Though the majority of people think of mobile devices – specifically smartphones – when they hear about near field communication (NFC), laptops may soon be joining the world of this technology.
Google has been trying very hard to have NFC technology included in Android smartphones so that Google Wallet will have the opportunity for massive expansion. It has also been estimated that Apple may add it to its 2012 iPhone, after it was left out of the most recent version of the device.
NFC is already opening the doors for a tremendous number of companies that are attempting to make it simpler for individuals to access and use their digital wallets for mobile purchases. Even more recently, though, is the effort to bring this technology to laptops. This is being pushed primarily by MasterCard and Intel.
These two giants have announced that they will be working together for a number of years in a partnership that will combine the Ultrabook (very slim laptop) technology from Intel with the PayPass technology from MasterCard.
They believe that by combining laptops with NFC PayPass support, then the companies will be able to improve their ability to provide enhanced payment experiences with better security for their online shopping.
It will mean that consumers will be able to shop online using their laptop computers and will no longer need to enter their credit card information every time they want to make a purchase. Instead, when it comes time to “check out” from the site, they will simply be able to tap their NFC enabled smartphone or PayPass enabled credit card onto the laptop and the information will be automatically received.
