Olympic Games may be the proving ground for NFC mobile commerce

2012 Olympics

The 2012 Olympic Games in London may become a fervent proving ground for mobile commerce. The UK is in full swing in preparing for the Summer Games and has targeted contactless payments as a viable way of crowd control and convenience. Several telecommunications and financial services companies are working together to promote NFC technology throughout Europe and are hoping that the technology takes root with foreign leaders as they visit the UK. Apple, Visa and Nokia will all be present for the Summer Games to promote NFC-driven mobile commerce. The…

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Google Wallet to give consumers spending money to drive use of mobile payments

Google Wallet

Google Wallet has announced that it will be giving consumers $10 to spend through its new NFC mobile payment service in the hopes to encourage its use, as it has – so far – had a slow start. According to the official blog of the company, “We’re excited to give you a chance to try out Google Wallet and experience paying with a mobile phone.” Google aims to offer this opportunity to customers at select retailers in five American cities ahead of the holiday season. Those cities are: Los Angeles,…

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In-Stat: Number of NFC-enabled mobile devices to exceed 1 billion by 2015, despite security concerns

NFC Technology Mobile Payments Infrastructure

Mobile commerce is a promising new industry that revolves around smart phones being used as payment devices. This is accomplished through NFC technology, which allows smart phones to interact with NFC terminals to make purchases. Mobile commerce is often lauded as a safe, streamlined way to pay for goods, but security concerns have, thus far, stifled the growth of the industry. Despite such concerns, In-Stat, a global market intelligence firm, predicts that there will be more than 1 billion NFC-enabled mobile devices by 2015. The security concerns surrounding NFC technology…

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What is Apple’s strategy for competing with Google Wallet?

Apple vs Android mobile marketing

Industry experts primarily believe that the ever-elusive Apple has been looking into the use of near field communication (NFC) technology as a part of its upcoming iPhone and iPad devices for authorization systems to compete with Google Wallet and other mobile payment systems. Though this has not been confirmed, what many are wondering is why the company hasn’t yet openly acknowledged their exploration of this technology to convert the iPhone into a mobile wallet. The common assumption at the moment is that Apple is leaving it up to its nemesis,…

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Battle for NFC supremacy rages, but the fate of mobile commerce may lie with manufacturers

NFC Technology

Few consumers are aware of the massive battle raging around them in which several technology and telecommunications companies are pitted against one another for the supremacy of the mobile commerce industry. The industry, while young, holds promises of wealth for companies that can successfully leverage NFC technology and establish themselves as a leader in mobile payments. Using NFC to turn smart phones into digital wallets is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to mobile commerce, however, as companies are now starting to vie for the favor of…

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