Nokia Launches its First Windows Phone “NFC”

Nokia unveiled on Wednesday its Lumia 610 NFC model, first to take the emerging near-field communication technology that drives instant payment systems to Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, and promised more models in the future.

“We’re bringing NFC right across our portfolio,” Ilari Nurmi, marketing chief at Nokia smart phone unit, said in a statement.

Sales of NFC-enabled cell phones are expected to more than triple to 100 million handsets this year as manufacturers and operators roll out new models, hoping to tap emerging market for mobile payments, research firm Berg Insight said last month.

NFC enables data to be exchanged wirelessly over distances of a few centimeters, meaning mobile phones can be used to pay for goods, store electronic tickets download music and swap photos and business cards, as Reuters stated.

Nokia said Orange will be the first operator to sell the Lumia 610 NFC – which has been certified for contactless payments both with MasterCard and Visa technologies – starting early in the third quarter.

Earlier on Wednesday Nokia said it had found a software bug in its Lumia 900 Smartphone, blunting its bid to turn around its fortunes in the United States.