HP Launching NFC WebOS Devices Later This Year

  NFC is getting stronger and stronger. After Google announced its upcoming Wallet service, which has arguably been the greatest catalyst for NFC-related talk recently, we now hear that another big-time player is considering adding NFC capabilities to its gadgets.

 According to Boomberg's unnamed sources, HP is actively working on getting some near-field communications love into its upcoming phones and tablets, running (Palm's) webOS platform. However, it looks like HP might not stop at just incorporating an NFC chip, but creating a whole ecosystem of its own.

 It is said that customers will be able to use the technology in order to pay for goods, as well as receive coupons and royalty points by placing their handsets near the designated objects (terminals, special posters, etc.), similarly to Google Wallet.

The rumor states that we may see HP's first NFC-enabled devices by the end of the year. As most are probably aware though, the company's first webOS tablet – the HP TouchPad, which is expected to launch on July 1 in the U.S. - will not sport an NFC chip inside. Oh well, having to wave your 10-inch tablet in front of a payment terminal probably wouldn't have been the most comfortable thing to do anyway.

BlackBerry Bold 9900 Lauch Pushed later to September:

  The Black Berry Bold 9900 was surely expected to make some waves for RIM in last month, since it combines a tried and true form factor with touchscreen functionality, but now it appears that we’ll all need to wait even further to purchase one.

 Initially, it was revealed that the smartphone would be available through a variety of carriers around the world sometime this “summer,” however, the case may no longer be that particular way. Instead, reports are seeping in hinting that the handset is going to be missing that target date and will launch in September. Come to think of it, that’s approximately a window of 4 months separating an official announcement and the actual release.

 Taking into account that we haven’t seen any relatively new RIM smartphones of late, this latest unraveling places more strain on RIM’s competitiveness in the market. Summer is indeed going to be scorching, as the competition from all sides are sure to present us some worthy alternatives, that may lessen RIM’s prestige.