This is the archived SXSW 2012 schedule. Please see the current schedule here.

NFC: No Freakin' Chance?

#sxsw #WTFisNFC

Ask the average American about NFC and they’ll tell you that the New York Giants are the champs. For all the musing the tech community loves to make about NFC, envisioning a future of smart posters and tap payments, the technology has yet to gain much mainstream interest. The current surveys and projections send us a mixed message that while NFC-enabled phones will dominate by 2014, at present most people just don’t care about mobile payments. NFC could end up a phenomenon or a flop, and it all depends on the moves of a few key players. Is this the next big innovation or just the next Q-Cat or Gizmondo? We’ll look at the Vegas odds for an NFC win in US, the players that could make it happen and the technical and psychological challenges that could keep Americans from ever knowing NFC isn’t something you need cleats and a cup for.

Presenters

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James Davies Chief Strategy Officer Posterscope

Chief Strategy Officer, Posterscope

Smartphones account for 40% of American cellphones, revolutionizing internet on-the-go. Billboards and other poster sites are increasingly becoming digital and internet connected. There are all kinds of cutting edge technologies and applications shaping real world experiences. Consequently the media and communications that people encounter when out and about are becoming that much more important.

I’m interested in the relationship between all of these things and how best to combine them with both online and offline media to influence consumer behavior.

Nice recognition includes Best use of Emerging Technology (International Festival of Media), Specialty Agency of the year 2010 and 2011 (Media Magazine) and Top 100 Innovators (Publisher Cream Global).

My time is split between the US and my home in the UK and I relax with large doses of hip-hop music.

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Rachel Youens Mobile Strategist Mutual Mobile

Rachel checks into 15 apps on a daily basis, mused on NFC in the New York Times, marketed apps to the top of the store, and cataloged more then 300 pieces of clothing into her iPhone wardrobe library. When Apple finally offers the surgery to graft an iPhone to the brain, she'll be first on the waitlist.

A digital native and thought leader on mobility topics including tablet commerce, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 and QR codes, and mHealth, Rachel walks the line of what's possible and what's practical in mobile technology, and helps clients take smart risks in mobile

Rachel currently handles corporate communications and market development at premiere mobile consultancy Mutual Mobile. In 2011 the Austin-based company was recognized as one of Forbes Magazine's most promising companies and has created award-winning mobile products for Google, Audi and Xerox. She's also worked with Current TV, FOX, Appolicious.com and Australian startup social site iPitch.com.au.

You can find Rachel snarking on apps at www.ladyappapp.com, blogging at www.mutualmobile.com/blog.

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