Samsung Galaxy Nexus Release Date: Is NFC the Smartphone's Best Spec?

By Fionna Agomuoh, Christian Post Contributor Wednesday, October 19, 2011

NFC, near field communication, seems to be the most impressive spec on Samsung and Google’s new smartphone and OS, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich were unveiled at the "Samsung Mobile Unpacked: Google Episode" media event on Oct. 19 in Hong Kong, China.

They have brought innovative new features to the world of smartphones and high tech operating systems.

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However, NFC is the driving force behind the majority of the most innovative features on the Ice Cream Sandwich powered Galaxy Nexus.

Near field communication is a utility that allows for simplified transactions, data exchange, and wireless connections between two devices in close proximity to each other.

A number of Galaxy Nexus and Ice Cream Sandwich features are powered through NFC.

The Ice Cream Sandwich powered Galaxy Nexus features an accelerometer, a compass, gyro, light, proximity and a barometer, which all work with NFC.

The premier feature on the Galaxy Nexus is Android Beam, a mechanism, powered through NFC technology that allows users to share any information that can be brought up on their smartphone.

"You can use it to share contact information, share webpages -- feels like the touch functionality in webOS for the TouchPad and the Pre 3," Google's mobile production management director, Hugo Barra said at "Samsung Mobile Unpacked."

A demonstration of Android Beam at the conference showed two Galaxy Nexus smartphones being touched together to share webpages, maps and even a video game.

"We're seeing Minecraft played on one phone. Touch the phones together and, bam, it brings it right up in Android Market," Barra said.

NFC is still a fairly new technology and has not been seen on many other programs or devices.

In September, Google introduced Google Wallet, an NFC powered mobile payment app that allows users to store credit cards, loyalty cards, and gift cards on their smartphones and use the devices to make purchases.

Google Wallet is currently only available on Sprint’s Nexus S 4G smartphone.

The Nexus S is the next smartphone scheduled to run the Ice Cream Sandwich OS.