Some people embrace technology a little bit more quickly than others, and while early adopters normally grace the mobile, tablet, and video game console scene with their presence, these people can now also try something else: a business card.
An online store that produces business cards – Moo – is trying something we haven’t seen before, releasing a business card with a Near-Field Communication chip that you can reprogram with an Android phone.
The concept is simple: you pass out your regular business cards to people, but if the person you’re itching to give one to has a phone with NFC, you can simply wave it close to the phone and transfer the information digitally.
There’s no paper waste, no card they need to throw in a coat pocket or backpack never to be seen again, and no worries, because the very device your typical executive spends hours a day looking at will store the information.
For now, Moo’s project looks to be a test, with the company making 150,000 and including only one with an order of business cards, but it’s an interesting test nonetheless, and it’s one we’re keeping our eyes on.
Business cards seem like they should evolve, and we imagine there’s a lot of wastage going on in this area, with paper still used for the exchanging of details in a world that is increasingly digital.
Moving forward, it probably makes more sense for people to use their phones as a way of transmitting business details, and the NFC in Android phones have shown us how the “bump” method works in this way, simply rubbing two phones together: you don’t create fire, but you do transfer files.
Before that becomes commonplace, there will need to be a catalyst, and we’re keen to see if this whole NFC card thing catches on.
It could be that within five years, the regular stack of a thousand business cards that companies order are reduced to just five or ten per person, and the information is passed digitally, saving a few trees in the process and always keeping the details in reach.
