STIB switches on contactless payments across Brussels
Public transportation users in Brussels can now use their contactless bank card, NFC mobile phone or smart watch to pay for their fares on any of the city’s bus, tram and metro services... More
Smartphone
ETA issues US mobile payments market status report
The state of mobile payments in 2019 — Electronic Transactions Association — “In 2018, 55 million people in the US used their smartphone to make a payment at a physical point of sale, whether by loading money into a closed-loop mobile app (like the Starbucks app) or by loading a credit or debit card into an open-loop mobile wallet (like Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay) and using it to pay at the point of sale. These 55 million users account for about 20% of the U.S. population aged 15 and over, and just over 25% of US smartphone users.”
NXP adds support for FeliCa to NFC phones
PARTNER NEWS: NXP is adding support for FeliCa, the Japanese variant of NFC, to its NFC chipsets, beginning with a new PN81 series... More
Face recognition to be supported by more than a billion smartphones in 2020
More than one billion smartphones to feature facial recognition in 2020 — Counterpoint Research — “The diffusion of facial recognition technology into lower tier price bands will be faster than any other flagship feature due to 2D facial recognition being native on the Android platform… In future, Counterpoint Research expects mobile devices will combine biometric sensors for the face, iris, voice and fingerprints. Rather than competing against each other, each biometric technology will be layered on top of each other with the most convenient and least intrusive being selected on an application by application basis.”
Samsung patents blood flow biometric for smartphones and wearables
Samsung’s patent shows authenticating users by measuring their blood flow patterns — SamMobile — “The patent describes a method to identify users based on blood flow patterns in their fingers or wrists using sensors in smartphones and smartwatches… According to the patent application, it is possible to authenticate users based on their blood flow patterns as ‘the arterial conduction paths of different users are almost never identical’.”
Researchers build ID data into smart clothing
How to store information in your clothes invisibly, without electronics — University of Washington — “Most people today combine conductive thread — embroidery thread that can carry an electrical current — with other types of electronics to create outfits, stuffed animals or accessories that light up or communicate… The UW researchers realized that this off-the-shelf conductive thread also has magnetic properties that can be manipulated to store either digital data or visual information like letters or numbers. This data can be read by a magnetometer, an inexpensive instrument that measures the direction and strength of magnetic fields and is embedded in most smartphones.”
Researchers develop continuous biometric login for smartphones
NSF grant to develop one-handed smartphone authentication — Illinois State University — “The interactions, such as strokes, that users make with their thumbs when working with smartphones can be very unique,” said Lai, who is an assistant professor in the School of Information Technology. “We can use these interactions to identify different users. This is what we call thumb biometrics.”
US pop band adds NFC tags to merchandise range
Fans of US pop group Airspoken can now access music, videos and other digital content by tapping their NFC mobile devices against NFC tags embedded in the band’s merchandise, from t-shirts, stickers and hats to bracelets and more... More
Ticketmaster will soon admit you to events using audio data transmitted from your phone
Ticketmaster will soon admit you to events using audio data transmitted from your phone — VentureBeat — “Ticketmaster will soon be able to admit you to live events and track your movement using nothing more than a discrete digital audio broadcast from your smartphone… The ticketing giant has teamed up with Lisnr, a data-over-audio company that uses an ultrasonic sound technology it calls ‘smart tones’ to transmit information between devices.”
LG Pay to be used for low-budget smartphones next year
LG Pay to be used for low-budget smartphones next year — Korea Herald — “‘We will expand the use of LG Pay into low-budget smartphones alongside premium phones next year,’ Cho Jun-ho, president of LG’s mobile communication division said during a meeting with local bloggers on Friday… Cho said the use of LG Pay will expand into online stores and the global market, although he did not elaborate the specific date.”
NXP, Shanghai Unicom and Roam2Free collaborate to develop secure eSIM solution
NXP, Shanghai Unicom and Roam2Free collaborate to develop secure eSIM solution — NXP — PARTNER NEWS — “Complete solution combines mobile payment and ticketing with GSMA-compliant remote SIM activation for consumers to quickly add mobile subscriptions and cellular networks to their smartphones for better coverage and when traveling abroad”
Beijing subway launches smartphone version of travel card
Beijing subway launches smartphone version of travel card — ECNS — “Starting Monday, subway travelers in the Chinese capital with NFC-enabled phones can leave their physical travel card at home and use their smartphone instead, Beijing Municipal Administration and Communications Card (BMAC) said… Beijing subway said the mobile pass function does not support iPhone because of Apple’s restrictions.”
Brewery puts NFC tags in beer coasters in San Diego pub
Customers of US brewery Amplified Ale Works can now tap their NFC smartphones on beer coasters around the chain’s San Diego brewpub to go to a landing page where they can order Amplified beer online for home delivery... More
Bahrain to launch national e-wallet on July 4
Bahrain to launch national e-wallet on July 4 — Trade Arabia — “The national e-wallet is a joint initiative of the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) and Benefit and a first-of-its-kind project in the kingdom. It will enable instant payments via smartphones and also facilitate the collection of payments electronically through debit, credit and prepaid cards and online bank accounts, for online and in-store purchases.”
Square gets green light to take on banks with ‘PIN on glass’ mobile technology
Square gets green light to take on banks with ‘PIN on glass’ mobile technology — Australian Financial Review — “Banks are set to face more competition in the lucrative mobile point of sale technology game as secret trials featuring Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s payments company Square are set to help credit card companies allow more payments through smartphone screens.”
Rakbank is the first bank in the Middle East to introduce Samsung Pay solutions for its ATMs
Rakbank is the first bank in the Middle East to introduce Samsung Pay solutions for its ATMs — Rakbank — “This innovative digital solution enables the bank’s customers to make cardless cash withdrawals from Rakbank ATMs using their Samsung smartphones without the need for a physical debit or credit card. The Samsung Pay solution for ATMs is an end-to-end contactless process.”
East London gets local currency built on the blockchain
Residents across East London can now make mobile payments at small businesses with a local currency launched by Tel-Aviv-based digital wallet provider Colu which makes use of blockchain technology... More
Mobile payments for online purchases set to rise across the UK
Nearly six in 10 (58.6%) UK digital buyers aged 14 and over will make retail ecommerce purchases using their smartphone this year, research released by eMarketer predicts, with retail ecommerce sales through smartphones set to reach £16.42bn (US$22.16bn) in 2017... More
New mobile payment option for PNC Bank’s Visa commercial cardholders
New mobile payment option for PNC Bank’s Visa commercial cardholders — PNC Bank — “PNC Bank announced today a new mobile payment option enabling Visa commercial cardholders to use a smartphone or mobile device to make corporate purchases via Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay. PNC is one of the first U.S. banks to enable mobile wallet payments for commercial cards.”
Gemalto and Dessmann enhance smart lock security with mobile convenience
Gemalto and Dessmann enhance smart lock security with mobile convenience — Gemalto — PARTNER NEWS — “The new solution from the global manufacturer of smart locks and safe boxes incorporates Gemalto’s Machine Identification Modules (MIM) and Secure Elements (SE), empowering users to lock and unlock doors with their smartphones or create digital key chains for multiple locks.”
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