They also only implement serial sending (so the Arduino receives) so far, although they mention the next step would be to build the other side of the connection.

That is because the Arduino is just sending tiny movements, each of which is a code that represents a nybble (4 binary bits) of data.

Well tech tinkerer Joe Desbonnet has whipped up what he dubs "poor man's NFC" using an Arduino, some magnet wire, and any compass-equipped Android smartphone (which is almost all of them).

An Android* phone or tablet running Android and has Bluetooth. Connect your Intel® Edison board to a Wi-Fi* network, see Get started with Intel® Edison technology.