Microsoft demos Windows Phone 8 Wallet Hub features at NFC World Congress

September 25, 2012 at 13:54 GMT | By Darlington Moyo

Microsoft's John Skovron took to the stage to demo the Windows Phone Wallet Hub in a keynote presentation at the NFC World Congress in Nice. Skovron demonstrated a number of features of Windows Phone 8's NFC capabilities during his keynote, including file transfer with NFC (Tap+Send), Nokia's Play 360 wireless speaker and Windows Phone 8's wallet hub.

Skovron explained that Windows Phone 8 devices will include both NFC and a wallet application and that both have their separate uses. Secure payments is where the two overlap and, he said, if there is a focus on the non-overlapping parts then the overlap areas will then come later.

The WP8 wallet is a "hub", like the hubs WP8 will have for both people and images to make it easier for users to keep track of their contacts and their photos. The wallet can contain membership, loyalty and payment cards as well as deals, offers, tickets and passes.

The wallet has its own PIN and cards that can be used with the wallet will be called "Fast Cards." Users will be able to choose whether a particular card can be used only for mcommerce payments or for NFC payments or for both and can select whether cards will always be available or only when the wallet is active. Adding a new card will also prompt the user about other services from the card issuer by suggesting, for instance, that they download the issuer's app as well as the card.