Singapore firm creates world's first NFC-powered smart padlock

SMART locks are all the rage these days. On crowdfunding sites, there is a burgeoning number of products such as those from Goji, Lockitron and TEO. And it clicks too: Forgetting your keys or combination codes is no longer a problem as long as you haven't forgotten your smartphone, which is really just all you need now to unlock a smart lock.

The newest addition to the scene is eGeeTouch, described by its makers - Singapore company JSB Tech - as the world's first smart padlock powered by near field communication (NFC), which lets users ditch keys and codes and unlock it with just one tap of a smart device.

Backed by patented NFC technology, eGeeTouch allows for multiple NFC-paired unlocking devices, including a smart tag, a smartphone and even a smartwatch. This makes it superior to existing smart padlocks that are mostly powered by Bluetooth, which takes longer to connect and consumes more power than NFC, a JSB Tech spokesman told The Business Times.