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Microsoft: NFC not currently supported in Windows Phone, expected to ship in devices next year

Microsoft: NFC not currently supported in Windows Phone, expected to ship in devices next year

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Microsoft has corrected a previous statement that Windows Phone already supports NFC, stating that it's not currently supported, but NFC-enabled Windows Phone devices should ship within the next year.

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Samsung Focus Flash and Focus S
Samsung Focus Flash and Focus S

During an interview last week, Microsoft UK product manager Will Coleman implied that Windows Phone 7.5 already supports NFC, and that it just needs to be enabled by OEMs, but soon after he tweeted that his statement was incorrect. Today, a Microsoft spokesperson issued a full correction, stating: "While NFC is not currently supported on Windows Phone 7.5, it is coming. We expect NFC-enabled Windows Phone devices to ship within the next year." This isn't a new revelation, as former Windows Phone head Andy Lees revealed that NFC support was coming in 2012 at Asia D a few months ago. It all seems to be part of a broader Windows initiative for Microsoft, as the company revealed a Windows 8 tap to share feature during its BUILD conference back in September which allows for the transfer of data between phones and PCs, and it'd make sense for the next Xbox to include NFC as well.