Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Google Announces Major Push Into NFC Payments With Google Wallet
Google today unveiled its new Google Wallet initiative, a push into near field communications (NFC) that will allows users to make electronic payments with NFC-compatible hardware through the Google Wallet mobile app for Android.
Today in our New York City office, along with Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint, we gave a demo of Google Wallet, an app that will make your phone your wallet. You'll be able to tap, pay and save using your phone and near field communication (NFC). We're field testing Google Wallet now and plan to release it soon.Google Wallet will be able to store users' credit card, loyalty card, and gift card information electronically, making it easy to access the payment and discount methods at compatible points-of-sale. The app will also coordinate with Google Offers, a new program allowing merchants to offer discounts redeemable through NFC or barcode scanning.
Initial support for Google Wallet NFC payments comes from MasterCard, which will accept payment at hundreds of thousands of existing PayPass terminals. Google is also rolling out its own virtual "Google Prepaid Card", which can be funded by any major credit card. Google Prepaid Card comes with an initial $10 sign-up bonus, and there will be no fees on transactions to top up the card until at least the end of 2011.
Hardware support for Google Wallet will appear on the Nexus S 4G phone running on Sprint's network, but other compatible handsets will be added over time.
Rumors have gone back and forth over whether Apple will be adding NFC capabilities to the next-generation iPhone, with the general feeling currently being that Apple will add NFC to future iPhone models, but not necessarily for the next generation expected to be introduced later this year.
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106 months ago
....and there will be no fees on transactions to top up the card until at least the end of 2011.
Pay attention here. This is where you'll get pinched. Can you say convenience fee? Expect to see bank fees, credit card fees and carrier fees attached to these NFC purchases in the future. Everyone is going to want a piece of that pie!
106 months ago
Love it. Wallets, cash, credit cards, etc. are far past antiquated.
I think it is cool, but there are still some things that would keep me from using it all the time (Other than the fact that the retailers have to support it...)
One is your phone battery. I charge it pretty much every night, but sometimes I forget to plug it in and it dies on the second day. If I only had a an e-wallet I wouldn't be able to put gas in my car.
Add that to the fact that I still have to carry around my drivers license, business cards and a little cash I don't think my real wallet is going anywhere. Maybe just getting a little smaller.
106 months ago
Potential problems?
Don't really know how I feel about this. Yes, it will increase convenience, but it will also spawn a new kind of thief - one who puts an NFC receiver in his pocket, brushes up against your pocket with your cell phone in it, and steals your money without having to pickpocket you. A wireless robber.
Also, if you lose your phone like I often do, does that mean that people who pick it up can use it as a limitless credit card? Sounds scary.
Don't really know how I feel about this. Yes, it will increase convenience, but it will also spawn a new kind of thief - one who puts an NFC receiver in his pocket, brushes up against your pocket with your cell phone in it, and steals your money without having to pickpocket you. A wireless robber.
Also, if you lose your phone like I often do, does that mean that people who pick it up can use it as a limitless credit card? Sounds scary.
106 months ago
Yeh, right!
I so can't wait to trust my money to the Mother of Perpetual Beta!
I so can't wait to trust my money to the Mother of Perpetual Beta!
106 months ago
Using your phone instead of a credit card has been in Japan and S. Korea for the last several years.
Seeing how so many people are responding to this concept like it's some kind of pre-apocalyptic technological mistake just shows once again how cell phone technology in the States is so behind compared to that in Asia.
FaceTime/video call via cell phone? Japanese and Korean cell phones had those since 2007 (albeit probably not the same quality as the ones on iPhones). Watching T.V. on your phone? Japanese and Korean cell phones let you do that for free, and they had that years before we got our first pay-to-watch TV via cell phone.
Using your phone instead of using a credit card is another addition on the list.
People should also not freak out so much. If using your phone as a credit card has been safely implemented in other countries for the last 6+ years, I doubt there is any reason why it'll suddenly go awry when implemented into the States.
Seeing how so many people are responding to this concept like it's some kind of pre-apocalyptic technological mistake just shows once again how cell phone technology in the States is so behind compared to that in Asia.
FaceTime/video call via cell phone? Japanese and Korean cell phones had those since 2007 (albeit probably not the same quality as the ones on iPhones). Watching T.V. on your phone? Japanese and Korean cell phones let you do that for free, and they had that years before we got our first pay-to-watch TV via cell phone.
Using your phone instead of using a credit card is another addition on the list.
People should also not freak out so much. If using your phone as a credit card has been safely implemented in other countries for the last 6+ years, I doubt there is any reason why it'll suddenly go awry when implemented into the States.
106 months ago
A co-worker already had this happen with his credit card that has the built in chip- a number of his neighbors got their information stolen from a van that drove through the neighborhood at night and gathered data from cards (anyone have an American Express Blue), while people slept.
This is only going to make identity theft much much easier.
Stupid idea on behalf of Google and if Apple does it, same with them, unless they can absolutely positively guarantee all the information is secure and protected.
You have to be within a inches of the card to read it.
Driving around with a van scanning cards is impossible.
And yes, I have an Amex Blue card with the chip.
Works great, but 99% of the time you have to physically touch the reader with the card to get it to take.
106 months ago
Very insecure...
No. No. No.
Unless they are willing to give high and I mean high rebates with NFC payments. I am not interested. The potential risks are very high.
They use them as transit passes, entertainment ticketing, loyalty programs, buying groceries, etc. The "osaifu keitai" had rapid consumer acceptance due to the fact that it could function as a Mobile Suica card (the pass for the big JR East rail system covering metropolitan Tokyo).
This isn't uncharted territory. The United States is (again) way behind in mobile telephony technology.
In any case, you aren't required to use the system. You are free to pay cash or pull out your wallet and swipe a credit card.
106 months ago
Using your phone instead of a credit card has been in Japan and S. Korea for the last several years.
Seeing how so many people are responding to this concept like it's some kind of pre-apocalyptic technological mistake just shows once again how cell phone technology in the States is so behind compared to that in Asia.
FaceTime/video call via cell phone? Japanese and Korean cell phones had those since 2007 (albeit probably not the same quality as the ones on iPhones). Watching T.V. on your phone? Japanese and Korean cell phones let you do that for free, and they had that years before we got our first pay-to-watch TV via cell phone.
Using your phone instead of using a credit card is another addition on the list.
People should also not freak out so much. If using your phone as a credit card has been safely implemented in other countries for the last 6+ years, I doubt there is any reason why it'll suddenly go awry when implemented into the States.
Lol video calling was in Asia well before 2007.. heck...the N73 which I owned.. had video calling on Three network UK.. released in 2006. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_N73) And that was over 3G...2011, better quality or not... still not on iPhone.
Basically.. sadly a lot of the posters on here dont seem to know about any tech not done by Apple.. because Apple obviously innovates eveythring and others just rip them off and need to be sued... stick it to em Apple!! :rolleyes:
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