Gizmodo: Payment

Apple Patent Shows Ordering, Paying by iPhone (And Queue Skipping)

Jason Chen — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:11:20 EST

Nothing except a 2nd-gen iPhone with GPS and 3G would make us happier than if Steve pulled out this invention at MacWorld 2008 next month. This patent, which details a cashless payment system via the iPhone, will allow people to order stuff on their phones via Wi-Fi, pay for it, and skip everyone in line that doesn't have an iPhone. It's like calling ahead to place an order, except you have to wait at the store and you don't have to talk to anybody. Great for the type of person who enjoys being in the company of other people but not communicating with them in any way. [Forbes - Thanks for the image, Zatz!]

Pay by Touch System Tested by Gas Stations, Grocery Store

Charlie White — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 08:48:38 EDT

Here's a better way to pay for stuff. By just touching your fingertip to this Pay by Touch biometric system, you can pay for anything in the ten Chicago Shell stations that are now testing the tech. So this means there's no need to reach for that credit card or even your wallet; all you have to do is touch a certain spot on the pump or in the store, and your online credit or debit card account pays for your gas. Add this tech to Shell's multimedia pumps currently deployed in 300 gas stations across the U.S., showing NBC programming (and advertising) as well as news, weather and sports (also with ads) from Fuel Media International, and people might start hanging out at the high-tech gas pumps for the afternoon. But so far, uptake is slow.

Shell's not advertising this pilot program yet, so not many people are using the finger scanners thus far. Sunflower Market is another Chicago store testing out the Pay by Touch system. The company has installed the finger-scanning kiosks in its grocery store, and store manager Debbie Britton says only 2% of the customers have signed up. She says people are wary of the new technology. "I think it scares people. They're more confused about the whole system. Some of them say, 'Well, now the FBI can find me.'"

Fraidy cats. We're thinking people should rest easy with this tech, because unless criminals cut off your finger and take it to the biometric device, this system seems more secure than the current credit card system. We've been waiting for this stuff for years. It's similar to that MobilPass we used at gas stations for a long time, lubricating the entire payment routine with its RFID device stuck to the car's rear window. That's how we like our payment and toilets: touchless. [Yahoo News]

MasterCard PayPass Embedded in a Watch

Charlie White — Thu, 17 May 2007 13:45:00 EDT

MasterCard is spreading its PayPass technology far and wide, and a simple tap of a little key fob device is as good as showing a credit card with no receipt signing to be done at all. Now the company has rolled out a program starting at Garanti bank in Turkey that involves this hoary-looking watch with an RFID chip embedded in it, freeing users from carrying credit cards. That is, if they're only making purchases less than 15 Euros.

These payment systems have been around for years—we remember sticking an RFID device on our car's back window for Exxon-Mobil more than 10 years ago, automatically paying for gas. It's convenience on your wrist, as long as you don't mind emitting electronic signals containing your credit card number all the time. But it's all secure, it really is. I'll have mine embedded under the skin, please, right here. – Charlie White

Press Release [MasterCard, via CrunchGear]

Microsoft Was/Still Planning On Rewarding Zune Sharing?

Jason Chen — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 19:00:54 EST

Remember the rumor that the Zune will pay you for sharing a song that someone ends up buying? Well, that rumor was squashed by Cesar, the pants wearing blogger last week. Not so fast, says a reader who uncovered a whitepaper from Microsoft detailing their possible foray into "off-line economies for digital media."

In the paper, Microsoft details a way for one user to sell content to another while giving profits back to the copyright holder but still compensating the seller for participating in this offline economy. The paper also talks about adding Bluetooth to an iPod device, immediate purchases on-the-go, sophisticated sales scenarios, and best-effort anti-piracy DRM restrictions. I've had enough fun reading white-papers to last me a life time, but if you're interested, hit the PDF link.

Whitepaper [Gizmodo]

– Jason Chen

Thanks tipster!

Purchase Coca-Cola in Japan Using Your Cellphone

Gizloco — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 09:44:12 EDT

Japanese cellphone users have been able to purchase darn near everything with their cellphones for a little while now and now they can add Coca-Cola to that list. By the end of 2008, Coke will have modified its 200,000 vending machines in Japan to accept Felicia, which is the method of cellphone payment developed by the major players in the Japanese cellphone industry.

Yeah, so when can we expect cellphone payment here in the U.S.? Oh, right, never. – Nicholas Deleon

Japanese Coke machines to accept cellphone payment [Fareastgizmos.com]