BlackBerry NFC issues end in sight NFC phone rumors [Exclusive]

Posted by Seth Planck

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An end may be in sight for BlackBerry users with NFC issues with an added bonus to come, exclusive NFC phone rumors

We have covered the problems with BlackBerry NFC phones probably more than any other site on the web. Of course, what has helped is that we have had multiple sources close to the situation that have given us exclusive information on the subject. If you have followed the news lately, you will already know that RIM hasn’t had an easy ride of things with declining demand for their products and sales plummeting in every market. But within dismal results RIM has forged relationships with HID, Isis and have arguably been every bit as active as Nokia in the realm of NFC. RIM is rumored to be readying their QNX operating system that will update BlackBerry phones so they can be competitive again, and we at NFC Rumors would like to see BlackBerry do well. That said, NFC has been the problem that BlackBerry just hasn’t been able to get to grips with, and today we have more exclusive information for you.

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How to enable NFC on the Verizon BlackBerry Bold 9930 with leaked OS update

Posted by Seth Planck

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How to enable NFC on the Verizon BlackBerry Bold 9930 with leaked OS update

We reported a couple of weeks ago that Verizon was turning off NFC in its version of the BlackBerry Bold 9930. Most mobile network operators are, in fact, selling BlackBerry’s flagship device with NFC turned off at the software level so Verizon’s decision was no big surprise. However, we know our readers that wanted a BlackBerry Bold weren’t keen on the device having the NFC crippled by mobile network operators. We had a trusted source tell us that the near field communications experience wasn’t too great and the software wasn’t yet developed to support as many features as mobile network operators would have liked to have seen for a user’s first NFC experience. To cut a long story short, there are thousands of BlackBerry Bold 9930 NFC-enabled phones now in circulation that don’t have the ability to read tags or other associated capabilities.

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BlackBerry Bold 9930 NFC phone hits Verizon for $250

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BlackBerry Bold 9930 NFC phone hits Verizon for $250 avec 2 year contract

We knew that the BlackBerry Bold 9930 NFC phone was heading to Verizon Wireless after a video was mistakenly posted to Big Red’s site a couple of weeks ago, but now it’s available to order.  The BlackBerry Bold 9930 NFC phone will set you back $250 on a two year contract or a cool $510 if you like to freewheel it. Rumor has it that although the BlackBerry Bold 9930 is up for grabs online, there is no official word when it will hit Verizon and partner retail stores. However, a rumor circulating suggests it could come as soon as August 25th, so around ten days to wait. We don’t know whether Verizon plans to block the NFC capabilities of the BlackBerry Bold 9930 as yet, but if it’s an NFC phone you are after, you may wish to check this before signing up and laying down two and a half Benjamins. What we can tell you though is that there is no word about the BlackBerry Bold 9930 being an NFC phone on Verizon’s site, so make of that what you will.

BlackBerry Bold 9930 specs

Having the 9900 as its stablemate, a lot of the BlackBerry Bold 9930 specifications are the same. We jotted down the notable ones after the break.

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ZTE and Inside Secure to make NFC phones

Posted by Seth Planck

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ZTE and Inside Secure to make NFC phones

Chinese company ZTE and Inside Secure have inked a deal to build a fleet of NFC phones. If you haven’t heard of ZTE before you should know that they are in the top five of mobile phone producers in the world. In Europe and the States, we have only recently began to see their wares but trust us when we tell you that they will become a household name in the not too distant future. Inside Secure is a competitor to NXP Semiconductors. They build the software and hardware chips that make NFC work in mobile phones. Together, ZTE and Inside Secure make a formidable team that could compete with the likes of Nokia, LG and Huawei, as they intend to launch a host of Android based SCDMA smartphones that include NFC technology in the not so distant future.

The ZTE and Inside Secure NFC phones deal

Last year (2010) ZTE sold 90 million mobile phones with its largest growth market being Europe, closely followed by the United States and Japan. ZTE will use INSIDE MicroRead® NFC controller and the companion Open NFC™ protocol stack. It will enable consumers in China and elsewhere to use ZTE 3G smartphones for a broad range of secure NFC applications, including payments, transportation, loyalty, ticketing and access control. What is interesting here is there is no mention of 4G technologies. ZTE is known as a budget focused brand and this could suggest that the firm is not ready to deploy WiMax or LTE phone for while.

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