90664
« Home | Do You Have Microsoft Xbox 360 Problems? Check Thi... » | How to Fix Three Red Lights on Xbox 360 » | Soccer Betting - An Introduction » | Yoga for Constipation - Home Remedies for Constipa... » | Beat the Summer Heat - What Size A/C Do I Need? » | Installing Asphalt And Fiberglass Shingle Roofing » | Small Business Networks: Are Your Clients Using th... » | Oblivion - The Whole Another World » | Importance of Controlling Your Mind » | Epidemic Enthusiasm and Pandemic Pride »
Sunday, March 9, 2008
My Wallet is Ringing
Imagine paying for things with your cell phone. The Wireless Wallet is an idea that is picking up steam again, after the initial hype during the dot.com bubble fizzled along with everyones stock portfolio. As usual, Asia and Europe are ahead of the United States in the introduction and use of new technologies using wireless data networks. In places other than the US, consumers are buying soda pop, paying for songs on jukeboxes, purchasing their groceries, and going to soccer games just by waving their cell phones at a machine!
In Sweden and the British Isles, drivers are sending text messages to the parking meter to pay for their parking, instead of stuffing it with coins. Think of the savings of time and trouble of not having to race the meter maid out to your car, to plunk in more change, you could simply send a message from across town! The Japanese are probably the most advanced at this technology, right now. They are using phones with embedded debit card chips that allow them to shop at restaurants and grocery stores and pay with their phones. The service is available in around 20,000 stores.
US companies often look to DoCoMo company in japan for inspiration and innovation, and they are watching the Japanese begin to use the phone as a replacement for train tickets. All of our wireless providers and phone manufacturers are currently involved in projects bringing this technology to our shores. Last year in Dallas, Texas, motorola and Mastercard had a trial run of a few hundred consumers using the wave and pay system at stores and gas stations. The technology is called near field communications and works when the device is about 8 inches from the sensor, similar to the check out scanner in supermarkets.
Wireless companies are convinced the wireless wallet is worth developing because consumers in the US spent over 220 million dollars on Ringtones in 2004. J. P. Morgan Chase is testing the similar idea of cards that can be swiped to pay for things. They are involved with McDonalds and the 7-Eleven convenience store chain at implementing this in over 5000 stores. The idea is to then embed the contactless cards into phones. Some are still not convinced that this is a tenable idea, but Major League Baseball is intrigued by the technology, because they see it as an efficient way to get large numbers of fans into the baseball parks in a short amount of time. I can just imagine a promotion where your phone is singing the tune: Take me out to the ball game
As ubiquitous computing emerges, I think we will see our phones become TVs, music players, organizers, video arcades, Internet surfing devices, and more. And yes, it looks like they are well on their way to becoming wallets. The next time someone asks you for spare change, you can say, sorry, I left my phone at home!
A leader in technology reporting, Julia Hall has published articles about the latest digital devices and gadgets for over ten years. After graduating from MIT with a degree in electrical engineering, Julia turned down huge salaries from some of the most recognized fortune 500 companies in the world to pursue her dream of becoming a leading consumer advocate. Julia uses her expertise to cut through the too good to be true deals offered by high tech companies to reveal the real steals and the real duds that we're bombarded with daily. If you enjoy staying on the cutting edge of technology, whether for business or pleasure, but find yourself occasionally confused by the overwhelming information out there let Julia be your guide.
Yoga Pilates Yoga New York Yoga Jewelry Yoga Teacher
Posted by 81588 | 8:16 AM | E-mail this post 
Add a comment
Nov 30, 2007 Dec 1, 2007 Dec 2, 2007 Dec 3, 2007 Dec 4, 2007 Dec 6, 2007 Dec 7, 2007 Dec 8, 2007 Dec 9, 2007 Dec 10, 2007 Dec 11, 2007 Dec 12, 2007 Dec 13, 2007 Dec 14, 2007 Dec 15, 2007 Dec 16, 2007 Dec 18, 2007 Dec 19, 2007 Dec 20, 2007 Dec 21, 2007 Dec 22, 2007 Dec 23, 2007 Dec 24, 2007 Dec 25, 2007 Dec 27, 2007 Dec 28, 2007 Dec 31, 2007 Jan 1, 2008 Jan 3, 2008 Jan 4, 2008 Jan 5, 2008 Jan 6, 2008 Jan 7, 2008 Jan 9, 2008 Jan 10, 2008 Jan 11, 2008 Jan 12, 2008 Jan 13, 2008 Jan 14, 2008 Jan 15, 2008 Jan 16, 2008 Jan 17, 2008 Jan 18, 2008 Jan 19, 2008 Jan 20, 2008 Jan 21, 2008 Jan 22, 2008 Jan 23, 2008 Jan 24, 2008 Jan 25, 2008 Jan 28, 2008 Jan 30, 2008 Jan 31, 2008 Feb 1, 2008 Feb 4, 2008 Feb 7, 2008 Feb 8, 2008 Feb 9, 2008 Feb 11, 2008 Feb 12, 2008 Feb 13, 2008 Feb 14, 2008 Feb 15, 2008 Feb 16, 2008 Feb 17, 2008 Feb 18, 2008 Feb 19, 2008 Feb 20, 2008 Feb 21, 2008 Feb 22, 2008 Feb 23, 2008 Feb 25, 2008 Feb 26, 2008 Feb 27, 2008 Feb 28, 2008 Feb 29, 2008 Mar 1, 2008 Mar 2, 2008 Mar 3, 2008 Mar 4, 2008 Mar 5, 2008 Mar 6, 2008 Mar 7, 2008 Mar 8, 2008 Mar 9, 2008 Mar 10, 2008 Mar 11, 2008 Mar 12, 2008 Mar 13, 2008 Mar 14, 2008 Mar 15, 2008 Mar 16, 2008 Mar 17, 2008 Mar 18, 2008 Mar 19, 2008 Mar 20, 2008 Mar 21, 2008 Mar 22, 2008 Mar 23, 2008