NXP, Toppan gain NFC design-win in ThinkPad PCs

LONDON — European analog and mixed-signal chip company NXP BV has supported Toppan Forms Co. Ltd. in the creation of a reader/writer module for near field communications (NFC), which has been adopted by Lenovo in its T410, T510 and T610 Thinkpad notebook computers.

The TN33MUE002L module can be used to supports a number of applications including: online banking, Internet access and log-in for PCs. The module is based on the PN533 NFC IC for contactless communication on a carrier frequency of 13.56-MHz.

The module is compatible with ISO 14443 type A and B cards, which are used worldwide in banking, government and public deployments and with contactless smart cards such as Mifare, used in Europe, and Felica, used in Japan, NXP said. The reader is Windows Certified and is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. The module driver is available through Toppan Forms' NFC software development kit.

"With the launch of this ground-breaking module, Toppan Forms plans to expand its NFC reader/writer business to become the de-facto standard in the computer industry," said Katsuhiko Moriyama, general manager of Toppan Forms (Tokyo, Japan), in a statement issued by NXP. "We anticipate that the introduction of NFC readers to PCs will help NFC technology to mature and rapidly capture a much wider consumer base. In addition to the PC market, we are now turning our attention to other applications such as cell phones and consumer electronics devices, which can also benefit greatly from many of NFC's features."

Henri Ardevol, general manager of secure transactions for NXP, said: "This is a significant project in which we are deploying NFC reader infrastructure into the PC environment. The expansion of NFC into these kinds of platforms will provide exciting new possibilities for consumers to experience secure transactions on their PC, such as authentication of payments, secure online banking and a range of government services."

NFC operates on a 13.56-MHz frequency carrier in the unlicensed ISM band, over a distance of typically a few centimeters. NFC technology enables consumers to securely exchange and store all kinds of information, simply by bringing two devices close together. In addition, NFC automatically configures and initiates wireless connections, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, enabling devices to communicate at longer ranges or transfer data at higher rates, when those services are available.

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