Inside Secure, which recently announced a partnership to provide Intel with its NFC platform, today announced the availability of its Open NFC protocol stack for the new Google Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).

Available for download from the Open NFC website, Open NFC version 4.3.3 for Google Android 4.0 is compliant with the Ice Cream Sandwich release Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) for NFC.

Charles Walton, COO for Inside Secure, says the stack provides the NFC ecosystem with a consistent NFC API and functionality to implement NFC independently of the underlying NFC hardware. Open NFC supports all Android NFC features, including Android Beam and Wi-Fi Direct pairing connection. In addition to these new Android services, Open NFC provides access to unique features such as card emulation and access to multiple secure elements.

“The Ice Cream Sandwich release brings even greater NFC functionality to the Android operating system, and Inside is making our latest version of Open NFC available to give connectivity chip vendors, smartphone and tablet manufacturers and software developers a head start in achieving NFC hardware independence,” Walton said. 

“Once again, Inside is offering the Android community a complete, open-source NFC stack solution that can be used to greatly speed development and time to market, requiring only that the small hardware abstraction layer (HAL) portion be tailored for specific hardware.”

Walton said certifying Inside’s Open NFC stack on Ice Cream Sandwich was important, in that this latest version of Android signifies Google’s move to standardize its mobile operating system in order to reduce fragmentation.