Finnish handset maker Nokia recently launched a new online store dubbed the “NFC Hub” where companies can purchase NFC enabled marketing materials ranging from posters, to business cards, and even stickers, in an aim to get people to interact with their brand or business in a new, most would say innovative, way. For those of you who aren’t familiar with NFC, it stands for Near Field Communication, and it’s basically a system that allows you to tap on an object that has an NFC tag embedded inside and then said tag transmits a small amount of data which your mobile phone can then parse. It’s bleeding edge stuff, and it’s definitely not a gimmick since it’s going to be the basis of the mobile payment revolution due to take place over the next few years, but at this moment in time the market is extremely limited and NFC is seen as a luxury technology. Just look at some of the prices in the NFC Hub: posters will cost you up to $40, business cards run $18 a pop, and NFC tags cost as much as $5. Now we know typing in contact details from the pile of business cards you collected during a conference is a pain, but we doubt companies are going to start printing $18 business cards for their employees just to save them 60 seconds.
All this being said, prices will inevitably come down, and we actually think Nokia is wise to enter the wider NFC ecosystem by selling things other than mobile phones. It’s kind of like rapper Dr. Dre, who is a musician, but also sells a range of equipment (speakers, headphones) to listen to music. That complete approach isn’t going to get him a monopoly, but it promotes his brand in more ways than one. We see Nokia’s NFC Hub as striving to accomplish a similar goal.
[Via: All About Symbian]