Tap to Share Capability Coming to Android in Newest Update

Tap to Share Capability Coming to Android in Newest Update: "

HP made a point of showing off their tap to share capability at the announcement for the HP TouchPad and Pre3, but Google's newly minted version of Android enables a similar capability. It may have gotten lost in the shuffle, but by employing the new Near Field Communication (NFC) and Bluetooth APIs, Android users of the future will be able to enjoy some impressive feats of content sharing. The changes are coming in Android 2.3.3, and will require an NFC chip.

For the time being, only the Nexus S will be a candidate for this technology. It is the only phone with Gingerbread, and an NFC chip at this time. The new APIs will allow for seamless pairing over Bluetooth of two devices by tapping them together. No more awkward syncing up required. HP's version of tap to share was only demoed pushing URLs across devices, but the new Android update will allow any data to be sent across the Bluetooth link.

The 2.3.3 update has yet to go out, but Nexus S users should be seeing it soon. We'll be keeping an eye on this technology to see how developers use it. 

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