Slip your finger in this ring and unlock your backdoor, phone, etc

An NFC Ring does exactly what it says on the tin: it’s a piece of jewellery with two NFC tags embedded in it that pass information to nearby phones, tablets and other gadgets by radio. Given that NFC has been a bit of a flop, this may seem a little pointless. Even the technology flag-wavers have stopped claiming that “next …

[Mage]

But it's still pointless.

NFC concept is OK contactless stock control where a barcode is inconvenient. It's stupidity as part of a secure system.

[Pen-y-gors]

Re: But it's still pointless.

Barcodes are always convenient - saw a bod in the chippie last night with one tattooed on the back of his neck! Didn't have a scanner on me to check out who he was.

[TheFatMan]

Re: But it's still pointless.

"Didn't have a scanner on me to check out who he was."

There's an app for that

[Sir Runcible Spoon]

Re: But it's still pointless.

""Didn't have a scanner on me to check out who he was.""

I would have lent you mine, but I took this arrow to the knee you see.

[Graham Cobb]

Re: But it's still pointless.

I don't think it is completely pointless, but it isn't quite there yet. It needs to be no bigger than a wedding ring, tough, passive (no charging!). But if it was, then I think the unlocking phone/house use case might be useful.

Personally I don't set a PIN code on my personal phone at all -- I have never lost one or had it stolen (and I have had a mobile phone since the analogue days) so I choose convenience over security. I would use security which didn't require me to do anything to use the phone! And a ring is much less likely to be lost than a set of house keys in my pocket.

I am yet to be convinced about the bitcoin wallet use case, though!

[BillG]

Re: But it's still pointless.

Still to come - ring codes stolen by chips embedded in doorknobs!

[Message From A Self-Destructing Turnip]

Re: But it's still pointless.

Yes those immobiliser RFID chips car manufacturers have been using in ignition keys for the last fifteen years have been an unmitigated security disaster, and the level of credit theft from the millions of oyster cards in use in London's transport system is an absolute scandal!

[Pen-y-gors]

Muggers?

So muggers now nick your phone AND chop off your finger to get the key. Neat.

[Bronek Kozicki]

Re: Muggers?

Muggers rarely want access to your phones data, they just want hardware to flog on ebay.

[TRT]

Novel...

taking a ring OFF to become invisible.

[Paul J Turner]

Think bigger

My money is on This Product

[Gene Cash]

Re: Think bigger

Hm. I already have "ultra small finger gesture recognition technology" down pat. I use it every day when I drive in Florida...

[Daedalus]

Gives a whole new meaning to...

...giving somebody a ring sometime.

[Christian Berger]

Reminds me of the Java days

Back when Java was still considered to have a bright future under the sun, they made rings with little Java chips inside so you could exchange data by touch through the conductivity of your body. It never really got anywhere but the keys were hideous.

[Alan Sharkey]

When I last looked at NFC (about a year ago), you had to unlock your phone (Galaxy S3) before NFC would work.

Have there been enhancements since then?

[Anonymous Coward]

apparently not, just tried a Nexus 5, no reaction to a NFC enabled debit card until it was unlocked.

[wyatt]

I looked at NFC advertising for a website I'm promoting. It requires the user to bring their (supported phone with NFC turned on) very close to be prompted to open the link. Not ideal. As far as I'm aware your screen needs to be active or you could walk up to someone and make their phone do stuff without them knowing which would be great wouldn't it?

[SVV]

I know some people seem to be married to their smartphones....

But this is just taking things way too far

[Herby]

But can it be...

...engraved with your significant other's birthday, or your mutual anniversary? Oh, and it has to look "good" to the gender that has multiple X chromosomes.

[Anonymous Coward]

An NFC ring is fine, but I'd rather have a superbowl ring.

</American football joke>

[Hud Dunlap]

What? No ring to rule them all Jokes?

I am surprised I am the first!

[Robert Baker]

Re: What? No ring to rule them all Jokes?

Surely it's "one ring to control them all". :-)

[MJI]

Would have to be passive

The point is it is always there, if you have to take off to charge it will be forgotten or not bothered with.

[Lamont Cranston]

NFC enabled door locks sound great,

until you get locked in/out during a powercut.

[Robert Baker]

Re: NFC enabled door locks sound great,

"until you get locked in/out during a powercut."

For that reason, nobody with any sense installs a domestic front-door locking system that needs a key to open it from the inside — I suspect that doing so may even be a breach of fire regulations.

It's certainly a breach of common sense, particularly for anyone who saw Westworld.

[Francis Boyle]

Can I get it as a nipple ring

or even a prince albert. "No officer, I swear I was just unlocking my phone".