The Generic Control RTD specification provides a simple way to request a specific action, such as starting an application or setting a mode on an NFC enabled device (destination device) from another NFC device, tag or card (source device) through NFC communication. The Connection Handover specification defines the structure and sequence of interactions that enable two NFC-enabled devices to establish a connection using other wireless communication technologies, such as WiFi or Bluetooth. Connection Handover thereby makes it possible to deploy applications that offer the best of both worlds by combining the simple, one-touch set-up of NFC with the high-speed communication of Bluetooth or WiFi. With this capability, for example, users of Bluetooth mobile phones can quickly transfer even large data files to one another simply by touching their phones together. The specification enables developers to choose the carrier for the information to be exchanged. If matching wireless capabilities are revealed during the negotiation process between two NFC-enabled devices, the connection can switch to the selected carrier. With the Connection Handover specification, other communication standards bodies, such as the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) and WiFi Alliance, can define information required for the connection setup to be carried in NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) messages. In fact, the Bluetooth SIG has already incorporated NFC as part of its Bluetooth 2.1.specification for the simple pairing of two Bluetooth devices. The Connection Handover specification also covers static handover, in which the connection handover information is stored on a simple NFC Forum Tag that can be read by NFC-enabled devices. Static mode is used in applications in which the negotiation mechanism or on-demand carrier activation is not required. In both negotiated and static handover, communication is established between the devices using the NFC touch paradigm. The Connection Handover specification is a candidate for final release pending feedback from NFC Forum members and other standards organizations. By releasing the Connection Handover candidate specification in advance, the NFC Forum is enabling organizations in the NFC ecosystem to begin integrating it into their own work. This gives both NFC Forum member and other standards organizations an opportunity to both accelerate their development and to provide valuable feedback that can be incorporated into the final specification. Once the feedback has been evaluated and integrated, the Connection Handover specification will be officially approved and released by the NFC Forum. rcassidy@virtualmgmt.com www.nfc-forum.org/specs/