Samsung wants to add a bit of NFC magic to your world and is to make doing so as easy as slapping on a sticker. Samsung TecTiles are packs of NFC-laced sticker that you can use to NFC-up anything from your desk to your dog.
NFC is all very well, but NFC-enabled objects are thin on the ground at the moment. You can always clip one of Sony’s Xperia NFC tags to something, but those key fob sized thigs are a not exactly unobtrusive. Samsung’s solution to this is the same as BarclayCard’s - little stickers that conceal the delicate NFC circuit and can be stuck almost anywhere you like.
By sticking a TecTile on any surface you can turn it into an NFC hotspot and use the accompanying Android app to link it with an action like launching an app, tweaking one of your settings or sending a text message. You could stick one on your desk at work so you can tap in and have your phone switch to silent (or at least swap out that Venga Boys ringtone for something more corporate) or launch Google Maps when you sit it on your car dashboard.
Samsung also plans to let companies use TecTiles to enable instant check-in to Foursquare or automatic sign-in to Wi-Fi networks as well as other, probably slightly annoying uses.
TecTiles come in packs of five and are aimed initially at owners of the Samsung Galaxy S3. Samsung says they should work with any NFC-enabled Android phone though, so if you have a Galaxy Nexus, some models of Samsung Galaxy S II, Sony Xperia, etc. then you should be able to play too. At the moment the sticker packs are only slated for launch in the US. We have contacted Samsung about a UK launch date and keep you posted if you (ho ho) stick around.
[Samsung]
