mikedt]

Perhaps I'm dumb but along with QR codes being useless IMO, every time I took a pic of one I got a gallery image of the sticker, nothing more. How exactly does one 'scan' those without a proper scanner?

Use a scanner app, there's plenty of them around or you can use Goggles. I'm sure most phones here already have a QRcode app included. When I use WeChat for exchanging contact details, it's the app iself that makes the codes and scans them. Put the code on the screen and other person just scans it with their phone's camera using the WeChat app.

Me.

Couldn't do that with NFC.

 

[nickdalzell]

I'm just concerned that I'll scan one and be added to some lame company's email list. I get enough spam, thanks.

 

[XplosiV]

It doesn't work like that, as I said, most things require user prompt, and the code is usually displayed after being scanned if it's a url/text code

 

[BigCiX]

Yes I do and only used it twice to transfer adult contents to buddy's phone.

 

[mikedt]

It doesn't work like that, as I said, most things require user prompt, and the code is usually displayed after being scanned if it's a url/text code

Sure most of the public codes you see around are just URLs, takes you to websites. Usually they are just ads, but some are genuinely useful, like showing you train or bus times or a discount coupon.

 

[XplosiV]

Sure most of the public codes you see around are just URLs, takes you to websites. Usually they are just ads, but some are genuinely useful, like showing you train or bus times or a discount coupon.

Oh of course, my point, although maybe not well made, was that the code contained within the QR, is usually seen by the user, and then needs user action/confirmation before the code is executed, be it a url or otherwise

 

[damewolf13]

I use it to transfer music and photos.
I find it pretty handy and easy to use once you get the hang of it.