Samsung has introduced a new product, TecTiles, and an accompanying app, in order to bring NFC tags to the masses. Sold in packs of 5 for around $14.99 (USD), TecTiles are Samsung’s answer to the life automation movement, and as NFC-compatible devices proliferate in the coming years the low-power technology will have an increasingly important role to play not just in mobile payments.
Many of Samsung’s latest smartphones, including the upcoming Galaxy S III, support NFC within the battery, making it very easy to activate. Ice Cream Sandwich’s built-in Android Beam service relies on the technology, and while adoption has been slow companies like Samsung, Sony and RIM are seeing it as more versatile than Bluetooth 4.0.
TecTiles are affixed to any surface such as a car dash or kitchen fridge, and can be programmed to perform specific functions or a combination thereof. So you can touch a tag when you enter your vehicle to turn on Car Mode and Bluetooth at the same time. The accompanying app allows you to program the Tiles in one of four categories: Settings & Apps; Phone & Text; Location & Web; and Social. While the mechanisms cannot be combined at this point — you must stick to one or more actions within a specific category — Samsung said the second version of the application will deliver more versatile functionality.
Whether people will adopt NFC in large quantities is an unknown many companies would, I’m sure, like to figure out. Like QR codes, which are often implemented in advertising, the potential for these tags eventually becoming a marketing tool is great. At this point any growth will likely come from early adopter consumers.
We’ll let you know when TecTiles come to Canada, and will bring you a full review when they do.
Source: CNET
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