Went through a checkpoint between CA and USA this past weekend: going into the US they required that I take off my ring, returning to CA they didn't care about my ring.
My ring still works just fine after going through the metal detector.
So I guess it's good practice to take the ring off (since it's metal), but if they don't ask, then you're good to just leave it on and the tags won't get corrupted/erased/damaged.
I'm not entirely sure if this is something you're looking for, but this is what I've got working on my Galaxy S3.
I can use my NFC ring to bypass my standard Android lockscreen security AND scan through the NFC Unlock app prompt. However, if I don't use my ring, I can still unlock my phone using a standard lockscreen PIN and the PIN I set up in the NFC Unlock App.
I have the standard lockscreen PIN set to a 6 digit code. I have a 4 digit PIN set in the NFC Unlock App. Normally with just this in order to unlock my phone I would have to enter my 6 digit PIN on the lockscreen and then scan my NFC ring. With my new procedure I only have to scan my NFC ring once and it immediately unlocks my device.
Things you need:
The Tasker Project file you require is available on XDA, which is available here.
Here are the steps I took:
If all worked out, your phone should automatically scan in past your lockscreen security AND the NFC Unlock prompt. If you watch carefully, you'll actually see the NFC Unlock prompt show up briefly before clearing out.
What this Tasker Project does is recognize a NFC tag (any NFC) and bypasses the standard lockscreen security bys disabling it and then re-enabling it. Once it's past the standard lockscreen security, the NFC Unlock app prompt will show up and since you're already scanning in your NFC ring it will immediately pick up your stored NFC tag key and unlock the final gate.
The reason why I consider this to be pretty secure is because even if someone manages to scan in any random NFC tag to bypass your standard Android lockscreen, you still need to get through the NFC Unlock app's own security prompt. So they'll still need your NFC ring or your registered PIN or Google Account in order to actually get into your phone. So ultimately this really only bypasses one of two security gates. Even if you lost your ring you can still get into your device the normal way.
Hopefully this helps anyone else with an Android device who wants a pseudo 2 factor authentication method!
I asked a jeweler about resizing a ring down to a smaller size, especially given the delicate nature of this ring. She had two recommendations: a bridge (which may not require any soldering) and beads.
A bridge is merely a piece of metal that kind of wraps around the inside of the ring to add additional material, thus causing the ring to fit better. Some bridges can be soldered to the ring, others are simply wrapped around the material and are not permanent. Her recommendation was to obviously use the non-permanent bridge to avoid damaging the outer protective layer. It would work something like this: 
Her other recommendation was the beads. These are little balls that are soldered to the inside of the ring to, again, take up more room, thus making the ring feel tighter. She says that due to the spot soldering, it would likely not damage the inlays (she thinks) or the outer protective layer. Of course this is risky because we don't really know how much short-term direct heat the inlays can take from a soldering job like that. Her recommendation for beads is to solder them directly underneath the non-inlay parts of the ring, to prevent possible damage to the inlays. It would work something like this: 
I found that my sweet spot on my S3 was right beside the "G" in the Samsung logo on the back, vertically parallel to the speaker. Basically if you drew imaginary lines from the speaker and "G", where those lines intersect is where my sweet spot is. I no longer need a sticker to remind me of that location because it's become muscle memory for me.
@johnyma22 said:
ahaha @NFCringTom worst mspaint ever, go download inkscape and embrace being awesome.
...I don't know, I've seen worse ;)
FWIW I haven't been babying my ring (titanium, transparent/black) and it's still working almost a month later. No problems with either inlay. I also play ultimate (lunch breaks with the office mates), and though I've scuffed up the outer polish, the inlays don't seem to have been affected by constant impacts with the frisbee (your usual 175g disc).
Perhaps your original ring's inlays weren't secured properly by the cement?
They currently aren't shipping carbon fibre rings, and you should have received a survey asking you what alternative inlays you'd like. You'll eventually get a voucher for a CF ring when they are available.
So for now, you should be able to change the order for your two inlays :)
@Robinhuett said:
Hi,
Am I to late for the party?
I'm currently building an application to authenticate and unlock windows via the nfc ring. Unfortunately I will have to wait till my rings arrive to actually test it.
If anyone is interested I can share the source (I do it anyways, when it's in a state where it can be tested...).
I can help you test it, maybe even help you with the application itself. I had started an application of my own, but Real Life happened and it's been put on hold until Real Life goes away.
PM me your contact details and maybe we can work together on this!
Do your inlays look like they're actually damaged? Or do they look as though there is no major physical damage even though they're dead?
My ring has gone through all kinds of physical treatment, from your usual scuff up from moving computers and desks (just painted) to pulling an Abyss with some keep-the-door-open action. I have lots of scuffs all over my ring (pictures here, here and here), but so far there' sbeen no major damage to my ring. The inlays look completely intact and there doesn't appear to be any hard scratching or dents that dip into the inlays themselves. The protective outer coating seems to be doing an excellent job so far. I'm not intentionally trying to test the ring for physical wear, but I'm not trying to actively avoid it either. So far it's held up against everything workaday that I've tossed at it.
@MikeInSeattle said:
@asbath I tried the bridge from a local jeweler and I can say that it is surprising comfortable. My ring is just one size too big so the ring doesn't look too unnatural on the finger. If feels like wearing baggy legged jeans with a fitted waist: loose but secure. I did need to pad the part where it touches the finger since it didn't feel as comfortable as the comfort fit portion of the ring. Thanks!
I'm glad that it works for you! I'm thinking that I may need to get a bridge, too, as I've been losing weight and getting thinner... and my fingers are following suit.
I should have also mentioned that the jeweler indicated that you can ask them to give you a slightly larger bridge so that they can bend it, making it flush with the inside of the ring's curvature. This would make it more comfortable and has zero chance of "getting loose", so to speak, over time since there is no room for bending the bridge.
@Lokki, yeah, that's what I was thinking, but thought I'd ask here first in case there were other known instances of this same thing happening. I didn't think it would be so simple as the glue issue since it's been a few months.
I've already tried pressing hard on the dead inlay with my phone (silicon case helps prevent any physical scuffing to the phone). No dice, unfortunately.
I'll email Support now. Thanks!
Just last week one of my inlays died. I use the word "died" because it fails to register on any device I have with NFC (2 android phones and 1 Windows 8 tablet). As far as I can tell it is not working. I have had my ring for just short of 4 months now.
Do you think this is a glue issue as well, or the inlay actually malfunctioning? Is there a way to test if this is a failure caused by the glue issue? My other inlay still works flawlessly with my Samsung GS3 (with case).
Went through a checkpoint between CA and USA this past weekend: going into the US they required that I take off my ring, returning to CA they didn't care about my ring.
My ring still works just fine after going through the metal detector.
So I guess it's good practice to take the ring off (since it's metal), but if they don't ask, then you're good to just leave it on and the tags won't get corrupted/erased/damaged.
@MikeInSeattle said:
@asbath I tried the bridge from a local jeweler and I can say that it is surprising comfortable. My ring is just one size too big so the ring doesn't look too unnatural on the finger. If feels like wearing baggy legged jeans with a fitted waist: loose but secure. I did need to pad the part where it touches the finger since it didn't feel as comfortable as the comfort fit portion of the ring. Thanks!
I'm glad that it works for you! I'm thinking that I may need to get a bridge, too, as I've been losing weight and getting thinner... and my fingers are following suit.
I should have also mentioned that the jeweler indicated that you can ask them to give you a slightly larger bridge so that they can bend it, making it flush with the inside of the ring's curvature. This would make it more comfortable and has zero chance of "getting loose", so to speak, over time since there is no room for bending the bridge.
I asked a jeweler about resizing a ring down to a smaller size, especially given the delicate nature of this ring. She had two recommendations: a bridge (which may not require any soldering) and beads.
A bridge is merely a piece of metal that kind of wraps around the inside of the ring to add additional material, thus causing the ring to fit better. Some bridges can be soldered to the ring, others are simply wrapped around the material and are not permanent. Her recommendation was to obviously use the non-permanent bridge to avoid damaging the outer protective layer. It would work something like this:
Her other recommendation was the beads. These are little balls that are soldered to the inside of the ring to, again, take up more room, thus making the ring feel tighter. She says that due to the spot soldering, it would likely not damage the inlays (she thinks) or the outer protective layer. Of course this is risky because we don't really know how much short-term direct heat the inlays can take from a soldering job like that. Her recommendation for beads is to solder them directly underneath the non-inlay parts of the ring, to prevent possible damage to the inlays. It would work something like this:
Wow. I'd dare say that you could give out 1 failed ring to each backer, and then still have enough left over for some other sort of grab-bag item.
I don't mean to belittle your efforts or those of the manufacturer, but jeez that's a lot of failed rings :(
Do your inlays look like they're actually damaged? Or do they look as though there is no major physical damage even though they're dead?
My ring has gone through all kinds of physical treatment, from your usual scuff up from moving computers and desks (just painted) to pulling an Abyss with some keep-the-door-open action. I have lots of scuffs all over my ring (pictures here, here and here), but so far there' sbeen no major damage to my ring. The inlays look completely intact and there doesn't appear to be any hard scratching or dents that dip into the inlays themselves. The protective outer coating seems to be doing an excellent job so far. I'm not intentionally trying to test the ring for physical wear, but I'm not trying to actively avoid it either. So far it's held up against everything workaday that I've tossed at it.
FWIW I haven't been babying my ring (titanium, transparent/black) and it's still working almost a month later. No problems with either inlay. I also play ultimate (lunch breaks with the office mates), and though I've scuffed up the outer polish, the inlays don't seem to have been affected by constant impacts with the frisbee (your usual 175g disc).
Perhaps your original ring's inlays weren't secured properly by the cement?
I found that my sweet spot on my S3 was right beside the "G" in the Samsung logo on the back, vertically parallel to the speaker. Basically if you drew imaginary lines from the speaker and "G", where those lines intersect is where my sweet spot is. I no longer need a sticker to remind me of that location because it's become muscle memory for me.
@Robinhuett said:
Hi,
Am I to late for the party?
I'm currently building an application to authenticate and unlock windows via the nfc ring. Unfortunately I will have to wait till my rings arrive to actually test it.
If anyone is interested I can share the source (I do it anyways, when it's in a state where it can be tested...).
I can help you test it, maybe even help you with the application itself. I had started an application of my own, but Real Life happened and it's been put on hold until Real Life goes away.
PM me your contact details and maybe we can work together on this!