China’s mobile subscriber base exceeded 400 million in 2006 and is expected to reach 600 million by the end of 2007. China’s massive market presents tremendous opportunities for operators, device manufacturers and content providers. According to the article at BusinessWeek.com, SMS text messaging continues to dominate the market. But the future looks better with new mobile applications such as 2D barcodes and NFC most likely emerging from China’s much more advanced mobile phone market. Even yet, the practical use of 2D barcodes and NFC payments will take a while to emerge due to “fragmentation of the technology and phone platforms, and complications in the business model,” according to Sandy Shen, China research director at Gartner.  

NFC enables artists to add rich media to exhibits

Le Centre Pompidou, Paris’s goliath, industrial-chic contemporary art gallery, is looking to shake up the museum experience for Generation Z. By next year, visitors to Pompidou’s planned Teen Gallery, as well as the old city center of Nice, will be using smart phones to interact with works of art, learn about historical sites, and even leave comments about the attractions and share relevant media in a social network setting, à la Facebook or Twitter.