NFC mobile payments finally gaining traction, support in US.

The fine folks of Japan (among other places) have enjoyed near filed communication-equipped cellphones for many, many years. Mobile users in the US have failed to enjoy such convenience, however, due to the multitude of licensing agreements and revenue sharing deals that are required for all parties to stay happy. Though, things look to be making a change for the better with an announcement that Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile have all come together in the name of consumer happiness to NFC technology to the masses.

Starting in Atlanta as well as three other major US cities, the trio of wireless carriers above are aiming to flog the tech to its fullest, ensuring it can withstand the rigors of the US financial ecosystem. Whether or not it will honestly “help” people, one thing is for sure — it’ll be mighty convenient to leave your credit/debit cards at home. One less thing in my pocket is one more smile on my face.

Merchants on the other hand would have to spend a bit to make the tech mainstream, as their POS terminals would need all-new NFC readers embedded in their units. To that note, cellphone manufacturers would also need to implement NFC chips embedded into the phones themselves. Neither side really has it all that hard. It’s just getting over that first step that counts.

What about you? Have you looked across the pond time after time and found yourself jealous of their more technological ways…?

Mophie jumping into mobile transaction arena with “me too” iPhone credit card scanner.

Think Jack Dorsey’s “Square” was as good as it got? Mophie, a popular iPhone hardware manufacturer would like you to think otherwise. While I and apparently several other bloggers in the tech sphere don’t see this exactly one upping or even in the same league as Square, there’s no doubt the mobile transaction market is quickly heating up.

If we were going based on software alone, it would be hard to say much of anything about Mophie currently as their description of the “private label” software simply states:

Marking its first combination hardware and private label iPhone application device, mophie is launching its innovative new credit card reader, empowering users to complete financial transactions on the go.

So, are they (Mophie) making it or is someone else? Beats me. But we’ll find out such things in less than a week anyway so there’s no sense in losing sleep over it.

Software aside, the actual hardware pictured above is actually pretty nifty if it materializes into anything remotely close to the picture. Then again, being mobile means just that — mobile and compact. Dorsey’s Square dongle has Mophie’s rendering beat hands down for size. And if Mophie isn’t doing the whole software/hardware combo in house as Square is doing, consider this a novelty service.

That’s the word for now. Have anything to add?

TechCrunch

Palm Pre finally getting paid apps. Developers flock to the streets for small get together.

Palm Pre developers and those sitting on the fence should all feel a bit wealthier come September 24th. That magical date is the grand opening if you will of paid apps. That’s right, the App Catalog is finally entering digital puberty which will in turn *hopefully* begin to acquire a more robust app catalog. Getting paid for your work is always a good thing. Now that paid apps are coming, more developers should be interested no? With the same 70/30 revenue split as just about everyone else, a level playing field is forming. If you’re a developer, now all you have to decide is which platform to go for. Who says you have to only choose one….?

Source: Digital Daily