NFC invades Mobile World Congress (pictures)

NFC is literally everywhere here at Mobile World Congress. Here are some of the more interesting implementations.

Eric Franklin

Feb. 27, 2013 11:01 a.m. PT

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Eric Franklin/CNET

MasterCard

BARCELONA, Spain--MasterCard's booth housed three NFC stations: NFC in the home, in stores, and when in transit. This picture illustrates how NFC payments are currently implemented for buses and trains in the U.K.

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Eric Franklin/CNET

MasterCard

MasterCard's new proposal would allow bus and train riders to use their smartphones to pay for their fare using a bar code printed at the bus top. The thought is that riders would do this while waiting for the next transport, then get on the vehicle, bump a sensor, and enjoy (or depending on the city, not enjoy) their ride.

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MWC NFC

These signs are littered throughout the convention center. NFC is the new NFC from a few years ago.

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Sarah Tew/CBS Interactive

Free NFC phones!

The GSMA is actually giving away the NFC-enabled Sony Xperia T to certain lucky show-goers as a way to promote the "NFC experience."

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Booth bump

After making an inquiry at the eBay booth, one of the people working there asked to "scan" my card. This is me begrudgingly obliging. I'm sure all this data is being fed into a powerful supercomputer that will compute a solution to the overcrowded trains problem currently afflicting show-goers. I'm sure of it.

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Eric Franklin/CNET

Beep!

SK Planet's Beep will allow merchants to take credit card payment information directly from a smartphone.

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Eric Franklin/CNET

A familiar sight

An all-too-familiar sight for attendees of Mobile World Congress 2013. Here's a shot of me entering the press room. NFC-based scanners were at several waypoints around the show to insure proper credentials. On this occasion, I had my "papers!"

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Doors?!

Gemalto is featuring tech that would conceivably do away with keys, allowing you to open doors with a smartphone. Call me a paranoid old man, but I don't see this ending well.