Latest Podcast



Featured Articles

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

Ofcom helps protect customers against unexpected roaming charges

UK service providers must notify customers when they connect to a different network

New rules from UK telecoms regulator Ofcom will protect customers when they use their mobile phone on a foreign network. In addition, customers will be alerted if they are inadvertently roaming, perhaps because they're near an international border.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Global smartphone market is set for recovery, says new forecast

A new forecast from research specialists Canalys shows the smartphone market is set to recover next year. Worldwide shipments declined by 12% last year but that decline is expected to slow to 5% this year.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

Vodafone and Three plan to merge their UK businesses

New Hutchison/Vodafone network would be biggest UK operator

Vodafone Group plc and CK Hutchison Group Telecom Holdings Limited have agreed to combine their UK telecommunication businesses, respectively Vodafone UK and Three UK. The merger will create a large new network operator to compete with Virgin Media O2 and EE.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

UK mobile payment service Paym to close in March 2023

UK mobile payment service Paym will close on 7th March 2023. The service, which allowed users to make and receive payments using their mobile phone numbers, was launched in 2014.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Qualcomm legal action moves forward in the UK

Which? seeks payout for Samsung and Apple smartphone owners

Consumer protection organisation Which? has been given permission by the UK's Competition Appeal Tribunal to represent Apple and Samsung smartphone buyers in a legal case against chip manufacturer Qualcomm.
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS

Opinion Articles

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Mobile technology publication becomes the first NFC-equipped 'smart book'... sort of

Mark Bridge writes:

Atria Books, part of the Simon & Schuster publishing family, has released what it’s calling the first-ever smart book. A thousand copies of ‘The Impulse Economy’ by Gary Schwartz will have an NFC sticker attached, providing a web link to book-related content.

Hmmm. That’s not really a smart book, is it?  The same kind of logic means my NFC credit card turns my wallet into a ‘smart wallet’ and transforms the pocket of my jeans into ‘smart jeans’. It means my NFC-equipped smartphone is a smart smartphone.

Besides, if they’d wanted to save money and reach a wider audience, they could have used QR Code stickers instead. You know, the kind of barcode that’s used on smart posters, smart breakfast cereal, smart newspapers and smart magazines.

What’s that?  You’ve seen QR Codes on literature, too?  Surely not. That would be some kind of proto-smart book. You sure you’re not making it up?

However, despite my cynicism about the promotional campaign, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see more books with embedded NFC chips. They’re already being used for much more than payments, URLs and contact information. Nokia is implementing NFC for simple Bluetooth pairing, for example. Why not put NFC chips in every book for libraries - or to help consumers search their own bookshelves?

But, for me, the most uncomfortable part of the announcement is that initial figure. Just a thousand NFC stickers have been ordered. Either NFC chips are still painfully expensive or there’s very little profit margin on the book.

Print
Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Rate this article:
No rating

Categories: Retailing, Applications, OpinionNumber of views: 7406

Tags: opinion nfc

Leave a comment

This form collects your name, email, IP address and content so that we can keep track of the comments placed on the website. For more info check our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use where you will get more info on where, how and why we store your data.
Add comment

Recent Podcasts

Results from EE, new phones from LG and HTC... and free WiFi from Barclays

Podcast - 20th February 2013

We start this week's podcast with financial results from EE - along with new phones from LG and HTC.

There's also a merger between mobile browser companies, mobile security from Vodafone, free WiFi from Barclays bank, a preview of Ubuntu for smartphones... and much more.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

James Tagg explains Truphone+, the mobile service where GSM meets VoIP via WiFi

Podcast - 15th February 2013

Truphone is a pioneer of internet calling via WiFi - and it's recently announced a new service that aims to integrate GSM calls with its VoIP app.

In this special programme we interview Truphone co-founder and CTO James Tagg about the company's plans.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Mobile calls go over WiFi, Skype credit is bought via mobile and an Android phone goes into space

Podcast - 13th February 2013

There are many mobile boundaries being blurred in this week's podcast.

Topics include Truphone's combined WiFi and mobile service, Skype's move to direct mobile billing, the rise of 4G and an Android-controlled satellite.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

We talk to Vince Russell of The Cloud about public WiFi hotspots

Podcast - 8th February 2013

One of the biggest companies meeting the UK's demand for public WiFi is The Cloud, which has spent the last few years putting its network into thousands of venues.

In this programme we interview Vince Russell, managing director of The Cloud, to discover what the company's doing... and to see whether mobile operators should be worried.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating

Mobile by numbers: BlackBerry 10, 4G, Three UK and Microsoft 4Afrika

Podcast - 6th February 2013

We start this week's podcast by talking about the launch of BlackBerry 10 before moving on to discuss a 4G promise from Three UK.

The numerical theme continues with the Microsoft 4Afrika project, a handful of quarterly results and some investment news. Plus there’s worrying new malware and a curious Apple trademark application.

Author: The Fonecast
0 Comments
Article rating: No rating
RSS
First2223242527293031Last

Follow thefonecast.com

Twitter @TheFonecast RSS podcast feed
Find us on Facebook Subscribe free via iTunes

Archive Calendar

«November 2024»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
28293031123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
2526272829301
2345678

Archive

Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement