BlackBerry Bold 9900 and Curve 9360 OK for PayPass

RIM had the distinction of providing the first phones to use a SIM card that support MasterCard's NFC-based PayPass tech for short-range wireless payments. Both the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and the Curve 9360 can, with the right apps, pay at a store just by tapping a receiver. The account will be attached to the SIM card, not the phone, and let users swap phones with the same account, although it may create issues with switching carriers.

Orange France and Orange UK are expected to be some of the first to take advantage of NFC on the BlackBerry, and the carrier is already running tests in multiple European countries.

Exact timing wasn't given out.

NFC has had relatively limited reach in hardware. Outside of a handful of basic feature phones, it's been used mostly on Android phones with Google Wallet on the Nexus S 4G. Only a handful of other Android phones, like the Galaxy S II on AT&T, have and can theoretically use it to make payments, and Google Wallet doesn't support more than the Nexus phone.

By Electronista Staff

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industry, Google, Android, BlackBerry, RIM, Curve, mobile phones, Bold, MasterCard, Nexus S, Google Wallet, PayPass