Is it possible to install an NFC module on Android? NFC: should you be upset if your smartphone doesn’t have it? Reading and writing tags

Inclusion

First you need to turn on this chip. In devices from Xiaomi, this can be done in the following way:

• go to the “Settings” application;
• open the “Additional functions” tab;
• select the “NFC” item and set the switch to the active position.

Possibility of use:

• Data transfer

In the same menu you can activate Android Beam. With it, you can transfer data between two Android devices that have NFC.

To transfer a document/image or any other file:

enable NFC on both devices;

select the file that needs to be transferred;

It is important to remember that the transfer speed via NFC will be lower than using Bluetooth.

Fast device synchronization

If you are used to using wireless headphones or smart household appliances, then NFC will probably come in handy here too. To connect new headphones or a smart washing machine, you do not have to carry out a long search and synchronization procedure via Bluetooth. You just need to turn on NFC and touch your smartphone to your smart device. The place where the NFC chip is located is marked with a special symbol:

Using labels

The presence of NFC in a smartphone will also help optimize and speed up the operation of the device through the use of NFC tags.

What is an NFC tag? This is a small flexible plate that is equipped with an NFC chip and a small amount of memory. It can be used to store various types of information that will be used later. For example, you can save your alarm clock settings or enable airplane mode to a tag. The limits of using this function are limited only by the built-in tag memory and your imagination.

Card emulation

NFC technology also allows you to emulate cards: you can make various payments using your smartphone (only with terminals that work using PayWay technology). For the system to work successfully, you will need a phone with NFC and a special banking application through which you will link your card to the gadget.

Also, a smartphone with NFC will help replace a work pass or, in the near future, a travel ticket. When using smart locks with NFC, you also don't have to worry about the key - now it will be your device's job.

Use to view information

Some brands and companies use NFC tags that store information about the device or how the device was purchased. For example, if you want to find out more about a desired fur coat or a new car, then simply move your smartphone to the tag and get all the necessary information.

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Why are more and more mobile manufacturers equipping smartphones with an NFC chip, and what opportunities does this technology open up for the user?

Nowadays, the mobile market offers a wide variety of high- and mid-price smartphones that are equipped with an NFC chip. Before you pay for an additional function, you need to understand what it is and why it is needed in the phone.

What is NFC?

NFC (Near field communication) is a wireless communication interface, one of the main characteristics of which, as the name suggests, is a short range (up to 10 cm). Among the features of the technology we can also highlight:

• Possibility of exchange with other devices and passive tags.
• Compact sizes.
• Low power consumption.
• Low data transfer speed.
• Connection setup time is 0.1 seconds.
• Budget cost.

Thanks to its small size and low power consumption, NFC can be used in small devices. In smartphones, the antenna is usually mounted on the battery compartment cover or the inside of the back panel if the battery is removable. So that users do not have the question of how exactly to apply the gadget to transfer data (this problem is especially typical for tablets due to their large size and short range of technology), the location of the chip is often marked with a special sticker on the case.

Since the NFC interface is only a base that does not provide a clear solution for use, mobile manufacturers and application developers have to independently develop work scenarios. This can cause problems when apps and devices from different manufacturers interact with each other.

Ways to use NFC

Perhaps one of the most common ways to use NFC is. The user can attach a bank card to their mobile device, with which they will pay in the future, for example, if the card is left at home. In this case, the possibility of data interception is extremely low due to the small range of the interface; a lost or stolen unlocked smartphone poses a great danger.

To make a payment via NFC you will need:

1. Bank card marked paypass.
2. Application of the relevant bank.
3. Find the NFC item in the application menu.
4. Place the card on the back of the phone to read it.
5. Remember the password for payment transactions sent in an SMS message.

The next method of using technology is data exchange. Using the Android Beam program, you can transfer various files from one mobile device to another. However, the transfer speed is very low, so this function is more suitable for sending small text messages and links.

Instructions:

1. Activate NFC - check the box next to this item in the “Wireless Networks” menu, unlock your smartphone and turn on the screen.

2. Select an agent:

• Google Chrome - to transfer the current active link.
• Google Maps - for transferring the route.
• Google Play - for transferring applications, books and other content presented in the service.
• YouTube - to send a link to a video.
• Contacts - to transfer a contact.
• Gallery - for transferring photos and pictures (however, this can take a long time due to the low transfer speed, so in this case it is better to use special applications, which will be discussed below).

3. Bring the devices closer until the alarm sounds.

4. Touch and hold the screen to confirm the transfer.

5. Another beep will sound indicating successful file transfer.

There are various applications that use the NFC interface only for pairing, and subsequent file transfer is carried out via a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection: Send! File Transfer, File Expert HD and Super Beam WiFi Direct Share.

The next method is reading and writing tags. This function works similarly, only the NFC chip is used rather than the smartphone camera. It can be useful for automating home and work life. To create your own, you will need blank blanks and special programs for recording the necessary information. You can assign the following actions to a tag, which will be performed after it is read: sending an SMS message or email, calling a contact, opening a link, connecting via Bluetooth, launching an application and much more.

Several programs for creating tags:

1. WiFiTap WiFi NFC - for connecting a wireless network. Helps guests connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot quickly and without entering a password.
2. ABA NFC - for creating various standard format tags.
3. SmartTag Maker is a special application for users of Sony products, which contains a number of templates used not only with the NFC interface, but also with a headset, Bluetooth devices, power supply, etc.

Bottom line

Each user decides for himself whether he needs the additional NFC function in his smartphone or not. However, this technology is being used in an increasing number of mobile devices. Therefore, if you did purchase a gadget with NFC support, you now know how to use all its capabilities to make life more convenient.

NFC on a phone is a high-quality wireless communication technology with a small radius of influence, which allows you to exchange information between two gadgets without contact. NFC is based on RFID, which is radio frequency recognition, which is a method of mechanically identifying an item.

What is NFC?

NFC is a contactless technology that can read and send information from devices over not very long distances. The abbreviation stands for "Near Field Communication". It is based on the principle of exchanging radio signals, identical to Bluetooth, but there is a significant difference. Bluetooth transmits data over long distances, several hundred meters, and NFC requires no more than 10 centimeters. This technology was developed as an extension for contactless cards, but it quickly gained popularity, and developers found application for it in other devices.

There are three ways to use this technology in cellular phones:

• read mode;
• emulation, when the device works like a payment card or pass;
• P2P mode, when information is exchanged between phones.

The chip is stored in the cell phone and is used as a means of payment; you can book tickets, pay for car parking or metro travel, and provide access control. Thanks to technological payment processes without contact, MasterCard PayPass and Visa PayWave cards with integrated antennas appeared, where the role of NFC was taken into account, and applications for Android smartphones were developed.

What is NFC in a smartphone - with close contact, a pair of devices communicate through magnetic field induction, when closely contacting loop antennas form a device. NFC covers frequencies in the 13.56 Megahertz spectrum, and the information transfer speed can reach 400 kilobits per second. The device operates in two modes:

1. Active. Both gadgets are provided with a power source and transmit information in turn.
2. Passive. The field power of one of the devices is used.

Which phones have NFC?

NFC on your phone gives you the chance to pay for purchases by touching your mobile phone to the terminal; it’s a kind of bank card on your cell phone. Just 6 years ago there were few devices that supported NFC, but now tablets, watches and other devices are equipped with chips. Which phones have this device:

• Apple – all iPhone models;
• Sony – Xperia S, L, Z series;
• Samsung – Galaxy S series;
• Motorola;
• Nokia-Lumia.

How can I tell if my phone supports NFC?

How to check if NFC is available on your phone? There are several ways:

1. Remove the back cover of the smartphone and inspect the battery; it should have the inscription “NFC” on it.
2. In the settings, find the “Wireless Networks” tab, click on “More”, if the technology is available, a line with the name of the technology will appear.
3. Swipe your hand over the screen and open the notification shade, where this option will be listed.

If there is no NFC, what should I do?

NFC on the phone - what are these modules? The following main types are distinguished:

• SIM cards;
• external devices;
• microcircuits;
• NFC modules;
• stickers.

The NFC module can be purchased together with the phones, but they are also sold separately. Stickers are attached to the cell phone body; they come in two types:

1. Active. They provide communication via Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, but consume a lot of energy, so they require frequent recharging.
2. Passive. They do not exchange information with the phone and do not record it into the device through mobile communication channels.

How to install an NFC chip in your phone?

If it is not initially included in the device, an NFC module for the phone can be purchased and installed. There are two options to choose from:

1. NFC SIM card, many mobile operators now sell them.
2. NFC antenna. If there is no near field, this is the best solution. Communication shops also have such devices; they are glued to the SIM card, under the cover of the mobile phone. But there is one drawback: if the back cover is not removable or the SIM card hole is on the side, you will not be able to install such an antenna

How to enable NFC?

A device with NFC can be used not only as a wallet, travel card, or discount coupon; special tags also help to read data about goods in stores, and about any objects in museums and galleries. How does it turn on?

1. In the settings, select “Wireless networks”, then “More”.
2. The required inscription will appear, check the “Activate” box.

If your smartphone has an NFC chip, you need to activate Android Beam:

1. In the settings, click the “Advanced” tab.

Click on the NFC switch, the Android function is activated automatically. If this does not happen, you need to click on the “Android Beam” tab and select “enable”.

1. In order for data exchange to go smoothly, you need to make sure that both phones support NFC and Android Beam, first you need to activate them. The following is the action plan:
2. Select a file to transfer.
3. Press the back covers of the phones together.
4. Hold the devices until a beep sounds, which confirms that the exchange is complete.

Regardless of the type of file, NFC technology assumes the following information transfer algorithm:

1. Hold the devices only with their backs facing each other.
2. Wait until they find each other.
3. Confirm the request for data transfer.
4. Wait for a message that the process has completed.

Having started their work in Russia just a month ago, they have already managed to change our lives for the better. Thanks to them, we stopped digging through our wallets, holding up the queue, and flashing banknotes in front of everyone. So, in any case, say those who have already experienced all the benefits of contactless payment for themselves. But what about those who do not have this privilege?

Despite the relatively widespread use of mobile services for conducting transactions, many Russians (and not only them) do not have the opportunity to use them. The reason for this is quite simple and literally lies on the surface - the smartphone market is not limited only to Apple and Samsung devices. Some people prefer to use something, albeit less flashy, but certainly more accessible.

There are many ways to turn your smartphone, regardless of the manufacturer, into a real wallet. Let's start in order.

The first and, in my opinion, the most preferable is Yandex.Money.

Few people know that the Yandex.Money application for Android supports contactless payments, requiring only the NFC module integrated into the smartphone from the client. The user himself must take care of replenishing the wallet with title units (read – money).

The second method is NFC SIM card.

These are produced by the mobile operator MTS in collaboration with the bank of the same name. Install a functional card in your smartphone and pay for purchases with a light touch on the terminal. No one will guess that you cheated!

Of course, this still cannot be called a full-fledged replacement for Apple Pay, since transactions are not encrypted and do not require fingerprint identification. In addition, you will still have to open a separate account with MTS PJSC or Russian Standard Bank.

However, if you are already a card holder of one of the two banks, the problem disappears by itself. All you have to do is visit the nearest mobile phone store or bank branch, where you can get the SIM card described above completely free of charge.

The third method is an NFC antenna.

The antenna looks less intimidating in real life

For all those whose smartphone does not have a “near-field” module in its arsenal, the path to “contactless” will be somewhat more difficult. They will have to either replace the device with a new one, which is irrational, or equip it with an NFC antenna themselves. Contrary to popular belief, doing this is much easier than imagining it.

To do this, you need to purchase an external NFC antenna, which is sold in cellular stores, and, gluing it to the surface of the SIM card, place it under the cover of your smartphone. A small note: owners of devices with a non-removable back panel and a side slot for SIM cards will not be able to perform this operation.

NFC bracelets.

Some banks, including Alfa Bank, are producing bracelets that are simple-looking at first glance, containing an NFC chip associated with your personal account. It works on exactly the same principle as plastic cards with PayPass or PayWave technology.

Check with bank representatives about the availability of appropriate accessories in their range and, having received a copy, remove the chip from the purchased bracelet and simply put it in the case of your smartphone or tablet. This way, you not only don’t have to remember to have a wallet with you, but also worry about the autonomy of your main gadget.

The cost of an NFC bracelet, depending on the bank, ranges from 500 to 1000 rubles. A case with a small pocket on the back will cost you the same amount.

The combination “NFC” (Near field communication) is increasingly found in the specifications of modern smartphones and tablets. In this article we will try to consider this interface from the point of view of practical use, so that readers can independently draw their own conclusion about the need to have it on their phone.

In testing, we used two smartphone models that have already been reviewed in detail on our resource: Acer CloudMobile S500 and Sony Xperia acro S. We would also like to point out that most of the information, including the programs and use cases described, will only apply to Android smartphones. It is this operating system that is today the most “friendly” when it comes to working with NFC.

Introduction

At first glance, it may seem that numerous wireless interfaces today already cover all possible popular tasks and scenarios, so another option is simply not needed. However, if you look at the development of modern technologies, you will notice that more and more attention is being paid to energy consumption issues, especially when it comes to mobile devices. In particular, version 4.0 of the well-known family of Bluetooth protocols is precisely aimed at reducing battery costs. The second point worth mentioning is that not every task requires a long range. It happens even the other way around - you want to explicitly limit the distance between interacting devices. In addition to the obvious reduction in consumption, this also affects safety. And a similar remark can be made about the volume of transmitted data. So the idea of ​​a slow wireless interface that operates over short distances and is characterized by low power consumption has a right to exist.

The starting point in the history of NFC development can be taken in 2004, when Nokia, Philips and Sony announced the creation of a touch-based interface for the interaction of various devices with the aim of developing and standardizing the interface between various devices. However, the first versions of the specifications were created a little earlier. Perhaps, by modern standards, the technology can be considered very young (if you do not take into account the history of RFID), but it is already quite often found in real products and services. In particular, at the Mobile World Congress 2013 held at the end of February, many stands and demonstrations were devoted to this topic.

This sign can be found on devices with NFC technology

The formal characteristics of the interface are as follows: operation at a distance of several centimeters, maximum information exchange rate of about 400 Kbps, full-duplex data exchange is supported, operating frequency is 13.56 MHz, connection establishment time does not exceed 0.1 s, operating mode is point-to-point. It can be seen that these parameters radically distinguish NFC from other popular wireless interfaces.

If we talk about devices, then in addition to active controllers in NFC, there are also passive options (they are usually called tags), which receive power wirelessly from the active controller. One example is modern cards for travel on public transport. Tags are simply data storage, usually less than 4 KB in size. Most often, they only provide read mode, but there are also options with write support.

One of the simplest options for a passive NFC tag

The compact size of the controller and its low consumption allows NFC to be implemented even in such small designs as SIM cards or microSD memory cards. However, for full operation it is necessary to use a special antenna. In phones it is usually located on the back of the battery compartment cover or built into the back panel if the device does not have a removable battery.

The NFC antenna is often placed on the back cover of the smartphone

The short range can have a negative impact when using tablets - finding the right place to “position” may not be as easy as we would like. To solve this problem, some manufacturers mark the location of the antenna with a special sign. As for the range, in our case the connection worked at a distance of no more than four centimeters - both between phones and with a passive tag.

From a security point of view, the developers did not implement elements of protection against interception and relay attacks. This of course makes it difficult to implement secure solutions, since it requires the applications themselves to be protected at a higher level. Note that in fact, such a well-known protocol as TCP/IP behaves similarly. So from a practical point of view, losing a phone without additional protection with customized payment system programs seems more dangerous than intercepting communications.

Perhaps the most important thing to know about NFC today is that the interface itself does not provide any real practical use cases or solutions. Unlike, for example, Bluetooth, whose profiles clearly describe how to transfer a file, how to connect a headset or provide network access, NFC is only a base, and direct operating scenarios are provided by additional software that works through it. On the one hand, this opens up great opportunities for developers, but on the other hand, it is a problem for them when ensuring the interaction of different applications and devices.

Interestingly, any programs installed on a smartphone or tablet can register in the operating system as NFC-related event handlers, and then when called externally, you will see a standard menu “What do you want to do with this action?” Since some NFC use cases involve convenient automation of actions, it is advisable not to overload the device with such utilities.

The NFC Forum tries to help with this uncertainty by proposing standardization of protocols for certain scenarios (notably NDEF for storing short messages on tags and SNEP (Simple NDEF Exchange Protocol) for exchanging information between devices), but practically determining the compatibility of specific devices is usually hampered by a lack of detailed information from the manufacturer and diagnostic tools. Another assistant here is Google, which has offered its own development of Android Beam in the latest versions of Android. It allows you to exchange certain types of information between compatible devices.

Android Beam

First, you need to make sure that both devices have NFC enabled, Android Beam active, and their screens are unlocked. On the models we tested, NFC only works if the screen is on and the device is fully unlocked. But perhaps other devices will use a different algorithm. In any case, the active interface requires very little battery power to operate, and so far the described approach seems quite reasonable. One option to simplify your work is to disable the lock screen. In this case, to identify the tag, it will be enough to simply turn on the smartphone. Another inconvenience is the need to confirm the operation by touching the screen after the devices find each other. This is not always easy to do without disrupting communication, especially when both devices are in the hands of two different people.

The next step is to select one of the applications on the device from which you plan to transfer. In particular, these may be:

• Google Chrome - transfer the current open link;
• YouTube client - transfer of a video clip (as a link);
• Google Maps - transfer of a place or route;
• Contacts—transfer a contact card;
• Google Play - application transfer;
• Gallery - transfer of photos.

Next, bring the devices closer to each other. When a partner is detected, you will hear a tone on the sending device and the desktop image will shrink. At this moment, you need to touch the screen image and hold your finger until you hear the second signal - about a successful transfer.

We tried the options listed, and almost all of them really work. Even the fact that our devices were produced by different manufacturers did not prevent them from finding a common language. But a few comments are still worth making. There are no problems with routes in Google Maps, but the option with a place is not very interesting, since only the current map display is transmitted. The dot marked on the screen of the original phone does not reach the recipient. The situation can be corrected by using the Addresses application, which transmits data correctly. When sending contacts, the photo is lost, since from a technical point of view the transfer format corresponds to vcf text files. If we talk about applications, then you can send not only those installed on the phone, but also simply open cards on Google Play. Books and other content from the store are similarly supported. Naturally, we are talking about transferring links, and not the downloaded or, especially, purchased elements themselves. There was a problem with sending photos: the Sony device was unable to work with this type of data. The official wording is “The recipient's device does not support large data transfers via Android Beam.” Here is the first sign that the interface is young or that the technical specifications of the devices are insufficiently detailed. Formally, we have both NFC and Android Beam in two devices, but in practice their real capabilities differ significantly, and this can only be found out by checking. What can we say about less famous manufacturers - their version of implementing this technology can be completely unpredictable.

By the way, regarding the work of Android Beam itself. The description of the technology indicates that data transmission uses Bluetooth communication after initial coordination of settings via NFC. Considering that all working formats required a really small amount of transferred data, NFC speed was quite enough for them, but for photographs it would have been clearly not enough. So we can assume that Sony has not implemented the switch to a faster interface. It is not possible to understand whether this problem is software (remember that this device has Android 4.0.4 installed) or hardware.

We also tried to send our own music and videos in the same way from their respective apps, but nothing appeared on the receiver.

Reading and writing tags

The described Android Beam uses the ability to transmit and process short information messages. However, in reality, they can not only be transmitted from the phone, but also read from passive tags. In some ways, this technology is similar to the well-known QR codes that are read by a phone camera. At the same time, useful information (for example, a link to a website page) takes up literally several tens of bytes. Tags can be used by companies, for example, to promote their products or services. Considering the compact size of the passive tag (more precisely, its thickness is comparable to a sheet of paper - because of the antenna, the area will still be significant, no less than a five-ruble coin), it can be placed almost anywhere: on a box with a product, in a magazine, on an information sheet. counter and other places.

Passive NFC tags can be manufactured as key fobs

If we talk about making tags with our own hands, then this is a completely feasible scenario. To do this, you need to purchase clean blanks and use a special program for your phone to write down the required information on them. As an example, we bought several different options: a sticker of minimal thickness, a protected plastic circle and key chains. All of them had a very small amount of memory - only 144 bytes (there are also 4 KB options on the market). The number of rewrite cycles was not specified, but for most application scenarios this parameter is not critical. To work with tags, we can recommend NXP Semiconductors programs - TagInfo and TagWriter.

The first will allow you to read data from the tag and decrypt information according to the NDEF standard, and the second will help you create your own tags. Several NDEF sub-options are supported: contact, link, text, SMS, mail message, phone number, Bluetooth connection, geographic location, local file link, application launch, URI. Please note that when creating a record, you need to take into account the amount of data stored. For example, a contact photo can take up several kilobytes, messages or text can also easily exceed 144 bytes. By the way, the NFC TagInfo program from NFC Research Lab with a special plugin can read and show you a color photo from a biometric passport. With a data volume of one and a half dozen kilobytes, reading them via NFC takes about 20 seconds. An additional level of protection in this case is provided by the need to specify some passport details to read data from the chip.

Note that automatic processing of read tags depends on the content. In particular, sometimes additional confirmation is required to carry out the action itself. For example, in the case of SMS, a completed message form opens, but the user must actually confirm the sending. But the recorded web link can immediately open in the browser. Any automation is associated with a loss of control, so the described capabilities should be used carefully, since by simply replacing or reprogramming tags, attackers can redirect you to a fake site instead of the original one. We did not find any standard OS settings to limit such autorun (unless you disable NFC itself).

Another important point when using tags in public places is protection against overwriting. When recording a tag, you can set a protection flag that will block all attempts to change the information, but it will no longer be possible to remove it. So the label will be used in read-only mode in the future. For home use, in most cases this is not very critical.

Let's mention a few more programs for recording tags:

Using ready-made tags to control the device

One of the active participants in the NFC implementation process is Sony. Its devices come pre-installed with the Smart Connect program, which supports working with original Sony tags. If you wish, using the SmartTag Maker utility, you can create them yourself from blank blanks. The system uses the NDEF URI format with encoding of the label number/color in the text link. In total, the system provides up to eight tags, which are designated as “home”, “office”, “car”, “bedroom”, “listen”, “play”, “activities”, “watch”.

Variant of original Sony SmartTags

The Smart Connect program itself works not only with NFC tags, but also with other devices connected to the phone, including headsets, power supply, and Bluetooth devices. It’s quite convenient that the standard settings already correspond well to the above scenarios. In this case, the user can reprogram all circuits; each of them specifies a set of conditions and actions.

As a condition, you can use tag identification or device connection, and you can additionally limit the operating time of the circuit. The set of actions is quite wide, it includes launching an application, opening a link in the browser, starting music, adjusting volume and mode, connecting a Bluetooth audio device, sending SMS, making a call, managing wireless interfaces, adjusting brightness and other actions. Moreover, they can also be assigned to exit this mode, which is carried out by repeated recognition of the tag, by a new event/tag, or by the expiration of a specified time interval.

But in fact, it is not necessary to use Sony branded tags - you can also find use for ready-made tags that do not allow information to be overwritten. For example, these could be used transport cards. The fact is that each of them has its own unique identifier, which can be tied to certain actions using special programs. Possible reactions may include operations such as changing the profile, enabling/disabling interfaces, and many others.

There are several utilities for this scenario in the Play Store, let's mention a couple of them:

Let us remind you that you should not install several similar programs at once. This mode will not add any convenience, since when a tag is detected on the phone screen, a dialog box will appear asking you to select a program to process it.

While searching for programs for working with tags, we also came across another class of utilities that may be of interest if there are recordable tags. These programs use their own original recording format, which only they can work with. In this case, the set of possible actions is almost no different from those described above:

Let us remind you that at the moment the tag can be read only when the device is unlocked. So the scenario “came home, put the phone on the nightstand - automatically switched the profile, turned off the call and Bluetooth, set the alarm” will require some actions from the user. This behavior still slightly limits the capabilities of programs.

Exchange information between devices

With the exception of Android Beam, the scenarios described above assume the operation of a single phone with a tag or a specialized terminal. If we talk about the direct connection of devices with each other, then the main issue here is compatibility. Of course, in the case of products from one manufacturer, especially a large one, that manufacturer has the opportunity to simply install the appropriate program in the firmware. But if the devices are produced by different manufacturers, everyone will have to use the same utilities. And it’s not at all a fact that your partner will have the same program installed as yours.

Considering that NFC's own speed is very low, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is usually used to quickly transfer files, and NFC only works at the stage of negotiating connection parameters and establishing communication. To test this scenario, we tried several file transfer programs that claim to support NFC on our devices.

Send! File Transfer (NFC) in the free version allows you to exchange photo, music and video files. You can use NFC or QR codes to establish communication. The transfer is carried out via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi (if both devices have support for Wi-Fi Direct, which the Sony phone we used did not have). As a result, we were able to see a speed of 65 KB/s, which, of course, is too low even for photographs.

Blue NFC, as the name suggests, also simplifies file sharing over Bluetooth by replacing the power-on, search, and pairing steps with touch and NFC sharing. The speed of operation is not very high - at the level of the program mentioned above.

File Expert HD also uses Bluetooth, but the speed is already 100-200 KB/s. True, in fairness it is worth noting that this program has many other file sharing modes.

Conclusion

As of the spring of 2013, we can say that NFC technology already confidently occupies a place in modern high-end and mid-level smartphones. Interest in it can be indirectly assessed by the number of programs in the Play Store: there are already several hundred free projects alone. Considering the market dominance (especially in the number of models) of the Android platform, it is the most popular platform for NFC devices today. iOS does not provide standard tools for NFC, and Windows Phone 8 has significantly limited capabilities for working with NFC for third-party applications.

NFC technology itself has several features that allow it to occupy a unique position:

• contactless data transfer;
• work only over short distances;
• the ability to exchange information with other devices or passive tags;
• low cost solution;
• low power consumption;
• low data transfer speed.

Currently, for smartphones and tablets, there are three most relevant options for using NFC: exchanging data between devices (contacts, applications, links, photos and other files), reading tags with special information and changing device modes/settings/profiles, quick pairing with peripheral devices (such as headsets). In the first case, you can try working with the standard Android Beam program or install alternative options. They can be useful if you need high transfer speeds (via Wi-Fi), but require the same program on each device.

Passive tags can be used almost anywhere, from posters to magazines to product tags. They can record product information, a website link, Wi-Fi settings, contact information, geographic coordinates, or other small amount of data. The spread of this method of information exchange directly depends on the number of compatible devices users have. This scenario can be compared with common QR codes, which today are, perhaps, still simpler in terms of implementation and more popular.

To change system settings, you can use even non-recordable tags with some programs, so many users will be able to try this scenario. However, it should be noted that in this case the set of options will be recorded in a specific device, and transferring it to another device may be difficult. Most utilities for this purpose still require their own recorded tags, which allows them to store all the required information in encoded form directly in the tag (or cloud), so that to use these settings on another device, it will be enough to have the same program on it.

We did not consider in this article such NFC use cases as payment systems, electronic wallets and micropayments, tickets and coupons, transport cards and passes. These topics, especially the first, deserve separate consideration. We will try to return to them if there is reader interest and the spread of such solutions.