WO2015022026A1

WO2015022026A1 - Electrical device with nfc tag

Info

Publication number: WO2015022026A1
Application number: PCT/EP2013/067029
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ankur DAUNERIA
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 2013-08-14
Filing date: 2013-08-14
Publication date: 2015-02-19

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electrical device (1) comprising a storage unit (2), a near field communication (NFC) writer, and an NFC tag (3). The NFC tag is configured to store information about the electrical device by means of the NFC writer, allowing an NFC enabled device (4) to obtain the information stored in the NFC tag.

Description

ELECTRICAL DEVICE WITH NFC TAG

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an electrical device comprising a storage unit, and a method thereof. BACKGROUND

Currently portable devices such as external hard drives, Wi-Fi hard drives, Bluetooth enabled hard drive, devices with attached hard drives like High Definition Media players, Set top boxes (STB) with storage drives etc. need to be powered first by connecting them to a computer, television, electrical grid or by means of internal batteries.

Once a device is powered and connected to computer or television (TV) or the like, for example the following information about the device may be viewed via the computer or TV:

Space used in Terabytes (TB), Gigabytes (GB), Megabytes (MB), kilobytes (KB) or bytes.

Space free in TB, GB, MB, KB or bytes.

Total size of storage drive in TB, GB, MB, KB or bytes.

• Wi-Fi user credential in case of Wi-Fi enabled devices.

Bluetooth user credential in case of Bluetooth enabled devices.

· Drive name

Partition details

Amount of battery left in case of battery powered devices

User profile, account details in case of Set top box.

Service centre contact details.

· Other drive/device related properties

However, it is not possible to access this information about the device unless the device is first powered. This may be a problem since a power source for the device may not be available when the information is wanted, or it may not be desirable to use up power only for accessing the information. It may e.g. be unnecessary to use up battery power of a media player only to determine that there is not enough battery power left to watch the movie stored thereon, or to use up power of a portable computer to power up a portable external hard drive only to realise that there is not enough space left on the hard drive for using it. SUMMARY

It is an objective of the present disclosure to provide a solution to the above mentioned problem with devices comprising a storage unit, especially portable devices. In accordance with the present disclosure, this objective is reached by integrating an NFC tag in the device, where desired information can be stored and be accessible also when the device in not powered. Near field communication (NFC) is a set of standards for establishing radio communication between devices by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity, usually no more than io centimetres. Communication is also possible between an NFC enabled device and an unpowered NFC tag (also called NFC chip) similar to a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag/chip.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electrical device comprising a storage, a near field communication (NFC) writer, and an NFC tag. The NFC tag is configured to store information about the electrical device by means of the NFC writer, allowing an NFC enabled device to obtain the information stored in the NFC tag.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for storing information in an NFC tag in a an electrical device comprising a storage. The method comprises powering up the electrical device. The method also comprises retrieving information about the electrical device. The method also comprises storing said retrieved information in the NFC tag by means of an NFC writer comprised in the electrical device.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product comprising computer-executable components. The computer-executable components of the computer program product are configured for causing an embodiment of an electrical device of the present disclosure to retrieve information about the electrical device, and to store said retrieved information in the NFC tag by means of the NFC writer, when the computer-executable components are run on processor circuitry comprised in the device.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program for storing information in an NFC tag in a an electrical device. The computer program comprises computer program code which is able to, when run on processor circuitry of the electrical device, cause the electrical device to retrieve information about the electrical device, and to store said retrieved information in the NFC tag by means of the NFC writer.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer program product comprising an embodiment of a computer program of the present disclosure, and a computer readable means on which the computer program is stored.

By including an NFC tag in the electrical device, it is possible to store information on said tag, by means of the NFC writer, which information is then accessible to an NFC enabled device regardless of whether the electrical device is powered. The information may in principle be any information but typically at least some of the information relates to the electrical device, e.g. properties of the storage unit comprised in the electrical device. A user can thus retrieve information about the electrical device even when the electrical device is not powered, obviating the need to first turn on the electrical device to retrieve the information. Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a/an/the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc." are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated. The use of "first", "second" etc. for different features/components of the present disclosure are only intended to distinguish the features/components from other similar features/components and not to impart any order or hierarchy to the features/components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig l is a schematic top view of an embodiment of an electrical device and an NFC enabled device in accordance with the present disclosure.

Fig 2 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of an electrical device in accordance with the present disclosure.

Fig 3 is a schematic flow chart of an embodiment of a method in accordance with the present disclosure. Fig 4 is a schematic flow chart of another embodiment of a method in accordance with the present disclosure.

Fig 5 is a schematic flow chart of another embodiment of a method in accordance with the present disclosure.

Fig 6 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a computer program product in accordance with the present disclosure.

Fig 7 is a schematic illustration of different types of information which may be stored in an NFC tag in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments are shown.

However, other embodiments in many different forms are possible within the scope of the present disclosure. Rather, the following embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.

Figure 1 schematically shows an electrical device 1, e.g. in the form of a portable hard drive. The electrical device comprises a storage 2 (herein also called a storage unit 2) as well as an NFC tag 3 (in addition to the storage 2) which is conveniently marked on and easily accessible from the outside of the electrical device 1, whereby an NFC enabled device 4, e.g. a smartphone or the like, can easily be put in close proximity (i.e. within NFC range, typically within 10 cm) of the NFC tag to retrieve any information stored in the tag 3. The storage 2 may e.g. be a hard drive, a solid state memory (e.g. a flash memory), or a writable/re-writable disk such as a compact disk (CD), DVD or Blu-ray Disk (BD) in combination with a writer for such a disk. The NFC tag 3 is typically re-writable, which implies that information stored thereon may be overwritten many times with newer information. That a device 4 is NFC enabled implies that it comprises an NFC module enabling it to read an NFC tag, and possibly also communicate using NFC with other NFC enabled devices. Near Field Communication (NFC) technology is commonly used for contactless short-range communications based on radio frequency

identification (RFID) standards, using magnetic field induction to enable communication between electronic devices, including mobile wireless communications devices. This short-range high frequency wireless communications technology exchanges data between devices over a short distance, such as only a few centimetres. NFC communication typically requires a distance of 10 cm or less and works at 13.56 MHz frequency. NFC involves an initiator and a target; the initiator actively generates a radio frequency (RF) field that can power a passive target, i.e. an NFC tag 3.

Figure 2 schematically illustrates an embodiment of an electrical device 1, showing, as blocks, different modules or parts which are or may be integrated within the electrical device 1. As mentioned in relation to figure 1, the electrical device 1 comprises storage 2 and an NFC tag 3. The electrical device 1 also comprises an NFC writer 21 enabling writing to the NFC tag. Further, the electrical device 1 may comprise processor circuitry 22 e.g. a central processing unit (CPU). The processor circuitry 22 may comprise one or a plurality of processing units in the form of microprocessor(s). However, other suitable devices with computing capabilities could be comprised in the processor circuitry 22, e.g. an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). The processor circuitry 22 is configured to run one or several computer program(s) or software stored in the storage unit 2 e.g. a memory. The storage 2 is regarded as a computer readable means and may e.g. be in the form of a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Flash memory or other solid state memory, a hard disk, a CD, DVD or BD disk, or a combination thereof. The processor circuitry 22 is also configured to store data in the storage unit 2, as needed. The electrical device 1 may comprise a wired or wireless communication interface 23. A wired communication interface 23 may e.g. comprise a universal serial bus (USB) socket for a wired connection to e.g. a computer, e.g. of a USB enabled portable external hard drive. A wireless communication interface 23 may e.g. comprise a radio interface enabling the electrical device to communicate over e.g. wireless local area network

(WLAN), e.g. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and/or a cellular telecommunication system. Examples of electrical devices comprising a wireless communication interface are e.g. portable storage devices or portable devices, such as portable computers, media players or the like, with an internal storage unit 2. The electrical device may or may not comprise a user interface (UI) 24. If the electrical device 1 comprises a UI 24, such as button(s) or a touch screen, then a user may input commands directly into the electrical device 1. If the electrical device 1 does not comprise a UI 24, then a user may instead control the electrical device via its communication interface 23 e.g. from a computer. The electrical device 1 may be powered externally, e.g. by means of a wired connection to the electricity grid or via a wired (e.g. USB) communication interface 23. Additionally or alternatively, the electrical device may have an internal power source such as a battery 25, e.g. if the electrical device is portable and/or enabled for wireless communication. Such a battery 25 may be configured to supply electrical power to all or any of the parts of the electrical device, such as the processor circuitry 22, the storage 2, the NFC writer 21, the communication interface 23 and the UI 24. The NFC tag 3 typically does not need any power but is written on by the powered NFC writer 21. Figure 3 is a schematic flow chart of an embodiment of a method of the present disclosure. The electrical device 1 is powered up 31. It is e.g. turned on whereby electricity is supplied to its processor circuitry 22, storage 2 and NFC writer 3. Then, information is retrieved 32 about the electrical device. It may e.g. be checked how munch free space is available in the storage 2, or the like. The retrieved information is then stored 33 in the NFC tag by means of the NFC writer 21 comprised in the electrical device.

Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart of another embodiment of a method of the present disclosure. The embodiment may be used for retrieving information from an NFC tag 3 in a an unpowered electrical device 1 comprising a storage unit 2. The method comprises positioning 41 an NFC enabled device 4 within NFC range from the NFC tag 3 in the electrical device 1. The method also comprises retrieving 42 the information stored in the NFC tag 3 to the NFC enabled device 4. In this way, information stored in the NFC tag 3, e.g. in accordance with the method embodiment of figure 3, may be retrieved by an NFC enabled device 4 even when the electrical device 1 is unpowered.

Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of another embodiment of a method of the present disclosure. This embodiment may be seen as a combination of the embodiments of figures 3 and 4 discussed above. The electrical device 1 is powered up 31. It is e.g. turned on whereby electricity is supplied to its processor circuitry 22, storage 2 and NFC writer 3. Then, information is retrieved 32 about the electrical device. It may e.g. be checked how munch free space is available in the storage 2, or the like. The retrieved information is then stored 33 in the NFC tag by means of the NFC writer 21 comprised in the electrical device. There after, the electrical device can be powered down 51, e.g. turned off, whereby e.g. the processor circuitry and/or the storage 2 may be without supply of electrical power. Then an NFC enabled device 4 is positioned 41 within NFC range from the NFC tag 3 in the electrical device 1. After which the information stored in the NFC tag 3 is retrieved 42 to the NFC enabled device 4.

Figure 6 illustrates a computer program product 60. The computer program product 60 comprises a computer readable medium 62 comprising a computer program 61 in the form of computer-executable components 61. The computer program/computer-executable components 61 may be configured to cause an electrical device 1, e.g. as discussed above, to perform an embodiment of a method of the present disclosure. The computer program/computer-executable components may be run on the processor circuitry 22 of the device 1 for causing the device to perform the method. The computer program product 60 may e.g. be comprised in a storage unit or memory 2 comprised in the device 1 and associated with the processor circuitry 22. Alternatively, the computer program product 60 may be, or be part of, a separate, e.g. mobile, storage means, such as a computer readable disc, e.g. CD or DVD or hard disc/drive, or a solid state storage medium, e.g. a RAM or Flash memory.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the electrical device 1 is an external hard drive, e.g. a wired external hard drive or a pen drive, or a wireless external hard drive such as a Bluetooth enabled hard drive or a wireless local area network (WLAN), enabled hard drive e.g. a Wi-Fi enabled hard drive. It may be beneficial to use embodiments of the present disclosure with external hard drives since it may be inconvenient to be forced to always power the hard drive to obtain information about it. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the electrical device 1 is a set-top box, a media player, a gaming device, a digital camera, a mobile phone or a portable computer. These are examples of electrical devices 1 having an internal storage 2, which may beneficially be used in accordance with the present disclosure. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the electrical device also comprises processor circuitry 22, e.g. in case the electrical device is a set-top box, a media player, a gaming device, a digital camera, a mobile phone or a portable computer. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the electrical device 1 is configured to be powered from an external power grid, via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection, or by a battery 25 integrated in the electrical device e.g. a solar power charged battery 25. These are different examples of how the electrical device may be powered. If the electrical device 1 is powered by means of a solar power charged battery 25, the electrical device may also comprises a solar panel comprising photovoltaic cells.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the NFC tag 3 is configured to store information about the storage unit 2. Such storage information may comprise at least one of: total storage space of the storage unit; amount of used space; amount of free space; file system used in the storage unit; storage unit type (e.g. hard disk drive or solid state drive); name of the storage unit; and partition details of the storage unit.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the NFC tag 3 is configured to store information about the electrical device 1 (e.g. information not directly relating to the storage unit 2). Such device information may comprise at least one of : user profile for the electrical device; service centre contact details for the electrical device; remaining battery power, if the electrical device is battery powered; WLAN user credentials, if the electrical device is a WLAN enabled device; Bluetooth user credentials, if the electrical device is a

Bluetooth enabled device; and account details, if the electrical device is a set- top box, e.g. a direct-to-home, DTH, set-top box. In this way it may be possible to obtain information about the device, such as settings of the device, without having to turn it on/power it up. In case the NFC tag 3 holds service centre contact details, this information is available via the NFC tag even if the electrical device is damage and it is not possible to power it up in order to retrieve this information. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the NFC tag 3 is configured to store information in accordance with predefined preferences set by the manufacturer of the electrical device 1, and/or in accordance with preferences inputted by a user of the electrical device 1 via a user interface 24.

Alternatively, the user may set preferences via a communication interface 23, e.g. from a computer to which the electrical device is connected via the communication interface 23. Thus, the manufacturer and/or the user may set which information should be stored on the NFC tag. The information may e.g. be stored on the NFC tag 3, by means of the NFC writer 21, each time the disconnected/tuned off/powered down as part of its regular shut down procedure.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the storage 2 comprises a CD, DVD or Blu-ray Disk and the NFC tag 3 is configured to store

information about progress of writing of a CD, DVD or Blu-ray Disk writer to said CD, DVD or Blu-ray Disk. The electrical device 1 may then e.g. be a portable/external CD, DVD and/or Blu-ray Disk drive or comprise an integrated such drive. Writing to such a CD, DVD or Blu-ray Disk may take quite a long time and it may not be desirable to have a display screen of a computer connected to the drive turned on during the whole writing process since that will consume electricity unnecessarily. Instead, the NFC writer 21 may, e.g. periodically, write progress information to the NFC tag 3, enabling a user to check on the progress (e.g. time left) of the writing by means of the NFC enabled device 4 from time to time. Additionally or alternatively, the NFC writer may write information to the tag 3 when the writing to the disk is finished, informing the user when the writing is finished, via the NFC enabled device, allowing the user to e.g. disconnect the electrical device when the writing is finished.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, powering up 31 the electrical device 1 enables the storage unit 2 to be read, whereby the retrieving 32 information comprises retrieving information about the storage unit 2 by reading from it. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, powering down 51 the electrical device 1 implies that at least the storage unit 2 is unpowered, before the NFC tag 3 is read by the NFC enabled device 4.

The NFC enabled device 4 may be any mobile or stationary device comprising an NFC module allowing it to retrieve 42 information from an NFC tag 3. Examples include a mobile phone, e.g. a smartphone, or a tablet, typically enabled for communication over a cellular radio telecommunication protocol and/or over a WLAN communication protocol.

Examples As discussed herein, any information may be stored on the NFC tag 3, as desired by e.g. a user or set by the manufacturer of the electrical device 1. Beside storage related information, the information may additionally or alternatively comprise device 1 or user specific information which is available at the electrical device 1 and is useful for a user. For e.g.: subscriber account details of Direct to Home (DTH) service is available with Set top boxes for DTH service and can be stored in device storages as most of DTH Operators provides their respective storage enabled STB unit with a new connection. Currently, these details are accessible through the setup menu of the device after powering them and connecting them to TV, but in accordance with the present disclosure at least part of such information may be stored on the NFC tag 3.

Further, the stored information may comprise Wi-Fi or Bluetooth user credentials, battery information for the electrical device 1, e.g. Wi-Fi hard drive. Storage information or device information may be written to the NFC tag 3 after data transfer to or from the electrical device 1, e.g. its hard drive 2 is complete. Once data transfer is complete, CPU 22 of device 1 sends storage related information (i.e. data) and instructs NFC writer 21 to write this data into NFC tag 3. The CPU 22 of the electrical device ι may also send user account details, user preferences, user credential, amount of battery left in battery powered device, service centre contact details etc. apart from storage related details of the respective device to be also stored in NFC tag 3 of the device 1. Figure 7 shows an illustrative pictorial view of various types of information that can be stored in an NFC tag 3 of a device 1. The CPU 22 may gather the information from various information sources for the electrical device 1.

Information includes storage, device, user, manufacturer, battery etc. related details. ISi, IS2, IS3, and ISn denote other Information Sources. The CPU 22 may be configured to operate in either or both of two different modes:

CPU can be pre-configured by device manufacture to enable it to write selected information into NFC tag 3; OR a user can configure his choices for a device 1 (storage device, storage integrated device) through a device specific setup menu via a UI 24 which will guide CPU 22 every time it writes information into NFC tag 3. That is, a user can also select the information that he wants the CPU to write into NFC tag. Information choices done within the CPU 22 may be either user configured to take user preferences into consideration or manufacturer configured to take manufacturer choice into consideration.

The CPU 22 can be pre-configured by manufacture or user can configures his choices to write specific information to tag. Besides, storage related details, it may fetch device 1 or user related information, e.g. a) In case of a DTH Set top box 1 with storage 2, when the device is powered, CPU 22 of system may fetch user account related details, service contact numbers etc. along with storage related information and write them to NFC tag 3. b) In case of a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth enabled device 1 with storage 2, e.g., when device is powered, the CPU of the system of the device 1 may fetch user credentials to connect to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, service contact numbers etc. and write them to NFC tag 3 in addition to storage related information. c) In case of a battery powered storage device 1 e.g. Wi-Fi hard drives, when device is powered, the CPU 22 may fetch battery related information in addition to storage related details and write them to NFC tag 3 such that it will carry battery information till the last usage of the device 1.

When user brings his NFC enabled device 4 near to the NFC tag 3, it interacts with the NFC tag 3 and radio frequency (RF) communication sets up between them. The NFC enabled device 4 fetches the information written in the NFC tag 3, during near field communication and may display it on a user interface screen of the NFC enabled device 4. If user starts NFC interaction while a file transfer is on-going (in hard drive), the last saved value/data which is stored in the NFC tag 3 is shared and displayed on the user interface screen of the NFC enabled device 4. Newly manufactured electrical device 1 NFC tag 3 is written by manufacture for the first time.

Examples of specific uses of embodiments of the present disclosure:

(1) Portable hard drive related information may be obtained without powering the hard drive, via NFC communication with NFC enabled device 4 and NFC tag 3 attached to hard drive 1. (2) Mobile wireless hard drives with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities may be instantly mounted on an NFC enabled device 4 (e.g. smart phone or tablet) by just tapping the NFC enabled device 4 on hard drive 1 and instantly getting user credential via NFC communication to connect to hard drive.

(3) Storage related information and related details, user credentials and account details etc. from Set Top Boxes (STB) 1 with storage hard drive 2 may be obtained without powering the STB 1, via NFC communication with NFC enabled device 4 and NFC tag 3 attached to device 1.

(4) Storage related information and related details, Wi-Fi user credentials etc. from High Definition Media Player 1 with storage hard drives 2 may be obtained without powering the media player 1, via NFC communication with NFC enabled device 4 and NFC tag 3 attached to device 1.

(5) Pen drives 1 with NFC tag 3 may store storage related details for user to fetch via NFC communication using NFC enabled device 4 without powering the device 1.

(6) User may not have to remember various storage enabled devices' service centre numbers. He may instead access them by communicating in near field with device 1 using his NFC enabled device 4.

(7) User may tap on his unpowered battery operated NFC based Wi- Fi/Bluetooth hard drive 1 using his NFC enabled device 4 to get information about how much battery is left.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may also have the following advantages:

(1) Provides end user ease of use and convenience to know how much e.g. a hard drive 1 is used without connecting the portable external hard drive 1 to a computer. Support end user fast life style. User can get information on the move using his NFC enabled device 4 without actually powering the hard drive 1. Users can now tap their NFC enabled device 4 on portable hard drive 1 to know how much space is used/left. (2) In case of a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth enabled mobile hard drive 1, user can just tap their NFC Smart phone, tablets on the mobile wireless Wi-Fi hard drive 1 so as to obtain user credential and other storage related information in near field communication and auto mount the drive (e.g. plug-and-play).

(3) In case of battery powered storage devices 1, this system would also provide information about battery left along with other storage related information for a device 1 to NFC enabled device 4 in near field

communication with device 1. (4) Embodiments of the present disclosure may be integrated into devices 1 like laptops, Set top boxes with storage, HD media players with storage, Digital Camera with storages, pen drive etc. where user would like to know storage/drive related information, without powering the device 1. User can now achieve same by communicating in near field with NFC tag of the device 1 using NFC enabled device 4 such as a mobile phone.

(5) Help reduce fraud since a consumers may directly tap on their new NFC tagged hard drive, pen drive or other electrical device 1, using their NFC enabled device 4 to compare the exact space on hard drive 1 documented by the manufacturer with information in NFC tag 3 at the time of purchase without powering the device 1.

Below follow some other aspects of the present disclosure.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for retrieving information from an NFC tag 3 in a an unpowered electrical device 1 comprising a storage unit 2. The method comprises positioning 41 an NFC enabled device 4 within NFC range from the NFC tag 3 in the electrical device 1. The method also comprises retrieving 42 the information stored in the NFC tag 3 to the NFC enabled device 4.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an electrical device 1. The electrical device 1 comprises means (e.g. the battery 25 or a wired, e.g. USB, connection with the communication interface 23) for powering up 31 the electrical device. The electrical device 1 also comprises means (e.g. the processor circuitry 22 acting on e.g. the storage unit 2) for retrieving 32 information about the electrical device. The electrical device 1 also comprises means (e.g. the processor circuitry 22 via the NFC writer 21) for storing 33 said retrieved information in the NFC tag by means of an NFC writer 21 comprised in the electrical device.

The present disclosure has mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the present disclosure, as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electrical device (1) comprising: a storage (2); a near field communication, NFC, writer (21); and an NFC tag (3); wherein the NFC tag is configured to store information about the electrical device by means of the NFC writer, allowing an NFC enabled device (4) to obtain the information stored in the NFC tag.

2. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein the electrical device (1) is an external hard drive, e.g. a wired external hard drive or a pen drive, or a wireless external hard drive such as a Bluetooth enabled hard drive or a wireless local area network, WLAN, enabled hard drive e.g. a Wi-Fi enabled hard drive.

3. The electrical device of claim 1, wherein the electrical device (1) is a set- top box, a media player, a gaming device, a digital camera, a mobile phone or a portable computer.

4. The electrical device of any preceding claim, further comprising processor circuitry (22).

5. The electrical device of any preceding claim, wherein the electrical device (1) is configured to be powered from an external power grid, via a

Universal Serial Bus, USB, connection, or by a battery (25) integrated in the electrical device e.g. a solar power charged battery (25).

6. The electrical device of any preceding claim, wherein the NFC tag (3) is configured to store information about the storage (2) comprising at least one of : total storage space of the storage (2); l8 amount of used space; amount of free space; file system used in the storage (2); storage (2) type; name of the storage (2); and partition details of the storage (2).

7. The electrical device of any preceding claim, wherein the NFC tag (3) is configured to store information about the electrical device (1) comprising at least one of : user profile for the electrical device; service centre contact details for the electrical device; remaining battery power if the electrical device is battery powered;

WLAN user credential if the electrical device is a WLAN enabled device;

Bluetooth user credential if the electrical device is a Bluetooth enabled device; and account details if the electrical device is a set-top box, e.g. a direct-to-home, DTH, set-top box.

8. The electrical device of claim 6 or 7, wherein the NFC tag (3) is configured to store said information in accordance with predefined preferences set by the manufacturer of the electrical device (1), and/or in accordance with preferences inputted by a user of the electrical device (1) via a user interface (24).

9. The electrical device of any preceding claim, wherein the storage (2) comprises a CD, DVD Blu-ray Disk and wherein the NFC tag (3) is configured to store information about progress of writing to said CD, DVD or Blu-ray Disk.

10. A method for storing information in an NFC tag (3) in a an electrical device (1) comprising a storage (2), the method comprising: powering up (31) the electrical device; retrieving (32) information about the electrical device; and storing (33) said retrieved information in the NFC tag by means of an NFC writer (21) comprised in the electrical device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the powering up (31) enables the storage (2) to be read, and wherein the retrieving (32) information comprises retrieving information about the storage (2) by reading from it.

12. The method of claim 10 or 11, further comprising: positioning (41) an NFC enabled device (4) within NFC distance from the NFC tag (3) in the electrical device (1); and retrieving (42) the information stored in the NFC tag (3) to the NFC enabled device (4).

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: powering down (51) the electrical device (1) such that at least the storage (2) is unpowered, prior to the positioning (42) of the NFC enabled device (4).

14. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the NFC enabled device (4) is a mobile phone, e.g. a smartphone, or a tablet.

15. A computer program product (60) comprising computer-executable components (61) for causing an electrical device (1) according to any one of claims 1-9 to: retrieve (32) information about the electrical device; and store (33) said retrieved information in the NFC tag by means of the NFC writer (21); when the computer-executable components (61) are run on processor circuitry (22) comprised in the device (1).

16. A computer program (61) for storing information in an NFC tag (3) in a an electrical device (1), the computer program comprising computer program code which is able to, when run on processor circuitry (22) of the electrical device (1), cause the electrical device to: retrieve (32) information about the electrical device; and store (33) said retrieved information in the NFC tag by means of the NFC writer (21).

17. A computer program product (60) comprising a computer program (61) according to claim 16 and a computer readable means (62) on which the computer program is stored.