Lock maker Yale has introduced an NFC-based door lock for homes which can be operated with a tap of a smartphone and allows homeowners to send keys to others, control when others have access, get a notification when someone uses the lock, and revoke already issued digital keys at any time... More
US mall operator Taubman is piloting BLE beacons for an indoor navigation service at its Mall at University Town Center in Sarasota, Florida, with plans to roll out the platform to other properties throughout the year... More
Visitors at this year’s International CES in Las Vegas will be guided around the mammoth tradeshow with their smartphones and Bluetooth beacons provided by Radius Networks... More
Toshiba has unveiled an add-on adapter for iOS devices that will enable users to transfer large data files such as movies and images from one device to the other using TransferJet, a high-speed short range contactless communications technology... More
Japan’s KDDI has launched an LTE smartphone with NFC that runs Mozilla’s Firefox OS, the open mobile platform advocated by the Firefox browser maker. The LG Fx0 offers a 4.7-inch HD screen and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad core Snapdragon processor running Firefox OS 2.0, the latest version of Mozilla’s operating system. More
OnStar, a General Motors subsidiary that provides subscription-based in car communications, security, navigation and remote diagnostics throughout the US, Canada and China, is to roll out an extension to its platform that will enable retailers to send drivers coupons tied to their specific destinations. More
The Aalborg City Business Association has installed sensors in pedestrian areas of the Danish city to track visitor behaviour using a Bluetooth and WiFi technology platform provided by IT company Blip Systems. More
Twenty-six McDonald’s franchises in Columbus, Georgia have installed Bluetooth beacons that can be used to deliver coupons, alerts, employment opportunities and customer satisfaction surveys directly to a consumer’s smartphone as they enter a participating location... More
Future iPhones may use a combination of Touch ID and fingertip motion to protect access, a recent Apple patent application has revealed... More
Consumers scanned more than 4.5m barcodes with Scandit-powered mobile shopping apps this Black Friday, the company has revealed, “with some US-based apps experiencing as much as 40 times increase over last year”... More
The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) in the US is developing a smartphone-based driver’s license using an app that would co-exist with traditional plastic cards, WSJ reports... More
The iOS version of Google Wallet now enables users to use Touch ID fingerprint verification for “secure and quick access” to the mobile wallet... More
Dafiti, Latin America’s largest online fashion retailer, is to place Bluetooth beacons in restaurants, bars and newsstands in the Brazilian city of São Paulo to send out promotional messages to shoppers’ smartphones... More
The Fido Alliance has published final drafts of version 1.0 of its Universal Authentication Framework (UAF) and Universal Second Factor (U2F) specifications... More
The UAE Banks Federation has announced the completion of the pre-implementation phase of a project to develop a mobile wallet platform that all its 51 member banks will be able to use to offer P2P, mobile payments and loyalty programs to their customers... More
Westpac customers with an Apple iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S5 or Note 4 incorporating a fingerprint sensor will be able to use the technology to log into their mobile banking app from January 2015, the Australian bank has announced... More
Starbucks is to use Bluetooth beacon technology in the first of its new Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room locations in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood of Seattle in the coming year... More
Mobile messaging provider Outspoken has added support for Google Wallet to its digital wallet delivery solution, enabling marketers to distribute offers to a user’s mobile wallet via a text message... More
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has adopted version 4.2 of the Bluetooth core specification, introducing security improvements that mean Bluetooth beacons are now unable to engage with smartphones without permission from the user and making it harder for eavesdroppers to track a device via its Bluetooth connection. More
Office Depot has become the first retail chain to roll out Shazam In-Store, a mobile marketing platform that makes use of the Shazam music discovery app, inaudible digital watermarks, a merchant’s overhead music system and a location-based platform developed by Mood Media to send promotional messages to shoppers’ mobile phones... More