The NFC Forum today said it has ratified and adopted a new specification that will ensure compatibility between a wider range of devices. The NFC Analog Technical Specification Version 2.0 targets the analog portions of the RF interface in NFC devices. Specifically, it makes sure NFC devices can read certain types of cards (ISO/IEC 14443 and ISO/IEC 18092). Moreover, it improves the reliability of communications between devices no matter the antenna size. The NFC Forum says this spec is important for public transportation, which typically relies on the ISO/IEC 14443 or ISO/IEC 18092 cards, as well as mobile payment mechanisms and the internet of things. The new spec also adds Active Communication Mode, which is an alternative to Passive Communication Mode. Active mode lets NFC-equipped devices create a field when sending information from the reader to the mobile device. The NFC Forum says this helps balance power consumption between the devices and improves the stability of communications. Last, the spec adopts NFC-V technology, which adds support for more tag types. With the specification fully adopted by the NFC, it will be up to individual hardware makers to add the new functionality to their devices.


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