NFC, Near Field Communication is not new technology since it has been around since early 2000.
Tikitag
Since today it has never been used in the consumer space apart from some niche applications.
Yesterday Alcatel-Lucent announced Tikitag. The main idea is to create a link between the on-line world with the off-line world with a simple and pragmatic approach.
Tikitag will provide you with a small NFC reader that can be connected to a Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X personal computer and a set on NFC tags that can be placed in the real word and interact with the NFC reader itself or NFC enabled mobile phones.
Alcatel-Lucent will also provide an open application platform with a set of API around which you will be able to build you own NFC enabled application.
I definitely think this is a fantastic idea and a perfect example of innovation. The technology was already there from ages but Alcatel-Lucent repackaged and rethinked the use and the approach to the market in a more simple and innovative way. The main idea is to set things open. They will provide you with hardware, software and a platform and customer will use those enabling technologies to build application from their own.
Fantastic!
Tikitag is now in private alpha but they plan to enter a beta phase starting October 1st. I definitely think I will give it a try.
I stronlgy suggest that you visit the Tikitag web site. You will be able to register to the site and have a look around the main idea coming from other people and you will be able to find great ideas and contribute if you will.
I remember that Nabaztag has an NFC reader but as of today Violet has never enabled that feature on their rabbits.
I love this kind of approach. Spending as little as 50 US dollar you will get an NFC reader and 10 tags and Tikitag will also offer packaged of 25 NFC tags for purchase. With a very small investment you will be able to play with an amazing technology.
Well, to be honest, Riccardo and myself built something similar when we were both working in the Innovation team here in H3G a couple of years ago. Unfortunately at that time the price tag was much higher but we were there!