Moneto brings NFC to the iPhone, almost all Android devices
I've talked about NFC technology and its applications in the real world before, but so far adoption of the standard has been hampered by the fact that few devices included NFC, meaning that users would have to get an entirely new device just to use it. Fortunately, an innovative company called Moneto has come up with a way for users to add NFC to their current devices by building a self contained NFC radio into a microSD card.
The card is the same size as a standard microSD, so it should fit in any device with the proper slot. And don't worry if your device relies on only the SD card for storage, Moneto's NFC card will also work as regular storage for Android. Aside from putting in the SD card, you just have to install the Moneto application on your phone and then place an antenna sticker on your device's back cover to help with the signal. Things are just a bit different for the iPhone thanks to its lack of an SD slot, as you have to use a special case from Moneto that transfers data between the card and the phone.
Although it doesn't appear that the Moneto card will work with Google Wallet at least for now, the proprietary application does support MasterCard PayPass, which is also a big part of Google Wallet's framework. Security conscious users need not worry either, as the card has about as much encryption and security as you can get with NFC.
If you want to pick this up for your Android device, you should be able to get it for $30 in the next few weeks. As iPhone users need the case as well, it will run them about $80. Still, this is a great value if you have been wanting NFC on your phone (it's certainly cheaper than a new device), and it should also serve to speed up NFC's growth make compatible merchants more common.
[Moneto via Good and Evo]
