The mobile technology barons at Nokia unveiled their new Nokia 6212 classic handset today. While the cellphone looks spiffy enough, with its 2.0 megapixel camera, 2-inch display, and multiple format-supporting music player, what's most interesting is its Bluetooth enabled Near Field Communication technology. Which may prove be the future of cellphone interactivity, as the 3G handset will allow you to transfer content (photos, documents, audio files) and conduct transactions by merely tapping the phone to an NFC-enabled tag. Depending on how pervasive a technology this becomes, it may change the way consumers shop and the way cellphone users interact with one another. Of course, there are the usual security concerns and whether or not the system of using your cellphone as an all-in-one communication, media storage, entertainment device and wallet catches on as much as it has in Asia remains to be seen (where consumers often use their phones as a debit card at vending machines and stores).

The Nokia 6212 classic is going to be available in the later half of the year in Europe. And we can certainly expect the technology to reach US shores eventually.