CES brought dual-core, LTE but no NFC

By last updated

CES ushered in a new era of smartphones and tablets. Dual-core Tegra 2 processors. LTE broadband data connections. Honeycomb on tablets (for starters). Laptop companions. Docks that turn your smartphone into a mini computer. Creme brulee-coated smartphones drowning in syrup and melted butter. Wait. That was breakfast.

But one thing that was nowhere to be found in the major smartphone releases? Near-field communication. The feature trumpeted in Android 2.3 Gingerbread (see our hands-on with NFC on the Nexus S) was nary to be seen in any of the smartphones announced at CES. Not in the Motorola Atrix. Not in the Droid Bionic. Not in the LG Revolution. Not in the HTC Thunderbolt. Or the Samsung 4G LTE Smartphone (we just love typing that, by the way) or any of the others.

That's not to say we won't see new phones with NFC in the coming months. Mobile World Congress is a month away. CTIA is a month after that. And carriers can release phones any damn time they want. So NFC isn't DOA, it was just MIA at CES. OK?

Phil Nickinson
Phil Nickinson
9 Comments
  • I am guessing the 2nd gen Galaxy S line would probably have the NFC chips.
  • For how long away wide spread adoption of this technology probably is I wouldn't let the lack of the NFC chip sway me from purchasing a new phone. Maybe one or two upgrades down the line it will be more available.
  • So many TLAs!
  • The only reason the Nexus S exists is as a testbed for Google's NFC project. In all other respects, the phone is nothing new, if not downright disappointing. That MicroSD slot was sacrificed for the NFC chip, because thats the only way samsung could fit it in, and samsung was the only company willing to do that for them. NFC is not ready for prime time, and none of the other manufacturers wanted any part of it.
  • Personally you can keep that NFC feature, I don't want it! If Matias Duarte joined Android a little bit sooner....I doubt it would've been included in the Nexus S. Plus the Gingerbread UI would've been sooo much better, look at Honeycomb! I could be wrong but something tells me they would've gone in a different direction. Just Saying
  • If Matias Duarte joined Android a little bit sooner....I doubt it would've been included in the Nexus S Based on what? The NFC chip was the ONLY reason for the Nexus S. You're saying they would have abandoned all plans for their micro-payment system just because they hired one guy? Thats crazy talk.
  • +1 for NFC chips in phones. It's one more thing to make life easier, so why be against it? If you think the Nexus S was made solely for an NFC chip, your wrong.
  • Nope. NOT wrong. Google has already stated the primary reason for Nexus S is NFC.
  • Gingerbread has been out all of a month now, you cant expect manufacturers to snap it into a phone they've been working on for months before. CTIA and MWC will likely see a few adopting NFC.