Microsoft Research has come up with a very slick alternative to NFC called Dhwani. Developed by a trio in the company’s offices in India, the new system utilizes sound to transmit data — and it doesn’t require any specialized hardware.
All that’s required is two components that are already part of your smartphones and tablets: a microphone and a speaker. They handle the transmission and reception of data, and software handles the rest of the process. As with NFC, Microsoft’s sound-based system has a very short range.
But wait… couldn’t an eavesdropper listen in on a Dhwani transmission and intercept data? In a word, no. Microsoft’s team uses an ambient noise “shroud” called Jamsecure. It ensures that nearby snoopers won’t pick up anything they shouldn’t, and the extraneous sound is easily stripped away from the data transmission by the Dhwani devices.
Dhwani isn’t fast, but it’s not supposed to be. It’s not meant to move large files, so the 2.4Kbps data rate is acceptable. That’s certainly fast enough to handle digital wallet transactions. Ambient noise doesn’t affect transmission, either, so Dhwani should work just fine in crowded coffee shops, busy baseball stadiums, or noisy subway stations.
Theoretically, anybody who wants to add this functionality to a device would just have to strike up a deal with Microsoft. There’s always the possibility that Microsoft could allow OEMs that already have a licensing agreement in place to implement Dhwani. That would certainly be music to the ears of numerous Android device manufacturers.
Heck, even Apple might be interested. It’s never been a fan of NFC, but a similar system that doesn’t require any additional hardware to be crammed inside devices? That’s a bit more exciting.
Now read: Video hands-on with the NFC Ring
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