14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung and KT (Korea Telecom) have announced the availability of Samsung SHW-A170K touchscreen feature-phone. This is the first phone equipped with NFC (Near Field Communication) technology that is being launched in South Korea.
The South-Korean carrier said that it worked with some of the major retailers in the country, including Lotte Shopping Co, Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin Robbins, GS Caltex, to provide payment terminals at local stores that will support the smart phone’s launch.
In their statment KT and Samsung revealed plans to launch more NFC-ready mobile phones in the future.
The Korean carrier also predicted that the NFC phones will make up 47% of market by year 2015.
Samsung SHW-A170K features NFC technology and uses NFC compatible USIM, thus owners will be able to buy various items using their phones.
Users will be able to make purchases, as well as open electronic locks, buy and store event tickets, read NFC tags and more.
For those tech-savvy, the Near Field Communication or NFC, is a short-range high frequency wireless communication technology which enables the exchange of data between devices over about a 4-inch distance.
Although the communication range of NFC is limited to a few centimeters, NFC alone does not ensure secure communications.
NFC offers no protection against eavesdropping and is also vulnerable to data modifications. Thus, applications have to use higher-layer cryptographic protocols to establish a secure channel.
Only a few NFC-ready handset have been launched since the technology has been approved: Nokia 6216 Classic (canceled), Nokia 6212 Classic, Nokia 6131 NFC, Nokia 3220, Samsung S5230 Tocco, Samsung SGH-X700 NFC, Samsung D500E, SAGEM my700X, LG 600V, Motorola L7 (SLVR), Benq T80, Sagem Cosyphone. Many of these are already discontinued or canceled.
The feature-phone comes with a 3-inch WQVGA touch screen display (240×400 pixels resolution), Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP support, T-DMB, as well as built-in GPS receiver.
The handset sports a 3-megapixel camera with video recording capabilities.