Android Beam is a feature introduced in Ice Cream Sandwich that allows a device to push an NDEF message or larger files onto another device by physically tapping the devices together. NFC peer-to-peer mode and the Simple NDEF Exchange Protocol are used to initiate the communication.
The Android Beam™ feature allows a device to push an NDEF message or even larger files onto another device by physically tapping the devices together.
NFC peer-to-peer mode and the NFC Forum Simple NDEF Exchange Protocol (SNEP) are used to initiate the communication. This provides an easier way to establish the communication channel for data exchange than other wireless technologies like Bluetooth, that require manual device discovery or pairing. The connection is automatically started when two devices come into range. Android Beam is available through a set of NFC APIs, so any application can transmit information between devices. For example, the Contacts, Browser, and YouTube applications use Android Beam to share contacts, web pages, and videos with other devices.
See the Android NFC API Guide for further information.
