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What's the point of NFC chip included in new generation of bluetooth headsets?

The ads seem to imply the phone will use it to simplify one-time initial pairing, but does it have any other function?

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closed as off topic by Diago Oct 18 '11 at 20:09


1 Answer 1

NFC is NOT bluetooth, it's a totally different short-range networking protocol. You're seeing headsets support both protocols as a future-proofing tool. (Personally, I think it's superior for a lot of applications, but then I've never been a fan of bluetooth.)

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Yes, I know they are completely separate - which is why I ask what's the purpose :) They clearly not going to transmit audio via NFC, then what's that "future-proofing" for? –  Michael Oct 18 '11 at 20:09
It's not really going to be used for audio, no, it doesn't have the bandwidth for that. There are a lot of data transfer that it's superior for, though - such as the example you give of pairing, which when negotiated via NFC is bump and go. Admittedly, a /headset/ isn't the best use of the technology. –  Shinrai Oct 18 '11 at 20:13
