Lowdown: Near field communications
Adam Graham Saint
Near Field Communications (NFC) is a subset of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), but whereas RFID can work over distances of more than a kilometre, NFC only works up to a maximum of 10 cm, so it is much more intimate and secure.
Currently, the most widespread use of NFC is in 'contactless' payment solutions, such as the new Visa payWave cards where you can touch the card on a reader, rather than insert it and enter a PIN. The same technology is being used in phones, so you can touch your phone...