Foursquare 3.0 Launched; NFC Support Being Tested

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Social networking has gone a long way from sharing of status messages. Today, location-based services are letting people do all sorts of things, including flash-mobs, localized store discounts, and the like. Foursquare is testing out a service that lets users check in just by tapping a tag.

Social networks have earlier tried to incorporate NFC for purposes of checking into locations. Foursquare is trying out this system, but still at a local level. Along with the launch of version 3.0 of Foursquare’s mobile application, the company  has setup NFC tags in its New York headquarters. Foursquare is also launching a new Merchant Platform, which should help businesses take advantage of location-based services.

All these should be beneficial to both Foursquare users and merchants. For one, merchants can use the service to promote local deals and discounts. Users can benefit from these special deals, which can usually be offered on-the-fly. NFC lets users check in just by tapping on the NFC tag.

Near Field Communication (NFC) is a low-power technology that lets two devices communicate with each other within short ranges. Unlike Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, though, you need a few millimeters proximity in order for NFC to work, which makes it ideal for exchanging information, like contact details, with another device. What’s great with the technology is that some devices can be passive, meaning they will not require batteries to run. As long as there is an active device that initiates the connection, information can be exchanged.

For now, though, not many smartphones support NFC natively. Some notable smartphones that have NFC include the Nexus S. With all these developments in NFC-related technology, it is rumored that Apple’s next iPhone (the iPhone 5) will support NFC, which can help bring mainstream support to NFC.