Rating: NFC is just about digital commerce
In sharp contrast to Apple, of course, the many benefits of supporting NFC (Near Field Communication) have been recognised by Samsung Mobile UK. The world leading handset supplier has announced that an NFC-enabled version of its Galaxy S III Mini smartphone will be in the UK by February 1st [2013]. Just in time for MWC Barcelona 2013 which is showcasing NFC technology this year. NFC isn’t just about digital payments, of course. The new Galaxy S III Mini will be able to share content, such as photos, videos and music, much faster using its S Beam feature. Full tech specs for this model are provided below.
Without even needing a Wi-fi or a cellular/mobile signal, S Beam enables a 10MB music file, for example, to be shared in just two seconds.
Such transfers can be made simply by tapping on another Samsung S Beam-enabled device – such as the Galaxy S III or Galaxy Note II.
However, S Beam is capable of sending larger files between phones and/or tablets – such as images, videos and music tracks – by combining NFC with Wi-fi Direct.
“NFC technology and the digital wallet started to gain significant traction in 2012, particularly in the run up to the [London] Olympics,” explained Simon Stanford, a vp for telecommunications & networks with Samsung UK and Ireland.
Samsung was, of course, a major sponsor of the 2012 London Olympics being the official communications partner.
Stanford continued, “It’s an exciting time in the mobile market watching the next phase of [NFC's] evolution take shape, so we’re happy to announce that we are bringing these new experiences to our customers through our growing number of NFC-enabled devices.”
The Galaxy S III Mini is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and provides many of the features available on its big brother – the Galaxy S III.
Notice Bluetooth support is retained even though NFC has been added. NFC is a complimentary technology not a direct replacement for Bluetooth even though there are several similarities.
Galaxy S III Mini NFC Product Specifications
| Network | HSPA 14.4/5.76 900/1900/2100
EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 |
| Display | 4.0” WVGA Super AMOLED |
| Chipset | Dual Core 1GHz |
| OS | Android™ 4.1 (Jelly Bean) |
| Camera | 5MP AF + LED Flash / VGA Front |
| Video | H.264, MPEG-4, H.263, VC-1,
SorensonSpark, WMV7, WMV8 Recording/ Playback : 720p |
| Audio | MP3, AMR-NB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+,
WMA, OGG(Vorbis), FLAC |
| Additional
Features |
Game/Video/ Readers/Music Hub |
| Kies, KiesAir | |
| FM Radio (RDS) | |
| TouchWiz | |
| Pop up play | |
| Google™ Mobile Services | Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude
Google Play Store, Google Play Books, Google Play Movies Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Places, Google Navigation, Google Downloads |
| Connectivity | WiFi a/b/g/n, WiFi HT40
GPS/GLONASS NFC, S Beam Bluetooth® 4.0(LE) |
| Sensor | Accelerometer, Digital compass, Proximity, Gyro |
| Memory | 8/16GB ROM+ 1GB RAM
microSDup to 32GB |
| Dimension | 121.55 x 63 x 9.9 mm, 120 g |
| Battery | 1,500 mAh |
* Note: All functionality, features, and specifications are subject to change.
