Voice control specialist Sensory has released AppLock, a mobile app that can secure other apps on any Android device with multifactor biometric authentication... More
Android
Nine Polish banks to launch HCE mobile payments
Nine Polish banks are to launch host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payments services using Visa’s cloud-based payment specifications “from early this year,” allowing their customers to make contactless payments using NFC-enabled Android smartphones... More
Circle adds NFC to Bitcoin payments app
Bitcoin wallet provider Circle has added NFC to its Android app to enable users to make payments using the digital currency with a tap of their smartphone... More
Yale introduces residential deadbolt with NFC unlocking
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
RBC adds HCE to mobile payments app
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has added support for host card emulation (HCE) to its RBC mobile app, “allowing Canadians to pay with most Android mobile phones without worrying about being on the right mobile network or having the right SIM card.”... More
Suncorp to offer NFC payments
Australia’s Suncorp Bank is to make NFC payments available to customers on select Android devices in 2015, Computerworld Australia reports... More
Google Wallet 8.0 now available
Version 8.0 of Google Wallet is now available to download from Google Play in the US... More
SIMalliance updates OMAPI
SIMalliance has published version 3.0 of its Open Mobile API Specification, bringing with it support for “every type of smartphone OS globally”... More
Blarney Castle identifies trees with NFC horti-tags
Blarney Castle, a medieval stronghold and tourist attraction in Ireland, is attaching custom-developed NFC tags to its trees so that gardeners will be able to easily create and update a database of information about each individual tree while they work... More
Android Pay to use fingerprint security
Android Pay, the mobile payments service being developed by China UnionPay, will use both NFC and fingerprint verification, Want China Times reports... More
Latvian merchants and ski resorts adopt NFC loyalty platform
Latvian startup Walmoo has launched a mobile loyalty platform that uses standard NFC phones or tablets to provide customers with the ability to redeem coupons, discounts and offers... More
CUP to launch Android Pay in China
China UnionPay (CUP) is planning to introduce “Android Pay”, an NFC-based mobile payments service, in the third quarter of 2015, Yicai reports... More
Ugo launches open NFC payments and rewards wallet in Canada
Ugo, an open NFC mobile wallet developed by Canadian banks President’s Choice Financial and TD Bank Group, is now available to customers of all three major Canadian carriers who own one of a range of supported BlackBerry 10 and Android NFC devices... More
Square eyes global expansion
Square has updated its Register apps for iOS and Android to support 130 currencies and is in talks to bring its mPOS solution to Europe, TechCrunch reports... More
Motorola secures Android and Apple devices with smart keyfob
Motorola has unveiled Motorola Keylink, a US$24.99 smart keyfob that uses Bluetooth Low Energy to enable iOS and Android device owners to track down their smartphone or their keys if they misplace them... More
Optus launches NFC payments in Australia
Australian carrier Optus has teamed up with Visa and Heritage Bank to launch an NFC mobile payment service that lets customers load up to A$500 into a prepaid account and then make payments at any Visa contactless POS terminal... More
Visa CEO: We may not charge a fee for tokenization
Visa will not charge a fee to card issuers making use of its tokenization service until at least the end of 2015 and may or may not charge a separate fee for the service in the future, CEO Charles Scharf has revealed at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2014 Banking & Financial Services Conference... More
Paris restaurant equips waiters with wearables that alert them when orders are ready
Waiters in a Paris restaurant have been equipped with mobile phones that let them take orders on the go — and smartwatches that let bartenders and kitchen staff alert them when an order is ready to be served, avoiding delays and improving service times. More
Korean banks partner with messaging giant for mobile banking service
Korean internet and messaging giant Daum Kakao has launched BankWalletKakao, a mobile wallet service provided in partnership with 16 Korean banks and Korea Financial Telecommunications and Clearing Institute (KFTC)... More
Samsung launches Proximity mobile marketing platform
Samsung has unveiled Proximity, a location-based marketing platform that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons and works in a similar way to Apple’s iBeacon system — but without the need for consumers to be persuaded to download a marketer’s own app to access the service... More