RIM plans to join Google and add near field communications (NFC) chips to the BlackBerry, sources claimed this morning. The smartphone lineup would get NFC sometime next year. Goggle on Monday said Android 2.3 would support NFC.
The new came as AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have established Isis, a joint partnership on mobile payment. The approach will use NFC and smartphones to buy goods on the spot. Combined, they expect to add support for coupons and other discounts and to support both stores as well as public transit and other ticketed sales.
Discover is proving the back infrastructure for Isis, while Barclaycard US is issuing some of the first practical services.
Early adoption could help the US catch up to countries like Japan, where NFC is used very frequently instead of credit and debit cards.
