For Christ's sake, some people still use checks. And while it's highly embarrassing, I do too. But only to send rent to my landlord, who most likely denies the use of the "devils' toys," and to pay my mother back, who I persistently tell to sign up for Dwolla, but who consistently doesn't.
NFC also gives users the ability to wave or tap your smartphone to get more information, on basically anything that a tag could be stuck to. For example, South Downs National Park in Southern England now has NFC-enabled signs so walkers can learn more -- audio commentary about the area, information on the wildlife and other points of interest close by.
It's a super cool feature that will hopefully be integrated into all museums soon. When I go to the MoMa I don't want to scroll through their audio files on my non-existent iTunes account (of course I can only find an iPhone app). Soon I'll be able to tap my phone against a tag beside the artwork or scan a QR-code to unlock more information.
And then to payments. The Android platform has offered NFC to their users for a while, but Apple surprised the industry by leaving the technology out of the iPhone 5 in September. I don't think Apple's move was necessarily a bad one. While the technology is cool, allowing me one day to become a super genius merely tapping my phone like a magic wand on anything and everything in the world for a vast array of knowledge, there aren't many places that currently accept NFC-based payments.
Both ISIS and Google Wallet bank on NFC, and the many industry experts I speak with believe the technology will win out as the payment method of the future.
On the other hand, PayPal does not seem to particularly care about NFC. PayPal developed a mobile wallet last year, allowing users to link their PayPal accounts to their mobile device. Customers then fund purchases by entering their phone number and a PIN into a merchant's point-of-sale terminal. I wouldn't mind trying out PayPal's mobile wallet, which also features shopping list tools, targeted offers and price comparison.
After recently touring PayPal's "innovation center" I also realized they'd be integrating Passbook-type capabilities. For example, users could house baseball tickets to be scanned at the gate. Once the tickets are scanned and the user walks into the stadium, based on location the user will receive an offer to go buy a hotdog with a $5 discount, bringing the price of a stadium hotdog closer to what you should pay for mysterious pig parts. After buying some grub, PayPal then maps out the directions to your seat. Now if only PayPal could make America's past time a blend of rugby and quidditch, going to a baseball game could be so much more entertaining.
And PayPal also sees image recognition software progressing quite quickly in the future, allowing consumers to snap a photo of some biker boots in the window of a closed-for-the-night retailer, order them online, and choose to have them delivered or pick them up the next day. This feature would also allow users to peruse through a gallery of similar items, at possibly cheaper prices. Seriously I'm tingling... The future looks bright for my shoe shopping, but most likely quite dim for my savings.
While PayPal is planning on making its mobile wallet easily upgraded if NFC were to gain popularity, the eBay subsidiary currently uses Cloud-based technology and supports QR codes.
While some wonder what's easier about tapping a phone as a substitute for swiping a card, I imagine us women will understand this better as we sift through a purse for a clutch buried beneath make-up that's decades old, a pair of flats for the end of the night and countless other useless things, just to make a purchase. But our phones will always be in our back pocket, our hand hovering there like a Wild West cowboy in a dual, for the hot guy we met at the bar last night to give us a call. Or without pockets, the front of our shirt, where it rests nicely in its bra stand.
Guys won't be far behind though, especially as men's style continues to turn towards tight fitting trousers and vests whose pockets are stuffed with handkerchiefs and hipster James Bond-like accessories.
Digging through a wallet or purse looking for the specific card is a hassle. Mobile wallets will fix this hassle. Seriously people, start adopting this technology. Do me a favor. I'm ready.
