Will We Be Buying By iPhone Soon?

It's rumored that the upcoming iPhone 5 will employ a new technology called Near Field Communications, or NFC, that will let a mobile device owner wave their phone over a short range wireless receiver or tap the device to make a purchase. This technology is already widespread in Japan and used in Europe, but still hasn't broken through here in the States. But of course, if Apple adopts NFC, it's a whole new ball game.

Pay-by-cell phone, like subscription music, has been a dream of technologists and entrepreneurs alike for some time because of it's many advantages. Like what, you say?

How about an instant purchase without having to worry about the whole credit card process and the time it takes? Or all those purchases going automatically to just one bill - your cell phone bill? Or how about a jump start to the most sought-after transaction ever - micropayments? And as you'll see, it can be used for music discovery too.

Just like most improvements in our technological lives, convenience always triumphs over everything else, and an NFC enabled phone would certainly be the next step.

Interestingly enough, I first heard about NFC two years ago when I interviewed my friend Ken Rutkowski, the host of the World Tech Roundup at KenRadio.com and facilitator of the Media Entertainment Technology Alliance, for the Internet music guidebook Music 3.0. Ken hit it right on the nose about NFC, only his take was more about music discovery and sharing. Here's what he had to say.

"There’s a new technology in Asia that’s trickling down here called NFC, or Near Field Communication. It’s like Bluetooth in that it allows us to sync with other devices, but it’s more specific. 

If I walk into a room of 20 people, my device will know which of those 20 people I want to sync with and what areas of their device that I want to sync with. For example, say five of these people are trusted friends that have trusted libraries on their phones. When I walk into this group, my phone, through NFC, might intelligently connect to all my friends’ phones and download a playlist or certain types of content. It’s all invisible to me. So the next form of communication and technology is the personalization of my community while I’m with my community. 

Any time I’m with you I get to experience the music that you’re listening to, for example, without having to go download it off the Internet. When I get back after hanging out with you, I’ll see my phone blinking and realize that I just exchanged content with you. It’s a new type of discovery that you don’t have to manually engage. That makes meeting people one-on-one more important than having that distance that we have today. It’s more about “I want to discover, but I want to be with my friends when I’m discovering.” It’s hard to wrap your head around it, but I believe that it’s going to make people want to get together more."

As you can see, there are a lot of benefits that an NFC device can hold. iPhone 5, hurry up and get here soon.

Check out my website to read more excerpts from Music 3.0.

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7 Ways Near Field Communicate Could Change Our Lives

I ran across a great article on Mashable.com the other day about the 6 ways that Near Field Communications (NFC) can change our lives. What is NFC? It's a short-range wireless communication technology that almost all major electronics and software companies will be using in the future if all goes to plan.

NFC allows a device like your cell phone to automatically collect data from another device at close range. Although the original article only stated 6 uses for NFC, I've added a 7th. I was first turned onto this technology well over a year ago when I interviewed KenRadio's Ken Rutkowski for my Music 3.0 Internet Music Guidebook, and Ken contributed the last application regarding music. So here's a brief outline of the 7 ways that NFC might change our daily lives in the near future. For more details, read the full article on Mashable.

1) Contactless Payment - Imagine just paying for something without the usual hand your credit card to the vendor, swipe it, sign the receipt, etc. NFC allows secure transactions using what amounts to a digital wallet. No need for a third party to be involved.

2) Transportation - Use your cell phone to automatically pay for your airline, bus or train tickets. In fact, your phone will be your ticket.

3) Health Care - Talk about electronic medical records, you can have your complete history on you and have it easily transmitted to any health care professional in a flash. No more confusion about medications or which leg to operate on.

4) Ease Of Use - Forget the idea of Bluetooth "pairing," just touch the devices together and they'll be automatically connected.

5) Smart Objects - Objects with embedded NFC tags will be able to transmit informational data to your phone as you pass. Image being in a supermarket and being alerted to a sale on an item as you walk down the isle.

6) Social Media - Imagine a Foursquare where you couldn't cheat. You walk into a restaurant and the NFC tag will send a message to a Foursquare-like social media app that will alert all your friends to your presence, collect points, etc.

7) Exchange playlists - Want to know what music your friends are listening too and what's in their libraries? Image being at a party where all your NFC friends automatically exchange their playlists with you.

These are just some of the applications of NFC. Let's see if it has more of an impact than Bluetooth.

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Follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Check out my Big Picture blog for discussion on common music, engineering and production tips and tricks.