Google’s doing it, Apple’s rumoured to be doing it, HP are kind of doing it, and now Microsoft looks to be getting in on the game too.
Yep, the world has gone NFC crazy in recent months, with the promise that by 2012 (in time for the Olympics) most of us will be using our phones to pay for things rather than having to get out our wallets.
The latest player “supposed” to step into the ring is Microsoft, with sources confirming to Bloomberg that it will be building NFC support into the Windows Phone 7 operating system so that manufacturers can bake it into the hardware.
“Microsoft plans to include mobile-payment technology in new versions of its operating system for smartphones as part of an effort to narrow Google Inc.’s lead in handset software,” Bloomberg reports. “The first devices boasting these features may be released this year.”
Currently, there is just one NFC Android smartphone on the market – the Google Nexus S, however, BlackBerry has said that all devices going forward will have the technology built in, while Orange in the UK has promised multiple handsets when it launches a payment service over the summer.
Nokia already has NFC capable handsets, and has had for some time, while Samsung is quickly adding the tech to its new handsets as well.
So, could we see a Nokia Windows Phone 7 smartphone touting NFC after Nokia has changed the OS slightly following the deal with Microsoft in February? It’s not confirmed of course, but that would be our best guess.
We will keep you posted.
Do you care? Do you want it in your phone? Let us know in the comments below