The total global transaction value of purchases made using smart home devices is expected to rise from US$22bn this year to more than US$164bn in 2025, according to Juniper Research... More
Chinese mobile device manufacturer Xiaomi has launched the Mi Band 4 NFC fitness tracker that supports contactless NFC payments and QR-based payments through AliPay and can be used as a key when combined with the company’s MI Smart Door Lock... More
Trust, convenience and ease of use will be key to enabling the full potential of voice-assisted conversational commerce, Mastercard explains in a new paper which is now available to download from the NFC World Knowledge Centre... More
More than 70% of online shoppers across the US have used digital payment services including mobile wallets, one-click checkout buttons and peer-to-peer (P2P) payment apps, research released by American Express reveals, with 41% “always or sometimes” choosing to use digital solutions when they pay... More
Control Ikea Home Smart products with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple’s Home app — Ikea — “Ikea is adding functionality to its smart lighting range by enabling people to voice control their lighting with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and to set up and adjust lighting using Apple’s Home app and Siri voice commands. This takes Ikea one step closer to making smart home technology accessible for the many.”
Samsung has unveiled its latest Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus flagship devices, with support for iris and facial recognition technology and a fingerprint sensor which is now located on the back of the phone. Samsung Pass deals with major banks, an expansion of Samsung Pay to include online payments and details of its Bixby virtual assistant have also been announced. More
Google Assistant will be made available to all phones running Android 7.0 Nougat and Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating systems, Reuters reports... More
Starling Bank, a UK mobile-only bank, is testing an integration of its API with Google Home, the voice-activated speaker powered by Google Assistant... More
Owners of the Google Home speaker powered by Google Assistant can now buy groceries using voice commands... More
Homeowners with smart home company August’s Smart Lock system are now able to ask an Amazon Alexa-enabled device to unlock their front door using their voice and a secure voice PIN of four to 12 digits... More
More than one in 10 (11%) of UK consumers have made an in-store mobile payment and do so occasionally, with 2% doing so “wherever possible”, research from price comparison service uSwitch reveals... More
Toy maker Mattel has unveiled an NFC-enabled, voice-activated artificial intelligence assistant for children... More
Chinese mobile phone giant Huawei is to pre-load Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant on its flagship Mate 9 smartphone, which has now launched in the US, as Amazon bids for a leading role in the emerging voice-activated services market... More
US consumers will soon be able to use their voice to order groceries directly from their fridge with the latest edition of Samsung’s smart connected fridge platform and an updated version of the Groceries by Mastercard mobile app... More
Dutch bank ABN Amro has launched a mobile payments app for Android using host card emulation (HCE) technology, allowing customers to make purchases up to €2,500 (US$2,659) each day with smartphones running Android 5.0 or higher... More
PayPal has enabled money transfers via Apple’s Siri voice command function, enabling users with iOS10 devices to make payments by speaking requests... More
Users of the Azimo money transfer service can now send money through Apple’s voice-activated Siri system... More
Customers of Dutch bank ABN Amro will soon be able to use Apple’s Siri voice command system to create payment requests by speaking through Tikkie, the mobile app launched by the bank in June 2016 to enable purchases to be requested and sent through messaging platform WhatsApp... More
PARTNER NEWS: Customers using mobile financial solutions firm Mahindra Comviva’s Mobiquity Wallet for iOS will now be able to send and request payments via a straightforward voice command. The feature forms part of the latest version of the digital wallet platform that leverages Apple’s iOS 10 operating system... More
Chinese internet giant Alibaba has unveiled a new “internet car” that will let drivers make mobile payments from their seat using affiliate company Ant Financial’s Alipay mobile payment platform. More
