NFC Android apps

We intend to have a regular NFC Android apps spot here at NFC Rumors, where we take a look at what apps are available in the Android Market. As most people know, at this time the only phone that is NFC-enabled is the Google Nexus S. However, the  NFC-enabled Samsung Galaxy S II is rumored to be coming in the somewhat near future and other smartphones are slated for this year, so we thought it would be worth taking a quick gander at what NFC Android apps have been released.

NFC Android apps: NFC Tag Reader / Writers

As you may expect out of the NFC Android apps available, there are quite a few NFC tag reader / writer apps. Here are the top three.

NXP’s Tag Writer

The NXP TagWriter application allows you to store contacts, URLs, SMS as well as text messages and generic URIs to any NFC-enabled tags as well as to items like poster, business cards, watches and so on containing NFC-enabled electronics. Once data has been stored the application allows also to read and view the programmed data including options to launch applications automatically based on the contained data.

NFC Tag Info

Ever wanted to know what is stored on your NFC tags? Here is the answer! Read detailed information from NFC tags and contactless smartcards! The NFC TagInfo application reads meta information and data from contactless transponders. It is an ideal tool for anyone who is curious about the information stored on their NFC transponders. The tool is a must-have for NFC application developers on the Android platform. NFC TagInfo demonstrates the tag-reading capabilities of the Android API.

NFC Reader

Test app for reading and displaying various tags (NDEF, RFID, FeliCa, ISO 14443, etc) using NFC (Near Field Communication).
The app also supports basic NDEF Push for people who don’t have any tag to read but happen to have two NFC-enabled phones.

NFC Android apps: Contacts, travel & more

The reader writer NFC Android apps represent the meat and potatoes of must haves. After that come some creative apps for passing information and playing with NFC a little more creatively. Here again is three we liked:

Business Card Holder

Smart NFC Business Card manager application. Let’s exchange business card with NFC, not paper. Register my card and send it easily to the other users. You can manage the received cards much easier with the intuitive UI of Business Card Holder.

Hoccer: data sharing

Data sharing simplified: Drag or throw any data to other devices. Share your pictures, music, contacts, bookmarks, messages and arbitrary files with simple gestures like dragging or throw n’ catch to near by recipients. No setup, no user accounts!

Meets

It is a new “meeting in daily life is recorded” meets social network application. The Android terminal corresponding to the purse cellular phone and NFC is recorded mutually and the connection with the people met in the school, the office, and the event, etc. can be recorded easily by touching, and exchanging easily issuable then and there. Meets is not a mere “exchange of where to make contact” application program. It is an application that can easily record memories “met” then and there at any time.

NFC Android apps: Google Wallet & Google Offers

Although out of the NFC Android apps we mention, we couldn’t end this post without mentioning the two big NFC Android apps that are yet to be released from el Goog itself.

Google Wallet

If you don’t know about this soon to be released title we may suggest you must live under a rock. At this time, Google Wallet represents the holy grail of NFC Android apps. It is the app you store your card details in, and use NFC to pay for your stuff in the places that like people who wave smartphones about. If you need the run down on Google Wallet, and what it is click here ye rock dweller.

Google Offers

Google Wallet’s stable mate, Google Offers, is the Groupon-like service that works with Google Wallet. As NFC Android apps go, this one will be a must if you tote a Nexus S, or if you get a different NFC-enabled handset as and when they come out.

For the many NFC Android apps we didn’t mention, this is just a first time around. We counted around 80 NFC Android apps locked and loaded in Marketplace right now. One thing we do know for sure is there are lots more NFC Android apps being developed after Google IO juiced developers up and illustrated how NFC could be built in to their apps, so we expect to review lots of NFC Android apps in the coming months.