Hasta La Gadget!

Sure, there are already plenty of cool options when it comes to encrypted flash drives, but what about one that uses NFC on your Android or even Windows 8 device to unlock it? PQI showed us one such implementation at Computex. Essentially, this NFC flash drive requires an NFC-enabled device to toggle its access mode: full access, read-only, one-time access (and remains hidden afterwards) or hidden. All you have to do is choose the desired mode in the app, type in your preset password, and then tap the flash drive (even when unplugged) with your device to change the former’s setting — provided that the password matches, of course.

Since the encryption is done on the storage controller level, the computer’s drive utility wouldn’t be able to see the dongle at all if it’s hidden, so you wouldn’t even be able to format it unless you unlock it or, well, physically destroy it. And that could be anywhere from 8GB all the way up to 64GB of storage space, when the drive launches in Q4 this year.

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While chat apps excel at adding contacts from the online world, they don’t cope so well with real life — reciting and typing screen names isn’t very elegant. Nokia is bringing back some of those social graces with its Nokia Chat 1.1 beta, which revolves around NFC transfers. If both friends own NFC-equipped Lumia phones, they can tap to exchange their own details, other contacts or even the app itself. It’s also easier to share locations: contacts with Lumias will see a Here Maps-based preview of any given place. These additions don’t make as much sense outside of an all-Nokia ecosystem, but there’s certainly enough for existing users to upgrade at the source link.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Nokia

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Via: Nokia Beta Labs, WMPoweruser

Source: Windows Phone Store

A new patent awarded to Apple yesterday hints at the possibility of future Apple devices supporting near-field communication or NFC.

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This week the folks at Microsoft have let it be known that Windows 8.1 hasn’t yet spilled all of its details, coming in with Miracast wireless display support standard. This is an implementation of the standard technology that Google introduced with Android 4.2, also working with Miracast, here bringing the technology to every PC able to upgrade to Windows 8.1 – with implementation of the software as made real by the manufacturer.

To make Miracast wireless display technology work, one needs a Miracst-certified source device and a Miracast-certified display device. Microsoft’s announcement of Miracast integration makes it clear that they intend Windows 8.1 PCs to work at source devices. What’s not clear at the moment is if manufacturers will seek the approval of the Wi-fi alliance to make their machines Miracast-certified display devices as well.

The Wi-fi alliance maintains an official list of both sources and displays that are Miracast-certified, including devices such as the HTC One and Samsung GALAXY S 4 on the source side of things and a variety of smart TVs and specialized Miracast dongles on the receiving end. We spoke about this list back when Miracast was introduced with Android 4.2, warning that it certainly wasn’t an extensive enough cross-section of devices that it was safe to head out and pick up just any old “wireless display capable” machine on the market.

Since then, this list has expanded significantly. With both Google’s Android and Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 supporting the ability to work with Miracast, manufacturers are sure to adopt at a much quicker rate than we’ve seen thus far.

Microsoft’s implementation of the technology includes notes that pairing future Windows 8.1 devices with Miracast will be as easy as connecting with Bluetooth or NFC – the end product still requires both devices to be on the same Wi-fi network, but the pairing should be a snap.

SOURCE: Microsoft

Windows 8.1 Miracast tap has Microsoft join the wireless display party is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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The Nokia NFC Writer app is new and improved!

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