Parrot PARTY Black Edition Speakers Do Use Near Field Connection [Speakers]

Kit Eaton — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:10:00 EDT

Parrot has come up with a new Black Edition of their PARTY speaker which uses Near Field Communications to connect to audio sources, claiming it's the first commercial speaker system to do this. Basically you don't have to do any complicated Bluetooth paring, just tap your cellphone to the speaker and away you go. It uses a class-D amp, has a 6W power output, a "Stereo Widening" option to create virtual surround sound and its rechargeable batteries will last eight hours. Available in the summer in the UK for around $156. Update: Ok, we thought they did, then we thought they didn't: Parrot contacted us, very sweetly, to say "yes... they are NFC enabled." Hooray. Sorry for the confusion. [Pocket Lint]

Nokia 6212 Classic Has Near-Field Payment Tech Built-In [Nokia]

Kit Eaton — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:19:21 EDT

Nokia's new 6212 classic phone may not be much of a looker, but it's designed to allow the simplest possible connectivity between two devices. It uses Near Field Communications technology to connect up two devices simply by holding them together, allowing easy photo or ringtone sharing with just one button push. Better yet, it also allows you to store your credit card info on the phone, enabling easy payments that require simply placing the phone on a sensor.

Those transactions are made secure by requiring you to enter a passcode, so losing this phone shouldn't be as scary as you might think.

Apart from the nifty NFC technology, the candybar device has 3G connectivity, has a 2-inch TFT screen, MP3 player, and a stereo FM radio. There's also a 2 megapixel camera and microSD slot for memory expansion (up to 2GB). It's available later this year, starting in Europe and Asia for around $315. [Nokia and Softpedia]

Gizmodo: near-field communications

Parrot PARTY Black Edition Speakers Do Use Near Field Connection [Speakers]

Nokia 6212 Classic Has Near-Field Payment Tech Built-In [Nokia]