Recent patents filed by Apple suggest that the Apple iPhone 4 may come with built-in NFC technology, giving the devices the ability to function as door passes or unlock Macbooks, according to t3.com.

Apple may also incorporate NFC into the iPod Touch, Macbooks, Macbook Pro, and possibly the new iPad. ▸

Technology columnist Nick Bilton, in a list detailing his hopes for features on the next generation of mobile phones, wrote of his looking for functional biometric sensors and various authentication capabilities on mobile phones, according to a New York Times article.

Among the features Bilton wishes for biometric authentication on his next mobile phone is to assist with purchases and do away with passwords via his mobile phone as well as act as a theft deterrent. ▸

Trusted Logic has just presented a mobile security solution that integrates its TRUSTED FOUNDATIONS SOFTWARE and Gemalto’s USIM ACCESS API on an ST-Ericsson platform.

The new solution, which runs on an Android platform, was demonstrated during the Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona. ▸

At this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, GSMA, Samsung, Telefonica and Visa, with Giesecke & Devrient, Ingenico, ITN International and La Caixa, collaborated across industries to give Congress attendees an opportunity to experience SIM-based NFC mobile payment.

The participating companies provided more than 400 NFC handsets to guests for use at the Congress. The Samsung Star NFC handsets contain Telefonica SIM cards from O2 pre-loaded with EUR60 airtime credit as well as a La Caixa Visa Mobile Payment Application. ▸

Juniper research has released a report covering the highlights of this week’s Mobile World Conference in Barcelona.

The report, which is available for free on Juniper’s Web site, is split up into the following sections:

1. Flurry of launches to increase competition in the smart phone space
2. Operators announce Apps Community
3. GSMA embarks on LTE interconnection standards
4. NFC payment trial at Mobile World Congress to presage widespread NFC adoption?
5. Android platform gains critical mass- the rise of the open source OS

Read more here.  

Gemalto announced a partnership with HighCo, a marketing solutions provider for mass market retailers and consumer goods manufacturers, to launch mobile coupon services using NFC technology.

According to Gemalto, the goal of the partnership is to provide a more convenient way of collecting and redeeming coupons from NFC phones. ▸

Canadian mobile commerce company EnStream LP announced the launch of the Zoompass mobile application for Android powered phones.

Zoompass enables users to send money quickly and securely to friends and family via smart phone, and takes advantage of the newest technologies of Android powered phones, such as running simultaneous applications. ▸