MasterCard has just released an "User Interface Software Development Kit – or UI SDK" to help app developers on Android and BlackBerry simply integrate PayPass NFC (Near Field Communication) payments into apps. As if there was any doubt that MasterCard was putting their weight behind NFC payments, this pretty much secures it. The idea of the UI SDK is to take out some of the guesswork...
While some folks roam the world with their devices unprotected, there is countless others out there who prefer to not leave such things to chance. Personally, I don't use cases normally but every now and then something interesting comes along that brings some new added functionality to a plain jane case that makes me want to give it a go. Such is the situation with the new PowerSkin NFC...
Although we've seen the Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE pop up several times now in training material and various other leaks, Sprint and Samsung have now officially announced the device. Arriving on Sunday, September 16 the Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE will lighten your bank account by only $100 after a $50 mail-in rebate. For that money, you'll be getting Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich...
The Black Hat conference takes place in Las Vegas this week, where hackers, security experts and representatives from major companies meet to discuss all things relating to information security. If you're following the news out of the conference today, you may have come across reports of a new security vulnerability in Android (and NFC-enabled Meego phones) that could allow a malicious...
Google I/O has been jam packed full of new, and exciting Google software and technology. While the headline acts are no doubt the arrival of the Nexus 7 and Jelly Bean, there has been some pretty interesting stuff going on in the developer sessions. One such session, dedicated to Google Wallet, unveiled a new feature, called Save to Wallet. Initially for offers and payment cards, it is...
Looks like it's time for NFC tags to hit the big time. Samsung tonight announced TecTiles, its own rewritable NFC tag solution. For those of you new to the game, NFC stands for "Near Field Communication" -- think of it as very short-range wireless data transfers where you literally tap your phone against something to initiate the transfer. NFC tags are little stickers that, when...
Although Google Wallet had some issues the other day and went down for a while it looks like there might have been a good reason for it. The app itself has just been updated and according to the change log there is improvements to the prepaid top up process but also support for "new device form factors". The new form factor support entry is a rather interesting one, kind of makes you...
After three short days on the shelf, Virgin Mobile's LG Optimus Elite is already up for a promotion: Google will credit your Google Wallet account with $25 when you activate the NFC-service within 7 days of activating your Elite. LG's Gingerbread-powered Optimus Elite is the prepaid carrier's first NFC-capable device, and Virgin isn't wasting any time putting the service to good use....
If you're looking to get in on a budget friendly Android device that also packs a little punch, Virgin Mobile USA has now opened the doors on their pre-orders of the LG Optimus Elite. Available on May 15th for only $150, the LG Optimus Elite will be the first device in the Virgin Mobile USA lineup to launch with both Google Wallet and NFC enabled. As for the specs, here is what you'll...
While the show down here at CTIA doesn't officially open until tomorrow, the folks at MasterCard held an event this evening to let us in on some of their big news that they have coming. It has become very obvious that people want to be able to quickly and easily pay for things, they want a one click payment and a quick in store experience and that is exactly what they have landed here....
Voting for the 2012 Webby Awards has come to a close and the winners have been announced. A few of our favorite Android apps inlcuding Google Wallet, SwiftKey X, and Evernote all brought home awards. Last month, we mentioned how close Google Wallet and SwiftKey were in the Experimental & Innovation category. It turns out Google Wallet prevailed and was handed the Webby Award for...
The other day when preorders for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Sprint went up a lot of folks got lost in the happiness of knowing the device would finally be arriving and instantly laid out the $199 for it requested by Sprint. That said, there were some details missing from the announcement. Some great details actually, if you're looking for some cash back on the that investment. Get $...
The latest Google Wallet update has now appeared on the Google Play Store and is rolling out for some folks. Switching on over and checking out the change log shows a few things have been cleared up within the app including some bug fixes and privacy enhancements: Prepaid Card top up forms more flexible Citi Mastercard management improvements UI improvements There's a link...
Google is said to be considering a few changes in their Google Wallet strategy because of poor adoption rates. According to Bloomberg, Google is contemplating sharing revenue with the carriers to make the service more appealing and get them to embrace G Wallet like they have done with the ISIS competitor. Of course we have to take all this with that big grain of salt, as Bloomberg is...
If you were holding off on buying one of Seidio's 3800mAh batteries for the Verizon Galaxy Nexus because they weren't compatible with NFC, here's something you'll be interested in. The company has begun offering the big battery with built in NFC circuitry. It's $75, but Seidio says: When you can’t get to an outlet, our Innocell Super Extended Life Batteries will keep you moving...
Isis Mobile Wallet, the service backed by AT&T, T-Mobile US, and Verizon has announced new launch partners and it's long awaited trial launch date. New financial partners Chase, CapitalOne, and Barclaycard join Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express for the trials in Austin, Texas and Salt Lake City, Utah which are expected to begin sometime in mid-2012. Isis isn't sharing...
That's it -- no more business cards for me at Mobile World Congress. Googler Trevor Johns has coded up (and open-sourced) a little app called, appropriately enough, Badge Scanner, which will properly read the NFC chip inside the MWC badge and display it on your phone. You then can add a note and save the contact information. Begone, paper business cards! Do note that if you use this, it...
LG has announced a new handset for South Korea based on its popular Optimus LTE line -- The Optimus LTE Tag, a trimmed-down version of the original with NFC connectivity. The Optimus LTE Tag is a 4.3-inch, device with a 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM and a WVGA (480x800) IPS display. As well as the obvious 4G LTE and NFC connectivity, the phone also sports a 5MP rear camera and 1.3MP...
Google Wallet and NFC is a hot topic with a lot of folks. It seems like a whole lot of people are concerned with the availability of Google Wallet (including yours truly), and we're all curious to learn more about ISIS, but we've no idea how popular either will ultimately be. Just how many of you guys see yourself using any sort of NFC based mobile payment method? NFC on phones has...
![What is NFC? [Android A to Z]](https://www.androidcentral.com/sites/androidcentral.com/files/styles/w250h188crop/public/postimages/9274/nfc_0.jpg)
What is NFC? NFC stands for Near-Field Communication and is a set of standards (established in 2004) for small, portable devices to establish radio communications with each other. Devices need to be close, usually no more than a few centimeters apart (and often they need to touch), which is why it's a Near-Field way to communicate. The standards cover data exchange formats defined by...