We’re celebrating Hanukah in Israel right now and given all the fun and festivities going on, we thought it would be a good time to look back over the past few months and highlight some of the tech trends we’re seeing in startup land in the Startup Nation. As a caveat, these trends are based upon our deal flow – what we’re seeing on the ground. So, Happy Hanukah and enjoy.

>>Read about all the top Israel technology trends this holiday season<<

::::::::NFC:::::::::

The problem: Delivering content to the mobile device has always been somewhat cumbersome. There hasn’t been a quick, easy, low-power, and relatively inexpensive way for mobile phones to share data communications. Bluetooth seemed to solve some of that but requiring two devices to pair up limits its usage. It’s still been really hard to get content onto the phone.

The solution: There is a technology standard called Near Field Communication (NFC) that quickly allows for two-way communication between endpoints by bringing them in close contact to one another. NFC is becoming standard in handsets now and looks poised to change the way we communicate with each other, engage branded content, and transact.

  • TapMyBiz: This Israeli startup prints smart business cards with NFC tags so that contacts can merely touch your business card with their smartphone and your details are added to their device. No apps required.
  • On Track Innovations: This firm has a product suite of NFC solutions (it’s also traded on the NASDAQ under OTIV) Its most popular product (at least on the ground in Israel) is EasyPark. It’s an end-to-end parking payment solution for municipalities.
  • Israel Credit Cards-Cal (ICC-Cal) and mobile network operator Cellcom Israel: These 2 Israeli heavyweights have signed a letter of intent to jointly develop an NFC mobile payments product.
  • Tapit: Though this company is Australian, we like its solution that empowers brands and agencies to incorporate NFC tags in its campaigns. The below video shows a recent Xbox’s HALO 4 campaign. It’s just awesome. Coming soon to the streets near you…

The Future: Look for more and more NFC applications to appear in your life. Expect 2 major tracks: push content (ads, posters) and transactions. By 2015, experts expect 800M phones to ship with NFC tech on them.

>>Read about all the top Israel technology trends this holiday season

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