Will 2011 be the year of the NFC? We don’t know yet, because the year has even yet to start, but it seemed very likely. Google started it with the NFC in Nexus S, now Japanese carrier Softbank has added a new “seal” at the back of Apple’s iPhone 4. It sticks on, covering almost the entire rear, but is apparently thin enough not to get in the way of using one of Apple’s own Bumpers alongside it. But the NFC card doesn’t communicate with the iPhone as it’s just a dumb NFC card. This is actually a response to complaints about the iPhone 4′s NFC deficit — the FeliCa payment system is pretty popular over in Japan. The NFC add-on will be on sale in February at a price of ¥2,980 ($36), but you still can’t train concussive shells on it.

SOURCE via Engadget Japan