A new "easy unlock" feature appears in the developer channel of Chrome OS. Once enabled, it will let you unlock a Chromebook or Chromebox by placing a trusted Android phone nearby.…
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Loop’s interesting twist on the mobile wallet
A Boston startup is launching yet another in-store smartphone payments app. But Loop believes it has edge. Instead of building a transaction network its using its magnetic field technology to emulate the plastic in your wallet.…
Read MoreGetting started with NFC on the phone and in the home
Don't think that wireless NFC tags are just for mobile payments. You can do practically anything with them if you know how to program them with small bits of data. Some free apps make this easy and I'm already on the NFC bandwagon at home.…
Read MoreMoo’s NFC business card: The last one you may ever need
Tired of carrying hundreds of business cards? What if you only needed to carry one? That's the idea behind this Moo card with embedded NFC tag inside it. You just tap it to a phone with NFC-capabilities and it share just about any information you want.…
Read MoreMapping Session results: Mobile shopping
Participants in a Mapping Session identified personalization as the key disruptive technology companies can exploit to jump-start mobile shopping. Other Disruption Vectors included location sensing and big data.…
Read MoreBarclaycard US is the newest card in your Google Wallet
Barclaycard US is the latest card issuer to back Google Wallet. The company also backs Isis, the mobile payment joint venture between Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile, illustrating that not even the traditional banking companies know yet which mobile payment standard will be successful.…
Read MoreSony Xperia Ion lands on AT&T LTE network June 24
Sony has been on a quest to climb back into the U.S. handset market, and this month it’s introducing an imaging powerhouse that may help it accomplish that goal. AT&T will start selling Sony’s first U.S. LTE smartphone, the Xperia Ion, on June 24 for $100.…
Read MoreForget QR codes: Your touchscreen can “read” this ink
Ever since the smartphone era began, companies have looked for ways to quickly get information from the offline product world onto the phone. Barcode scanning and QR codes work, but what if we could just use a printed solution readable by our phone's touchscreen?…
Read MoreAs Google, Isis lock horns, U.S. trails in NFC phone shipments
Phones embedded with near-field communications chips are beginning to proliferate, but their uptake is much slower in North America than in Europe and Asia, according to Berg Insight. Of the 30 million NFC handsets sold, roughly 5 million wound up in the hands of North American consumers.…
Read MoreNokia Hello: communicate via NFC with people you hate to speak with
A Nokia research project called Nokia Hello leverages wireless technology with Near Field Communications (NFC) chips to help people "speak" to each other. I figured it would be a good solution when speaking to someone in a non-native language (it is), but Nokia suggests another use.…
Read MoreA look back at mobile predictions for 2011
As 2011 comes to a close, I'm thinking ahead to what mobile technology trends I expect to see in 2012. While I formulate those thoughts for a post later this week, now is a good time to see how I did with my 2011 predictions.…
Read MoreFinTech startups wield data and smarts
The FinTech Innovation Lab, an accelerator program for financial tech startups, graduated its first class on Friday. This first batch of companies is bringing some impressive ideas to bear on data, analytics and payments and showing there's room for new approaches in the financial sector.…
Read More3 reasons the Nexus S is coming to AT&T: N, F and C
Google is bringing Samsung's Nexus S smartphone to AT&T's network on July 24 for $99 with a two-year contract. Customers can preorder the handset today online or in a Best Buy store. Why launch a handset that's a bit behind current hardware? Google Wallet comes to mind.…
Read MoreGoogle makes a QR code turnaround with new M&A deal
When Google discontinued support for QR codes in its Places product earlier this year, many saw it as an early death knell for the barcode scanning technology. But Google's latest acquisition is evidence that the company may not be completely abandoning QR technology just yet.…
Read MoreMobile payments worth $670 billion by 2015
Mobile payments have taken off in the last few years and are now poised to grow from $240 billion this year to $670 billion worldwide in 2015, aided by growing near field communication transactions for physical goods, according to Juniper Research.…
Read MoreViVOtech gets $24 million as NFC momentum picks up
ViVOtech, an end-to-end provider of near field communication hardware and software, has raised $24 million in a Series C round of funding. The funding highlights the growing momentum behind NFC, which is finally coming together as a rising mobile payment and communications platform.…
Read MoreSony Ericsson readying NFC in Android phones
Last year, Sony Ericsson dropped Symbian, boldly claiming it would take the top spot in the world for Android device sales. Now that a wireless payment infrastructure exists with Google Wallet, the company is ready to add NFC chips and software from NXP in future handsets.…
Read MoreGoogle Launches its Wallet Platform To Jumpstart NFC Payments
Google launched its big push into mobile payments with the introduction of a new payment platform called Google Wallet based NFC technology. The company said it will pair contactless payments with Google Offers to help retailers and merchants strengthen their ties to consumers.…
Read MoreGoogle Could Launch Mobile Payment Trials This Week
Google is reportedly planning to jump-start mobile payments with a press event this Thursday, followed by a trial service in five major U.S. cities. Sprint's Nexus S appears to be the handset of choice; it contains a near field communications chip that works with payment terminals.…
Read MoreWatch and Learn US; the UK Shows Mobile Payments Done Right
As the U.S. continues to wrangle over wireless mobile payment solutions using NFC chips, the U.K. is moving forward. Today, Orange UK launched QuickTap, a way to pay for purchases at 50,000 retail locations. The right incentives, such as cash back, should help spur consumer adoption.…
Read MoreCarriers Downsize Isis Plans, Reach Out to Credit Card Companies
AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile are reportedly downsizing plans for a joint near field communication payment network called Isis and are looking to partner now with credit card companies Visa and MasterCard on a more modest mobile wallet offering.…
Read MoreNFC May Depend on Merchants Embracing Mobile Marketing
For many merchants, the idea of NFC as a credit card replacement isn't that much of an incentive, said Vivotech CEO Mike Mullagh. The real reason to get onboard with NFC is the promise of more one-to-one mobile marketing through NFC-enabled smartphones.…
Read More3 Things the Mobile Wallet Needs to Replace the Real One
Some of the groundwork is finally being laid for mobile payments, but the industry still has to find ways to convince users to pay for stuff with their phones. For the mobile wallet to catch on, apps will have to do much more than execute transactions.…
Read MoreWhy Apps Are Crucial for the Mobile Wallet
Some of the groundwork is finally being laid for mobile payments, but the industry still has to find ways to convince users to pay for stuff with their phones. Which is why apps will have to do much more than just execute transactions.…
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