Anonymous employees at Hewlett-Packard Co. have announced that it is currently developing wireless payment devices to allow consumers to buy products using mobile technology.
The intention of the company is to use near field communication (NFC) technology to develop tablets and phones that will let consumers receive discount coupons, pay for products and services, and collect loyalty points through a simple tap of the device on a specially equipped cash register within a shop. The first of these gadgets could become available as early as the end of 2011.
In 2010, HP paid $1.2 billion to purchase Palm Inc. in order to help rescue the brand that had been falling behind as a result of the popularity of smartphones. According to ComScore Inc., at the same time, Palm had been experiencing a 2.6 percent plummet in the three months preceding the April purchase, after having experienced another drop of 3.2 percent in the quarter before that.
Other companies are already working on establishing this technology within their own devices, so HP has had to move fast to remain competitive. All that is know about the issue date so far is that HP will not be releasing a product in the United States that will compete directly with the Apple iPad – its TouchPad – any earlier than July, 2011. That device will feature the Google operating system.
The capability of this new form of device will allow for the creation of a wide range of new services and apps, to expand the potential of the technology.
Hewlett-Packard has yet to make any official announcements regarding the product’s development.