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NFC enabled business cards

moo.com

11–20 of 58 posts

Re: NFC enabled business cards

#11

For read only data (such as business card data), what is the benefit of using NFC over RFID? I was under the impression that NFC is backwards compatible; can Android devices with NFC scan RFID tags?

NFC is a subset of RFID. There are many RFID frequency bands.

Android devices can read most 13.56mhz tags... but none of the other bands.

Re: NFC enabled business cards

#12
I love the concept of this product, especially in the context of contact exchanges and "business card replacements."

If implemented and adopted by the masses, something like this embraces the digital realm without forgetting the physical.

Re: NFC enabled business cards

#13
post #9

What's the benefit over just using a QR code on the back of your card? Every modern smartphone can scan QR codes. Only a small fraction can use NFC, and it surely increases the marginal cost of each card more than a double sided print.

NFC requires you to physically be at the location and QR codes don't. For example, you can take a pic of a QR code and upload the picture for anyone else to scan. NFC only works if you're near :).

Re: NFC enabled business cards

#14
post #9

What's the benefit over just using a QR code on the back of your card? Every modern smartphone can scan QR codes. Only a small fraction can use NFC, and it surely increases the marginal cost of each card more than a double sided print.

Perhaps the amount of data?

Re: NFC enabled business cards

#15
post #9

What's the benefit over just using a QR code on the back of your card? Every modern smartphone can scan QR codes. Only a small fraction can use NFC, and it surely increases the marginal cost of each card more than a double sided print.

I think there's a lot more friction involved in interacting with a QR code: tapping a phone to a surface is a lot easier than opening the appropriate app and trying to focus (hard in low light) on the code.

Re: NFC enabled business cards

#16
post #9

What's the benefit over just using a QR code on the back of your card? Every modern smartphone can scan QR codes. Only a small fraction can use NFC, and it surely increases the marginal cost of each card more than a double sided print.

Perhaps the amount of data?

For reference, here's a QR code with a three line postal address, email address and mobile number:

http://www.moongate.ro/products/qr_code-vcard/serve_card?c=K...

Not beyond the realms of what could be placed on a business card, a lot cheaper to make and certainly more useful for most phone users.

On the other hand, the NFC card is a lot more attractive looking and has an extra "wow" factor. Of course, it would be useless to me as my phone doesn't have NFC, so I would be left keying the contact details into my phone by hand.

Re: NFC enabled business cards

#17
post #3
post #2

I should get some with my URL set to tel: 2767 3855# . I'm sure there's a case to be made for NFC, but I'm not totally sold on the value of invisible things that cause phones and other electronics to do things.

One of the primary features of NFC is the requirement that you be near (within inches of) the NFC tag in order for it to work. One useful application I've seen for this is a custom NFC tag someone placed in a homemade docking station to activate their phone's dock mode. Another was used in a homemade Gameklip[0]-type device to activate bluetooth and connect with the controller. [0] http://thegameklip.com/

Blackberry famously solved this problem with magnets (in the holster which activated holster/sleep mode)

Re: NFC enabled business cards

#18
post #9

What's the benefit over just using a QR code on the back of your card? Every modern smartphone can scan QR codes. Only a small fraction can use NFC, and it surely increases the marginal cost of each card more than a double sided print.

It doesn't have to be either/or. I have a thin NFC tag with a QR code printed on it stuck to the back of my business cards!

Re: NFC enabled business cards

#19
post #2

I should get some with my URL set to tel: 2767 3855# . I'm sure there's a case to be made for NFC, but I'm not totally sold on the value of invisible things that cause phones and other electronics to do things.

> I'm not totally sold on the value of invisible things that cause phones and other electronics to do things.

I'm not either and with good reason:

"Black Hat speaker shows how NFC can be used for malicious attacks"

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/strategy/item/28552-black-hat...

Re: NFC enabled business cards

#20
No! Bad!

You would only ever need one paper NFC card (for yourself). The whole idea is to store the info digitally. That's what NFC is for. In fact, even one paper business card is too many if your phone supports NFC.

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