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To complement its ever-expanding range of smartphones featuring NFC chips, Samsung has announced the launch of its own customisable NFC tags, called TecTiles.
Sony has already done this with its Xperia NXT smartphones and the Xperia Smart Tags, which marry up to the Xperia Smart Tags app to allow the user to set a list of commands for the phone to perform when touched on a tag.
TecTiles do a similar job, and will work with a selection of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones – the ones that have NFC chips in them anyway. This means the Galaxy Nexus and brand new Galaxy SIII, as well as U.S-only phones such as the Galaxy SII on T-Mobile and the Galaxy S Blaze 4G.
Samsung’s offering will work in much the same way as Sony’s, although rather than being a hard plastic disc with a keychain option; TecTiles come in small square sticker form. While Xperia Tags require blu tac or something similar to stick, these can be put almost anywhere.
An accompanying app will be launched by Samsung to interact with the stickers, although Sammy hasn’t said what it’s called or when exactly it will be out.
Unfortunately each sticker will only be able to be programmed to perform one task at a time, although Samsung says each sticker can be re-programmed and re-purposed up to 100,000 times. When they launch you’ll be able to pick up a pack of five for around £10-15, which isn’t too bad we think.
If you’ve recently picked up the excellent Galaxy SIII and wondered what the NFC option does in the Wireless settings, these stickers will help you get there. Want your phone to automatically turn on Bluetooth and connect to your carkit? Stick one of these on your dash and touch your phone on it to do that automatically.
Samsung’s TecTiles are expected to launch in the U.S alongside the Galaxy SIII in the next month or so, and we’re hoping they’ll make it across the pond shortly after that.
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