Near field communication technology has become a reality for many companies and users, and is poised for takeoff with other smartphone manufacturers. With Apple planning to incorporate NFC into the iPhone and a handful of NFC compatible smartphones already on the market, this branch of technology is changing rapidly. Our guide covers the progression of NFC smartphones from the very first NFC compatible phone to what’s coming in the near future.

Past and Current Smartphones

• Nokia 6131 – The Nokia 6131 was the first NFC compatible phone brought to the market. First produced in 2006, this older model has since been discontinued.
• Google Nexus S – The Google Nexus S became the first Android phone to support NFC technology. This model did not come out until 2011, five years after the release of the first NFC compatible phone.
• BlackBerry – Both the BlackBerry 9900 and the BlackBerry 9930 support NFC. More BlackBerry smartphones will be compatible with NFC technology soon.
• Samsung Galaxy S II – The Samsung Galaxy S II offers NFC services to AT&T and T-Mobile but currently does not offer NFC technology on its Sprint model.
• Nokia Astound – The Nokia Astound, also known as the Nokia C7, comes with NFC technology, though it is deactivated by default and users must enable it after receiving their smartphones.

Future Smartphones

• Windows Phones –The Windows Phone 8 operating system will include NFC and in 2012 Windows Phone 7 operating system smartphones will also receive the added functionality.
• HTC – HTC, among several other companies such as LG, RIM, Samsung Mobile, and more, has begun developing devices based on NFC technology. The HTC Stunning was the first HTC smartphone with NFC compatibility and other models are soon to follow
• LG – LG presented its first NFC compatible smartphone in the budget-friendly Optimus Net, and is currently expanding to bring NFC to its higher-end smartphones.

Microsoft’s Andy Lees: Talking to Your Phone Isn’t Super Useful, NFC Coming Soon to Windows Phone
Sharp, HTC and ZTE Learn the NFC Forum Secret Handshake