Near Field Communications (NFC) is set to change our culture! NFC will change how we pay, how we find stuff and how we enter secure spaces. It’s in our mobile devices so anyone can use it just by sliding our device over a tag. NFC is that new technology that enables your smartphone or tablet apps to read NFC Tags and interact with other NFC enabled devices with a simple tap.

You may already be using NFC in your Android phone to make credit card payments, download product info from store shelves, navigate your way in a tradeshow or open your office door.

Many new Android devices have NFC support built-in, and it is heavily rumored that Apple will add NFC support for it’s next version of iPhones and iPads.

ViziApps now supports NFC for its hybrid mobile apps running on Android devices, and we’ll add iOS NFC support when Apple adds NFC in those devices. Mobile NFC can open whole new possibilities for the user experience and interaction with the physical environment in your ViziApps apps. It opens up a host of opportunities for potentially every app user with an NFC-enabled mobile phone. Here’s a small sample of Mobile NFC use-cases:

• eWallet and mobile commerce transactions
• Trade Show exhibit floor navigation
• Retail mobile-to-shelf promotions and loyalty programs
• Product inventory and replacement parts tracking
• Field Service equipment and location tracking
• Marketing and Social Media campaigns
• Secure access to facilities

Here’s how it works. ViziApps gives you 3 options for NFC Tag responses:

• Tag Info: Displays the NFC Tag info in a webpage popup. This is useful for testing NFC tags when developing your app.
• Display Payload: Displays the website from the URL in the payload of the Tag.
• NFC Callback: Passes the tag info to a JavaScript function you create for your app.

App Design Property to Set NFC in your App

To enable NFC support in your hybrid app, just go to App Properties, and select “Set Near Field Communications”. Then select the type of action you want when an NFC tag is read and save your selection. When your app runs, your selected action will happen as you slide your mobile device over a tag.

Example popup of a web page based on reading an NFC tag