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TecTiles will be available through the four major U.S. carriers Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile

Samsung introduced a new near field communications (NFC) accessory this week that packs a lot of punch into one tiny sticker.

The stickers, called TecTiles, are coupled with NFC-enabled phones and prompt several different actions with a simple tap. More specifically, the TecTiles have built-in NFC chips that are programmed to launch a number of commands, such as sending text messages, changing phone settings, sharing contact information and launching apps.

Near field communication, or NFC technology, is a set of short-range, wireless technologies that allows mobile devices to interact with specialized readers in order to make everyday payments

Samsung plans on releasing TecTiles for its own NFC-enabled smartphones, including the Galaxy Nexus, the Galaxy S II, the Nexus S 4G, the Galaxy S Blaze 4G and the Galaxy S III.

"With millions of NFC-enabled Samsung Galaxy smartphones currently in the market and the arrival of our flagship device Galaxy S III, Samsung saw an opportunity to expand the value of NFC beyond mobile payments," said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Telecommunications America. "The launch of Samsung TecTiles is another example of Samsung's ability to innovate new products and applications that improve the way we use our mobile devices for everyday tasks."

Some of these everyday tasks include setting a phone to silent, joining a Wi-Fi network, make a phone call, show an address on a map, check in on Foursquare, "Like" something on Facebook, tweet on Twitter and open up a specific website. A simple tap of your phone can accomplish this.

The TecTiles can be programmed up to 100,000 times using a free Android app called Samsung TecTiles. The TecTiles will be sold for $15 for a pack of five, and will be available through the four major U.S. carriers Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

Samsung's heightened commitment to NFC technology is likely due to its upcoming venture with Visa, where the two will join forces for the London 2012 Olympics. The two will offer a NFC mobile payment service via the Olympics and Paralympics Games mobile handset, which will utilize Visa's payment application.

Source: Samsung


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Could be useful
By hankw on 6/14/2012 12:13:36 PM , Rating: 1
This could be pretty useful. For example you can place one on your desk or nightstand and have it go into some kind of do no disturb mode when you don't want to be distracted. Brings a lot of convenience for people too lazy to make extra taps on the screen :p.




RE: Could be useful
By Trisped on 6/14/2012 6:04:14 PM , Rating: 2
I think it would be worth it just to know I can join a device to my wireless network without having to type all 64 random characters of the network security code.

There are other good uses too, like transmitting your business card, giving shoppers a link to more information on your product or service, and unlocking app features (like a promotion card for a free upgrade in a game).


RE: Could be useful
By testerguy on 6/15/2012 1:49:25 AM , Rating: 3
quote:
I think it would be worth it just to know I can join a device to my wireless network without having to type all 64 random characters of the network security code.


Why can't you do this already?


"Intel is investing heavily (think gazillions of dollars and bazillions of engineering man hours) in resources to create an Intel host controllers spec in order to speed time to market of the USB 3.0 technology." -- Intel blogger Nick Knupffer











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