On Monday, Naratte introduced Zoosh, a technology that lets phones exchange transaction information via inaudible sound waves. As with NFC, the phone user would just put the phone near to a point-of-sale terminal to redeem a coupon or make a purchase. Naratte's approach might allow for faster deployment, but some observers raised questions about its technical and market potential.
NFC provides short-range radio communication between phones and point-of-sale devices so users can just tap or point their phones at the device to make a purchase. Advocates say the technology will speed up shop lines and make buying things more convenient for consumers who carry their phones more often than their credit cards. NFC uses specialized chips, which are already built into a few phones such as the Google Nexus S sold by Sprint Nextel, and are expected in more handsets in the future.
