Is NFC going to die or is it here to stay? We are not quite sure yet, but it is a nice and secure technology we should harvest more. I have been enjoying NFC on my phones and tablets for a while and can no longer do without the comfort and productivity it offers. Chromebooks might be getting NFC features very soon and we have to start thinking about how we can apply NFC to our daily lives.
NFC coming to Chromebooks
Chrome celebrity François Beaufort has given us a quick look at the future of NFC in Chromebooks. He is at the Devoxx developer conference and is working on a Chrome app that brings NFC functionality to Chrome OW. Using Chromebook Pixels as an example, he is able to work with an ACR122U USB NFC reader.
No current Chromebook has built-in NFC, so developers are forced to use such USB devices. We know Google has been working on bringing NFC to Chrome OS, but this is the first time we are seeing it implemented.
Beaufort is not giving us many details about said app yet, but he promises it is “amazingly powerful to interact with NFC tags.” It is able to write, read and emulate NFC tags easily, which would bring awesome functionality between other devices/tags and NFC-enabled Chroembooks.
What would you do with NFC on a Chromebook?
NFC is more popularly known for its payment capabilities. ISIS NFC payments has just launched and Google Wallet has been around enough for at least techies to know what it is. We won’t exactly be paying for our groceries with our Chromebooks (though you could probably use them to charge customers). So what exactly can we do with NFC on a Chromebook?
There is much more you can do, though. For example, I use NFC tags to let other people into my WiFi. It’s nice not having to actually give them the password! I also use one to turn my phone’s WiFi/Bluetooth on and off when leaving or arriving home. You can use it for home automation and more, but what exactly would be more helpful for a Chromebook?
One very cool example I can think of is being able to sign into different Google accounts by using our smartphones (which are synced to Google). Maybe you can program some of your friends’ smartphones to give them access as a guest. NFC file transfers would also be nice.
That is just a couple examples. We would like to know what you would like to see when NFC reaches Chroembooks. What would you do with NFC on a Chromebook?
