We had 2 key aim when we built Keyzapp; we wanted it to be as quick and easy to use as possible whilst making sure it would work on a whole range of desktops, laptops, tablets and phones. We achieved this by giving you a choice of using 2 technologies with every key fob, which enables you to either 'tap' or 'scan' the keys.
The 'tap' uses something called NFC (Near Field Communication) which lets you place your keyfob against a reader, just like the contactless credit cards that many banks are now issuing or the Oyster card on London Underground. It is easy to add NFC technology to a desktop or laptop by plugging in a USB reader. NFC is also supported by many phones and tablets – most Android and Windows phones support it, and tablets like the Google Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 also support it. A notable exception for NFC support is the ever popular IPhone and IPad.
Up until now, Apple have held out against putting NFC into their IPhones and IPads, so it made us very pleased to hear the recent announcement that the new IPhone 6 would contain an NFC chip, especially as it should also mean that NFC is slowly introduced into other products like the IPad. We have to say we were a bit disappointed when we saw a new announcement today explaining that Apple will initially disable their NFC chip so that it can only be used as a way to make small payments in shops using an Apple technology. There are hints that this restriction might be lifted within the next year, and as soon as it is, we expect IPhones to be able to 'tap' a Keyzapp key fob to read it, we are also confident that this technology will be introduced to IPads soon.
In the meantime, we have got another solution for the many Apple-loving customers out there (and customers with other phones/tablets) – QR Codes. Each keyfob also has a 3-d barcode (or QR Code) printed on it, and this is easy to 'scan' on any phone or tablet with a camera and free software.
Whether you 'tap' or 'scan', you'll get instant access (provided you are logged in of course!) to sign keys in and out and look up addresses on a wide range of devices.