Mobiles and Near Field Communication
The latest news to hit the mobile technology world is that soon using your mobile phone operator you will be able to purchase simple things like your lunch. This method of purchasing products and services will soon see the time old question of, “have you got your lunch money?” as a thing of the past.
What is happening currently with this?
Network Orange will be the first behind this idea, which claims to be UK’s first mobile payments service and we will see this launch hopefully in summer. Teamed together with Barclaycard we are excited to see what they this can do and how far can it actually go.
With the 2012 Olympics now that little bit closer it is expected that more services, similar to this will actually start to emerge and other sporting events like the London games is where hopefully contactless payments can be made in what is known as Near Field Communication – the short range wireless technology that underpins many wireless payment systems.
However, although Orange claim to be the first UK mobile payments service in this way O2 trialled contactless payments in 2009. People could use their mobiles in place of Oyster cards to pay for tube journeys. A transaction like this as well as the purchasing of transport tickets using the mobile in place of a card is going to be something to watch out for in the next several months.
Mobile Money
In the UK already, a massive 11.6 million people are currently taking advantage of contactless technology. This can only occur however if their credit or debit card is enabled. The contactless mobiles which are currently in use are only allowed for small payments up to £15 at the moment.
Is it something that we are just catching onto?
Maybe the UK is somewhat behind with its technology, in Japan and Korea mobile handsets have been supplied which feature wireless payment chips for many years now.
It is what consumers want!
The relationship between a phone and a wallet is something that has been stated as a customer demand so in reasonable terms it wouldn’t be crazy to suggest its natural fit. Barclaycard’s chief executive David Chan stated that,
"I believe that future generations will find it surprising that early this century we were still carrying separate items to buy goods and to communicate with each other."
Maybe it will be after all with new technology constantly being introduced times are certainly moving fast.
Many phones already contain NFC technology, including Google's recently released Nexus S. Firms such as Nokia and Blackberry are also beginning to work with the technology and it is even rumoured that Apple will also incorporate NFC in its next iPhone, the iPhone 5.
Will it not just be cold?
Long gone soon will be the days of walking into the shop and having that all important weekly chat with the check out girl. But is this introduction of various mobile technologies just making our general society seem cold and impersonal. I guess this is something that we have to ask ourselves.
Although this is going to be something soon to emerge the concentration for the minute is on the development of mobile apps. Brick technology are producing some fantastic iPhone/iPad and Mobile device "apps"