I can't believe it's going to take five years to get to the point where:

RFID Journal says a new report from ABI Research predicts that within 5 years, 50% of cell phones will include RFID chips to use Near Field Communication (NFC), a two-way technology.link

This opens up all kinds of point of purchase opportunities as well as location based services.

Not only will you be able to make purchases by swiping your phone at a reader(20cm range) but other innovative services and experiences will be triggered by such a technology. Sure there are significant security/privacy issues but that can all be worked out.

Imagine reading a magazine with RFID tags embedded in the pages. Swipe your phone across an advertisement and automatically be e-mailed additional product information and links to the product website. See an article about a favorite band. Swipe your phone to have their local concert schedule downloaded to your calendar program. Want to enter a product giveaway from a movie you are about to see. Swipe your phone on the way into the theater to register for the drawing. Swipe it again on the way out to log your opinion of the movie and have it emailed to the producers.

Amazing things are going to be possible with this kind of pervasive technology. What will be needed is a "killer ap" that will drive adoption like what American Idol has done to teach people to use text messaging from their cell phones. Another place to look is to watch the adoption of Cameraphones and Bluetooth phones.

Comments

[John Jantsch]

I was doing marketing work for Sprint PCS during the launch days around 7-8 years ago and they were talking about this stuff then. I'm still waiting to get my Coke from a vending machine with my phone!

Here's the technology I want. I want to use my phone to scan a upc code on a book and have it look on Amazon to tell me what used one's are selling for. Does that already exist?

[Peter Davidson]

John,

There was a system announced last year that does just that. It appears to be patentware and not yet a real proiduct. http://www.neom.com/corporate/press/2003/20030930.jsp

Thanks for your comment.

[Opie]

The same people who invented web-spoofing are going to have a blast with this. I'm not saying that's a reason not to do it - I'm just saying it's gonna be interesting to see what kind of cell-phone/RFID-swiping scams are going to pop up.

[Anonymous]

The RFID is a sign of the times. Eventually, it will be required to have this RFID chip embedded into your hand for identification and shopping purposes. Something that you cannot buy, sell, or trade without. The mark of the beast.
“He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16-17