The NFC Forum, short for near field communications, has just released the first four specs for the short-range, standards-based wireless connectivity technology. The group says NFC will be used for contactless payments, electronic access to transportation services and to touch a "smart poster" to receive digital content. The new specs aim to enable manufacturers to create NFC-Forum-compliant devices.

For more on the NFC specs:
- see this NFC Forum's press release