NFC Forum Publishes Recommendations for Creating Optimal User Experiences during Device Connections

Connection Handover White Paper Offers Guidelines for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Use Cases

WAKEFIELD, Mass.--()--The NFC Forum has published a new white paper entitled Connection Handover User Experience Recommendations, a helpful guide for any developer seeking to give consumers seamless access to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi services using NFC. The white paper, which is available for download without charge, was developed by the NFC Forum's Consumer Electronics SIG (Special Interest Group).

Readers of the white paper will learn how to deliver easy, quick, and enjoyable user experiences using NFC's valuable connection handover capability (detailed in an NFC Forum Technical Specification) by which the simple, secure, one-touch setup of NFC can be combined with the high-speed, longer-distance communication of Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

NFC's connection handover function is targeted for situations where the amount of data to be transferred is too large to be transmitted over NFC during the time of a touch, or when data is to be streamed for a longer time. For example, connection handover can enable Bluetooth audio streaming between a smartphone and a speaker or headset, a streaming session between a smartphone and a TV, or the transfer of a photo between a digital camera and a smartphone over Wi-Fi.

The white paper's recommendations show how to configure an NFC implementation to establish a connection or to "hand over" a connection so as to deliver a consistent and pleasant user experience. The paper supplies three types of recommendations: general recommendations for all applications, recommendations for audio and video streaming use cases, and recommendations that are specific to Bluetooth use. Subject areas include touchpoint positioning and identification, network enabling, feedback delivery, touch duration and disconnection, device pairing, and handling successive device connections.

"NFC’s unique connection handover capability bridges the gaps between wireless technologies, making life easier and more convenient for consumers and helping them get more out of their electronic devices," said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. "The recommendations in the new white paper will greatly assist developers in creating exciting new applications, and we commend the participants in the Consumer Electronics SIG who prepared it."

About Near Field Communication Technology

NFC technology makes life easier and more convenient for consumers around the world by making it simpler to make transactions, exchange digital content, and connect electronic devices with a touch. A standards-based connectivity technology, NFC harmonizes today's diverse contactless technologies, enabling current and future solutions in areas such as access control, consumer electronics, health care, information collection and exchange, loyalty and coupons, payments, and transport. NFC technology is supported by the world's leading communication device manufacturers, semiconductor producers, network operators, IT and services companies, and financial services organizations. NFC is compatible with hundreds of millions of contactless cards and readers already deployed worldwide.

About the NFC Forum

The NFC Forum (www.nfc-forum.org) was launched as a non-profit industry association in 2004 by leading mobile communications, semiconductor, and consumer electronics companies. The Forum's mission is to advance the use of Near Field Communication technology by developing specifications, ensuring interoperability among devices and services, and educating the market about NFC technology. The Forum's global member companies are currently developing specifications for a modular NFC device architecture, and protocols for interoperable data exchange and device-independent service delivery, device discovery, and device capability. The NFC Forum's Sponsor members, which hold seats on the Board of Directors, include leading players in key industries around the world. The Sponsor members are: Broadcom Corporation, Google, Inc., Intel, MasterCard Worldwide, NEC, Nokia, NXP Semiconductors, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Corporation, STMicroelectronics, and Visa Inc.

Contacts

NFC Forum Public Relations
Ruth Cassidy, 617-957-8494
ruth.cassidy@nfc-forum.org

Release Summary

The NFC Forum has published a new, free white paper entitled "Connection Handover User Experience Recommendations," a helpful guide for delivering seamless access to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi using NFC.

Contacts

NFC Forum Public Relations
Ruth Cassidy, 617-957-8494
ruth.cassidy@nfc-forum.org