Tuesday, November 27, 2012

My Business Card is Nearsighted


Recently Kim mentioned to me a new technology creeping its way into the business card market. Known as NFC or Near-Field Communication, this new technology allows you to program a certain amount of digital information onto a tiny microchip embedded within your business card. When someone touches the smart card to their smartphone (sorry, no i phones), it is told what to do. This usually means pulling information from the web, such as contact info, video, or even downloading an app. Card owners can re-write the info over and over.  Even if you have given the card away you still have access to re-write the data.

This all sounds pretty amazing. But is it really necessary to "bump" my phone into your business card to get your information? And at what cost? MOO.com currently has the market cornered on the business card aspect of this hot new trend, and their product will not available to the masses until 2013.



But what you may not know is that people have been creating their own NFC cards without the help of MOO since the technology has arisen. Tagstand is an online vendor that provides NFC tags and applications. For only a $1.00 you can purchase your own sticker the diameter of a quarter and as thin as a sheet of paper. Now you don't have to be held back by the pre-fab dimensions and design limitations of MOO.

This new NFC technology seems like it has endless applications and possibilities. It may be the next hottest thing since the QR code. But right now users seem to be happy to ride this one out. Could this just be another "myspace"?

1 comment:

popwings said...

If you're looking for a tunrkey NFC business cards solution, have a look at www.popwings.me

It is a fun & easy way to connect and stay in touch with people you meet.

Let's talk about it you want.
Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/50692187

[FYI - I'm part of the enthusiastic POPWings team]