What's New in Payments

Facebook Messenger to shutter its P2P payments service in UK and France

Facebook will scrap Messenger payments in the UK and France — Engadget — “Facebook will discontinue peer-to-peer Messenger payments in France and the UK on 15 June, the company told Engadget. ‘After evaluating how we give people the best experiences in Messenger, we made the decision to focus our efforts on experiences that people find most useful,’ Facebook said.”



NFC World

Sneaker Con uses NFC tags to verify the authenticity of traded trainers

Sneaker Con bets NFC will keep fakes off its new shoe-selling app — Engadget — “Every time you buy a pair from the Sneaker Con application, it’ll come with a physical tag attached to the shoes that features NFC. This Legit Tag comes loaded with information about the sneaker you’re getting (including the model name, size, condition and SKU number). To see that, all you have to do is open the Sneaker Con app and tap the authentication tab.”


What's New in Payments

Amazon to open cashierless stores in Chicago and San Francisco

Amazon will open checkout-free stores in Chicago and San Francisco — Engadget — “Amazon has posted job listings for store managers in both Chicago and San Francisco, making it clear where the automated stores are headed next… Amazon has a building permit for a store in Chicago’s Loop, while a San Francisco Chronicle report claimed that a store would open near Union Square. An earlier Recode scoop asserted that Amazon would open as many as six more stores in 2018, with one possibly coming to Los Angeles.”


NFC World

First US gym adds support for Apple Watch NFC pairing with exercise machines

Apple Watch GymKit syncing arrives in exactly one US gym — Engadget — “GymKit syncing on the Apple Watch technically arrived with watchOS 4.1, but there’s been one main obstacle to using it: Actually finding a gym that supports it. Only one fitness center each in Australia and the UK have enabled it so far… One solitary gym in New York City, Life Time Athletic at Sky, now has 13 GymKit-capable machines (including treadmills, bikes, ellipticals and stair steppers) that will pair with your smartwatch.”


A biometric ring could replace your passwords, cards and keys

A biometric ring could replace your passwords, cards and keys — Engadget — “With a fingerprint sensor on the inside, it can confirm that you’re the authorized user. Then, you slide on the ring, and an onboard IR optical sensor makes sure the device is still on your finger. As long as you have not taken it off, you can authorize transactions with a tap of your hand… Token transmits the authentication signal over NFC in most situations.”


What's New in Payments

Samsung Pay now supports HSBC and M&S Bank cards in the UK

Samsung Pay now supports HSBC and M&S Bank cards in the UK — Engadget — “It was only available to customers who bank with MBNA, Nationwide and Santander. Today, it’s playing catch-up with support for HSBC, First Direct and M&S Bank cardholders. While welcome, the app is still missing some of the big British money-lenders including Lloyds Bank and Barclays.”







NFC World

Dell adds NFC to XPS 12 laptop

Dell has announced a range of updates and upgrades to its consumer and commercial PC portfolio at Computex 2013, including the addition of NFC functionality to its XPS 12 convertible Ultrabook, Engadget reports... More