As you are probably aware RIM’s latest barrages of smartphone all feature NFC technology, however up until now the close proximity communications technology has not been utilized, things are progressing though as we can confirm that BlackBerry Tag is the name of of RIM’s NFC implementation. Developers will be happy to hear that a BlackBerry Tag API will be released, which means apps will be able to boast NFC features.

Currently it is thought that Tag will be used to share contact info, documents, photos, videos, music and URLs by just tapping two BlackBerry smartphones together, we can’t wait to see what innovative ways developers use NFC – if you have any ideas let us know in the comments section at the bottom of this post. Here is what a Research in Motion representive had to say about BlackBerry Tag (sourced from SlashGear):

“BlackBerry Tag is an exciting and innovative feature that makes sharing contact information and multimedia content effortless and seamless,” and added “BlackBerry Tag opens a new dimension to the BlackBerry platform that is powerful, simple and intuitive and we think it will be welcomed by both users and developers.”

So far RIM devices which boast a built-in NFC chip are the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930, Blackberry Curve 9350/9360/9370 and BlackBerry Torch 9810/9860, it is thought that all new devices (which run BlackBerry 7) will all boast this tech, so we think it will really start to take off very soon. Update: The Torch 9810 and 9850 do not support NFC Technology.

When the API will be released to developers is currently unknown, but at least we know that it is on the way, if it becomes popular it will be interesting to see if the next iPhone boasts NFC.

2011 has been a massive year for near-field communications and contactless payments, but for some reason Apple has decided not to fit the iPhone 4S with an NFC chip, there has been no official comment on this decision, but this could go one of two ways. With such an important smartphone release snubbing this technology it could be a massive blow for NFC, however if NFC grows in popularity between now and the next iPhone release we could find that Apple’s iPhone 4S loses sales for this reason alone.

If you check out ZDNet you will see that there are possible solutions which will bring NFC to the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS – in fact any smartphone, tablet or portable media player. Apparently case manufacturers are looking to integrate NFC chips into smartphone cases etc, also there is talk of sticker-based NFC chips, rumors suggest that banks could link up with case manufacturers and perhaps be able to send out microSD memory cards securely loaded with a customer’s bank details on it – which obviously means the cases will need a microSD memory card slot.

We are sure that such a solution will work, but there are serious security concerns which need to be addressed beforehand – so we will keep you posted on the matter as we hear more, would you bring NFC to your iPhone via such methods? Do you think that an iPhone-less NFC market shows that this tech will never take off? We would love you to share your opinions on this matter in the comments section.

As this article’s title suggests the 701 features a 1GHz processor, an 8 megapixel camera and it will run Symbian Belle, other specs worth mentioning include a 3.5-inch IPS LCD screen which boasts both ClearBlack tech and Gorilla Glass, you also get 8GB of internal storage and a microSD memory card slot which supports cards of up to 32GB. In terms of connectviity you get Bluetooth 3.0, NFC, WiFi (b/g/n we presume) and A-GPS, the latter of these comes in handy with the pre-installed mapping and navigation application.

One of this smartphone’s best features is its efficiency, the 1300 mAh Li-Ion will apparently allow for 17 hours of GSM talk time and just shy of 9 hours over 3G, if you will be making the most of its multimedia capabilities it will play 720p video at 30 frames per second for 8 hours 55 minute, in terms of music playback if the 701 is set to offline mode you can play over 70 hours of audio – now that’s impressive.

You can see full technical specifications via this link, below we have embedded a couple of images which gives you a good-look at its design from a few different angles – to give you an idea of size it measures in at 117.2 x 56.8 x 11 mm and weighs 131 grams, oh and there will be three colors available: silver light, steel dark and amethyst violet. You can see more images here.

Nokia is keen to promote the NFC capabilities which its new smartphones boast, you can find out all about NFC’s capabilities here – we were particularly impressed by the fact that you can pair the Nokia 701 with a Bluetooth stereo headset by tapping them together, the same tap can link you to loudspeakers or perhaps allow you to share photos and videos with a friend.

Are you impressed by the Nokia 700?

The technology is becoming pretty well supported and owners of the Samsung Nexus S can pay for goods by just waving their device over a modern credit card terminal. If you are an iPhone 4 owner and your bank provides the small credit cards with NFC chips you are in luck. An article over at Unplggd.com is telling you how easy the procedure is to convert your iPhone 4 into a NFC device.

Before you start though a word of caution, as it requires the removal of the back panel of the device so you do so at your own risk. The back cover is removed by taking out a couple of screws from the bottom of the handset, and then sliding the cover upwards. You will then be met with the handset internals, which is where you put your NFC chip just behind the battery.

Just make sure that you don’t place the chip in contact with conductive components as you may permanently damage the device. You then have to replace the back cover and you should be all ready to go and start making payments with your new NFC capable device.

Obviously carrying out this procedure will invalidate any warranty you may have remaining on your handset, and you have to be careful not to damage any of the device’s internal components. This can be a solution if you want to pay for small items in this way before it becomes available in a bigger range of handsets.

Would you risk trying to install a NFC chip in your iPhone 4?

Sarah Perez of ReadWriteWeb is reporting that PayPal have announced at the MobileBeat 2011 event, it was going to support NFC on mobile devices. The company demonstrated its take on the technology with a new NFC enabled widget, which will let consumers make payments by simply tapping two phones together.

The company said the new widget will arrive later on in the summer, and the technology is growing pace as organizations such as banks, credit card companies, and Google are bringing out NFC solutions for their customers. Presently a lot of the programs have yet to be released, but it’s no surprise a company like PayPal is getting in on the action.

The app looks great and in a video demo which you can see below, a PayPal user can send or receive money via the widget. Once a user has initiated the request both then just tap their devices together until they buzz, and completes the money transfer. To fully complete the transaction users do have to enter a password or PIN number.

This works mainly like the Bump mobile application works, except the technology is different. Bump uses sensors on both Android and iPhones, while NFC uses a special chip inside the handset itself. At present there aren’t many devices supporting the technology. The demo showed the Samsung Nexus S but there are more handsets on their way with NFC including the BlackBerry Bold 9900.

PayPal has made other moves into the mobile world recently with the purchase of Zong. This is a mobile payments company that specializes in carrier billing, and allowed users to pay for digital goods such as in-app purchases. NFC is more associated with the payment of physical products, so it looks like PayPal are covering all angles.

The new iPhone could only be a matter of weeks away now, and many potential owners of the handset would like to see the NFC technology find its way into it. Would you like to see NFC in the iPhone 5?

The inclusion of NFC is by far the best new feature in this upcoming update, one that will see the implementation of Google Wallet. No longer will you have to carry your credit/debit card around with you – well not unless a store does not accept the latest form of payment. So what other updates can we expect from GRJ90?

The first is the already mentioned Near Field Communication, the second is 4G settings widgets, third is TTY support, fourth NI push support, fifth improvements to Wi-Fi, audio quality and 4G throughput, and finally Tuned signal strength indicators. You can see that this is not a huge update, but it is one with significance.

As we mentioned above the update will begin on July 11, but Sprintfeed does say that it will be pushed out gradually over a four-day period. So just hold tight if your Nexus S 4G does not get the upgrade after a day or two. However, for those who are too eager to wait then you can always try to push for a manual download instead.

Once NFC has been enabled on this device, then we can see that there will be a little bit more life injected into it. What we will find amazing is how an aging Android smartphone will be able to offer something that the upcoming iPhone 5 will not, as Apple has already suggested that they will not support this technology in their next iPhone –which is a bit of a shock.

It does seem as though Apple will never been backed into a corner and add a new feature if the market is not fully ready for it. This is something that they have always done, and seems to be working for them so far.

This update could be the final stepping-stone to Ice Cream Sandwich, which is expected to be the next update – although that will be the major one, unlike GRJ90. Are you happy with the feature updates, or could there have been more?

Gareth Beavis from TechRadar is reporting that Orange and Samsung have announced that the service is now available for consumers in the UK. From today NFC payments are available via the Samsung Tocco Lite Quick Tap edition.

Users will be able to go into places like EAT, Little Chef, Pret a Manger, McDonalds, Subway, Wembley Arena, and Wilkinson to pay for things below £15 using the handset. Users of the service can put up to £100 onto the Quick Tap application on the Tocco.

Unfortunately you will still need a Barclaycard credit or debit card, or an Orange credit card to upload the money to the device. Orange have also promised the NFC technology will find its way onto a wider range of handsets, as the Samsung Tocco is quite an old device now. You can see the new service in the video below.

Will be using the Orange Quick Tap service?

We wanted to offer a little clarification to our readers. You will not find NFC in the current UK handset, and any future software upgrade will not add this feature as the NFC chip is not in the standard Galaxy S2 for UK.

There is good news, as we hear from our Samsung sources that a Near Field Communication version should be coming, some rumors of June 2011 are yet to be confirmed. This technology is expected to change the way we buy things in the future, although the idea has divided opinion. We will update you when we get some official information of a release date.

Apple is expected to release the iPhone 5 or 6 with this feature, which depends on the release dates for the next generation of iPhone. Apple did have a routine of an iPhone release at each WWDC, although this has changed in 2011.

You may also want to read how the Samsung Galaxy S2 stacks up against the HTC Sensation and BlackBerry Bold 9900.

There are already some phones on the marking using NFC, but they are not yet set up to make payments or redeem coupons etc. However, the one advantage they have with already having the tech inside is the fact that they are all ready to do them things – once the OS allows it that is. Finextra talks about how Google already uses NFC for other cool things while waiting for an update for payments, and that is a range of marketing capabilities.

Apple has always been about staying one step ahead of the competition, but that seems to get harder for them each year, and if they decide to launch the iPhone 5 without NFC, then they will be left behind for a whole year – something that iPhone users will not want. If they do not have this feature, then what else will they announce to stay one step ahead of the likes of Google and RIM for that matter?

We always know never to believe any of the rumors, so maybe the iPhone 5 will have NFC with the payment system already working? The reason we say this is because we already know that the 5th-generation iPhone could be delayed by three months, why else would they do that – maybe they are working on something big – only time will tell?

Do you think that the iPhone 5 needs NFC to stay ahead of the competition?

According to a recent article posted on BusinessWeek Microsoft are currently working on a version of Windows Phone 7 which will support contactless payments, this has not been officially announced, however BusinessWeek supposedly got this information from “two people familiar with the plans”.

Obviously to offer NFC support Windows Phone 7 smartphone manufacturers will have include an NFC chip in their compliant devices, but it is at least good to know that the software side of things is being sorted by Microsoft.

Back in February we posted an article which confirmed that Nokia were scrapping Symbian in favor of Windows Phone 7, perhaps future Nokia smartphones will feature NFC support, at the moment most WP7 devices have been manufactured by HTC and Samsung, therefore these manufacturers will almost certainly be adopting the tech soon.

Does your next smartphone purchase have to be NFC compliant?