Mobile Services for Near Field Communication

Mobile phones are currently arguably the most widespread mobile computing devices and have found their way into our social and emotional life. Using physical objects as entry points to data and services can ease mobile information access. A new technology called Near Field Communication (NFC), which is an extension of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, has the potential to bring mobile devices and physical objects together. NFC promises to eliminate problems like difficult configuration, long duration of connection establishment and high power consumption. In addition, it is designed to enable users to interact with augmented objects or other devices intuitively. This article assesses the capabilities NFC technology offers. We report on a study that we have implemented and tested with users which demonstrates the new possibilities for physical mobile interactions. We conclude the paper with lessons learned from our experience in the development of prototypes and evaluation. Motivation Mobile phones have become ubiquitous companions in our life, enabling communication nearly always and everywhere. Additionally they facilitate information access to mobile services and the internet. Besides these communication functions, mobile phones have become multimedia computing platforms with integrated digital cameras for taking pictures and videos, and high-resolution color displays. People use phones to play music, record conversations and to organize their appointments. In summary we can observe that these modern mobile phones bring capabilities from the desktop computers and home entertainment into the world and hence into many different contexts. Usage in context, while being mobile in the real world, creates information and communication needs. Applications such as buying tickets, way finding, comparing products in a shop to internet offers, or controlling appliances are inherently tied to being in a certain situation. Taking real world environments and objects from these different contexts into account can help to design attractive mobile services. To allow easy ways for interaction with the things in the real world, the things have to cooperate and this is achieved by equipping them with technology. It can be observed that modern environments are evolving towards Mark Weiser’s vision of Ubiquitous Computing, where all objects are computerized and networked [1]. There are several options for enhancing objects to enable them to play a role in computational processes; this can be achieved by embedding full-scale computing devices into objects or by simply identifying objects with a barcode that is easy to recognize by machines. Radio frequency 1