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Handhelds Businesses Wireless Networking Hardware

Do You Accept Cellphone Payments? 250

Posted by timothy from the can-I-borrow-your-phone-a-minute dept.
beuges writes "In one of South Korea's latest efforts to establish itself as a technology trendsetter, the country's three telecom giants, major credit card companies and several banks have been working for a year to enable Koreans to pay for everything from groceries to petrol by cellphone."
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Do You Accept Cellphone Payments? More

Do You Accept Cellphone Payments?

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  • mLife in the US (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Dancin_Santa ( 265275 ) <DancinSanta@gmail.com> on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @07:36AM (#7279861) Journal
    You may recall seeing something about it during the Superbowl a few years back.

    Here's a tip for all you inventors looking to make things easy for the rest of us: CELL PHONES DO NOT HAVE A SIMPLE ENOUGH INTERFACE FOR MOST COMMON INTERACTIONS.
    • Yes they do!

      There are several systems for paying via the mobile phone here, and they range from complicated to dead simple.
      The most complicated is the Mobilhandel system by Telenor [telenor.com]. It is very complicated to set up but once it is done you can pay via SMS for ski passes, lattes, cinema tickets, even sex toys [heteleker.no].

      You also have the Payex [payex.no]system, Contopronto [contopronto.no] and a few minor.

      The war between the systems is on and the firs casualty seem to be Payex with high fees and complicated systems. The Mobilhandel system is

    • Here's a tip for all you inventors looking to make things easy for the rest of us: CELL PHONES DO NOT HAVE A SIMPLE ENOUGH INTERFACE FOR MOST COMMON INTERACTIONS.

      Get yourself a Nokia, any one, just not the advanced Symbian platform ones. Seriously. I just won a SonyEricsson P800, their most advanced model before they recently released the P900. It's usability sucks. I've reverted to my simple Nokia 3510i, since it just works and is very user-friendly.

  • Already accepted practice in norway (Score:5, Interesting)

    by evil_one666 ( 664331 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @07:37AM (#7279866)
    Mobile phones (via SMS) are already an accepted way of paying for ski-passes to cinema tickets here in Norway

    Perhaps the real story here is how far behind the US is in the widespread use of mobile phone technology...

    • True!

      US cell systems are not as good as GSM (which allows for lots of things), along with bureaucracy and software patents...

      US has already lost its lead in this sector.
      • Er, why does GSM vs. CDMA argument come in here? US does have GSM network, and at the end, both CDMA and GSM basically does the exactly same thing. What does GSM allow that CDMA doesn't?

        Heck, CDMA may be better for financial transaction purposes like this - it's more secure and harder to clone. Also, if I remember correctly, South Korea is dominated by CDMA.

      • US cell systems are not as good as GSM (which allows for lots of things), along with bureaucracy and software patents...

        It's not that simple. GSM is less complex, but CDMA is in many ways far more flexible and robust than GSM. GSM also runs into serious problems in areas of low population density, like much of the United States and unlike most of Europe.

        Two articles about the relative merits of the two systems, both by people who know a lot more about cellular phones than most of us:

        http://denbeste.nu/c

      • "US cell systems are not as good as GSM"

        Oh. GSM isn't as good as GSM?

        AT&T Wireless, Cingular, and T-Mobile all have extensive GSM 1900 systems in the US.
    • Yeah, here in Hungary (which is very far from being a "technology trendsetter" :) ) I can pay via SMS for parking, movie downloads and probably a million other things I am not aware of :)
      It is just a logical step ahead (which I was expecting) to build a more flexible infrastructure for paying with a mobile phone.
    • Even such (not quite former) third world countries like Poland have e.g. parking payments via SMS.

      Robert
      • How is poland 3rd world? This is the true dichotomy remember:

        1st world: US/UK and allies during cold war.

        2nd world: USSR/East Germany and allies during cold war.

        3rd world: everyone unaligned (much of africa, etc.).

        What happened is that small, poor countries didn't care about the cold war, so they were all listed as 3rd world countries. This led to the belief that 3rd world==poor country. That simply isn't true. Poland was part of the Warsaw (!) pact, and as such, was a 2nd world country. Obviously, the
      • I believe the proper term for ex-Communist Bloc states is 'second world'.

    • Re:Already accepted practice in norway (Score:4, Funny)

      by Hettch ( 692387 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @09:49AM (#7280881)
      As useful as that may be in Norway, here in the U.S., its a bit more uncommon to ski into movie theaters.
  • Dial M for McDonalds?
  • I dont know about elsewhere, but in the U.K. we aren't allowed to use our mobile phones (cell phones) in petrol stations (gas stations) as a "spark" from the phone may ignite petrolium gasses.

    I think this is poppycock in theory, but obviously those very clever people in government have some evidince to the suggest this is possible.

    What I guess I am saying is, who are right, the Koreans or the Brits? (my money is on the Koreans)
    • "but obviously those very clever people in government have some evidince to the suggest this is possible."

      Nope, it's largely a combination of more-or-less urban myth and arse covering.

      http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/gasvapor.asp
      http://www.cellular-news.com/story/8885.shtml
      h ttp://www.amta.org.au/?Page=174
      http://www.mobile shop.org/safety/banned.htm

      This statement issued by Motorola:

      http://www.motorola.com/mot/documents/0,,423,00. pd f&e=7413
      • Also, Mythbusters (the TV show) tried to do everything they could to get one to blow up. No dice.

        --RJ
        • Nothing in the world beats having millions of people testing your product in the real world.

          And in the real world, we have had 3 seperate cases of cellphones "blowing up" this year (malfunctioning severely enough to emit sparks/hot-carbon-bits).

          What if they had been holding their phone in their left hand at their waist while pulling the nozzle from their gas tank when it happened?

          Leave the statistics and probabilities to the experts (except when the experts have a financial incentive to ignore safety, of
          • Actually, I am an expert. I'm a statistician. Thanks.

            Probably absolutely nothing would've happened, because the vapors just aren't concentrated enough to blow.

            RJ
    • I've seen video on CNN of a women catching fire due to static electricity arcing to the gas she was pumping. In her panic, she flailed around the nozzle, and covered everything with gas. She died.

      Since then, I've been paranoid at the pump. They said it happens to about 10 people per year.

  • Makes sense (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Malfourmed ( 633699 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @07:42AM (#7279892) Homepage
    Can't read the article as it's been slashdotted but the concept makes sense. Telcos are one of the few businesses which have the processing of micropayments (small amounts of money for small amounts of utility) as a core competency.

    You can currently buy a Coke in Australia from a vending machine by using your mobile phone to dial the machine with the cost being tacked onto your bill. However currently this is limited to one carrier (Telstra) and of course caller ID has to be enabled for it to work.

  • Ouch! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by TLouden ( 677335 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @07:44AM (#7279904)
    What happens when you lose your cell phone. It happens often enough but when that's all that's gone it's not too bad. If it's your phone, credit card, ID, etc. that'a a hugh problem.

    • Re:Ouch! (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Dot.Com.CEO ( 624226 ) *
      You call your mobile phone company and they cancel the service, deactivating the phone AND sim card instantly. "Hugh" problem indeed.
      • Better yet, you ask them to locate it via the GPS guts your phone has. Or is that too 1984-ish for you guys?
  • Oh come on, slashdot! Payment over mobile phones is so 1990ies! Over here in Germany schemes and rackets like have gone under and been resurrected countless times. [paybox.de]

    This is definitely not news for nerds nor stuff that matters.
    • I did see a large orange device on the front of one of the cigarette machines the other day that allowed purchases via a mobile phone. I'm not sure how it worked though.

      I guess it's the perfect combination; you can go out without your wallet, but do you go out without your mobile?
  • In various european countries there have been initiatives like this. Very slowly some are catching on. I think it will be widespread and replace credit cards in time.

  • Comissions (Score:4, Interesting)

    by jedrek ( 79264 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @07:45AM (#7279912) Homepage
    SMSes have taken over bullshit systems like PayPal as far as micropayments in Europe go. The real problem is the telecoms. Here in Poland, their cut is at least 30%, and this is on a huge discount, massive volume number - usually it's around 50%. So my friend, who runs a service that lives off SMS payments, after taxes gets about 35% of the money his customers spend. It's a shame, almost everybody in Europe has a cell phone (or at least access to one) and it's much easier, secure and impulse-buyable then any kind of credit/debit/virtual bank system.

  • Great (Score:2, Interesting)

    by t4b00 ( 715501 )
    This is the kind of Technology I like to see.
    Should be interesting for Americans to see other countries are able to innovate aswell.
    I for one think we should integrade as many technologies into the cell phone as possible IE: Camera, Phone, Email, addressbook, Global Positioning System, Environment Controls for Home Central Air system, Universal Entertainment Remote for TV DVD etc... calculator, the list goes on and on, sure why not make purchases with it too. Model it after the Star Trek (tm) Tri-cord

  • Stolen Phone/Credit (Score:4, Insightful)

    by thryllkill ( 52874 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @07:48AM (#7279938) Homepage Journal
    "In the future thieves only will have to steal one handset," Lee said. "It will be their window to your world." - Sapa-AP

    Maybe that's not what they said. But with the recent theft of my T-Mobile Sidekick fresh in my mind, I am hesitant to put so much faith in my easiliy pilferable devices.

    (counter-point: credit cards can be stolen, yes, but my sidekick was not nearly as wallet/back pocket friendly as a credit card, thus not suck to my ass all day giving it a better chance of being stolen)
    • Except that you can cancel the phone "in seconds" according to the article. Plus, for transactions beyond buying cans of coke, you need a passcode, making it significantly more secure than the standard signature based credit card system. I doubt anyone will bother nicking your phone in order to buy 1000 cans of coke.

      The transaction data is encypted too, so you won't get people hanging around checkouts with radio/IR receivers stealing details, and the cashier can't copy your card number too, like they can w
    • ...thus not suck to my ass all day giving it a better chance of being stolen...

      if your wallet is sucked to your ass... time to get a new wallet.

  • As if ... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by theGreater ( 596196 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @07:48AM (#7279939) Homepage
    ...cellphones weren't already complex enough? I don't carry a Swiss Army Knife or a Leatherman, when all I need is one blade. For the very same reason, I'm strongly against most cluttery "features" like this.

    First give me a product that has a useable interface and spend some time making sure I can dial the thing one-handed. Add useful PHONE features, not useful kitchen utensils and assorted toys. Use that extra space on a huge battery I only have to charge once a week. In short, make my cellphone better, not just different.

    -theGreater Luddite.
    • ..cellphones weren't already complex enough? I don't carry a Swiss Army Knife or a Leatherman, when all I need is one blade. For the very same reason, I'm strongly against most cluttery "features" like this.

      Great 'insightful' analogy except that it's so simply broken. When you add tools to your blade, it gets larger and bulkier. When you add features to your cell phone, it (for the most part) does not change size, shape or weight.
      • From R'ing TFA, you will no doubt have noticed that this particular 'feature' includes an IR beam. If you show me the code to spit an IR beam out without hardware, I'll be happy to withdraw my statement.

        -theGreater Sarcastic.
        • How about I just show you the thousands of IR ports that are very small and will not require any major change to the form factor of the device?

          You said in another post here you're only looking for a choice. Fine. I'll tell you what I've been telling every other naysayer I've met: step aside, and let us who wish to proceed with progress. You know as well as I that society is not going to wake up one day and require one of these devices. One does not even need a cellphone or computer in this society. If you
        • The korean implementation may require IR, but there's a washing mashine downstairs I can call into and get billed either straight from a bank account or in the phone bill, no technical requirements for a phone whatsoever.
  • SMS gateways are getting slower by the day... imagine waiting at a checkout queue and somebody in front of you waiting for a SMS to arrive....

    SMS service center equipments and standards needs to be upgraded first.

    It will be a great service when implemented correctly, several companies in europe has already tried it.. car wash, wending machines.

    but its damn slow.. slower than waiting for a credit card slip to print out...

    • But the Korean version didn't use sms.
      It had a separate tranceiever for sending credit data, working just like your creditcard.
      The way I understood the article, you not only had to point it at the reciever, it was also encrypted and you had to enter a code to use it.
      Which would, hopefully, make it harder to copy than the magnetic stripe on your creditcard.
      That's one of the *really* bad things about creditcards. They're easy to copy and many places do not require your code before accepting payment.

  • Car park payment with cellphones in Netherlands (Score:3, Interesting)

    by CvD ( 94050 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @07:54AM (#7279983) Homepage Journal
    Here in the Netherlands there are a bunch of places where you can pay for car parking by cellphone. You send an SMS message (or place a call) to a number when you park, along with an area code, and you send another one when you leave. They'll deduct the time you were in the parkingspace from your account (you set up an account beforehand).

    Check Emopay [emopay.nl] (in Dutch only, sorry), for more information.

    Cheers,

    Costyn.

  • Kool... (Score:5, Informative)

    by MoeMoe ( 659154 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @07:56AM (#7279993)
    It's a great idea and all but there are problems I forsee that could arise.

    I used to work as a cell phone dealer, everyone wanted a cellphone after they became a fashion statement and parents were siging up for 1-2 year contracts in order to let their 9 year old children have a new toy to show off at school (like the recently releasedN-Gage for example). The problem is that if you give a child a cellphone like this, it is the same as handing them your credit card. It was rare that these parents I tried explaining the plans to cared to listen so when they got their $400.00 bill they came to me screaming. No matter how advanced the system, a phone like this in the hands of a child could cause serious problems for their parents. It isn't bad enough that going over the minutes in your plan will give you a $200.00 bill, now you have to worry about your child who wants a pony... You just gave them the ability to buy one!

    The only other major concern I have would be how to incorporate a solid security system. I am sure that a PIN system will be implemented, but there are always those few foolish people who don't care to remember their PINs by heart and would rather leave it saved as a message or note in their phone. Now what would happen WHEN (not IF, dear reader) that cell phone is lost? I can't tell you how many times A DAY I used to have my customers come in (some literally in tears) telling me they had their phone stolen or lost. I could just see the mass hysteria cell phone dealers of the future would have to deal with when a customer loses one of these...

    • Re:Kool... (Score:2, Insightful)

      by emilymildew ( 646109 )
      Okay, but how is this different from the jerks who write their PINs on their banking / debit cards? I'm sure they run crying to their bank when their bank cards get stolen.

      I can't say that the idea of my cell phone being MORE attractive to theives is realy all that appleaing, but the ease of use sort of makes up for it. We'd all have to be a little more cautious and careful with how we handle ourselves, and in return, we'd have all this convenience. Give and take, right?
      • Unless you are reffering to the signature strip on the back of the card, I'm not exactly sure where you would write down the PIN. The reason it would be a bigger issue in the case of cell phone usage is because there are many ways to store text or numbers in it. With a card, most (not all) people realize that putting your PIN in the same place as your card or card numbers is dangerous, if you stored your PIN on a cellphone however, to some people it would be the equivalent to saving your voicemail password.
    • Wow. Okay scenario one is simple, turn this off on your kid's phone! Whew. That was hard! Kids have had phone lines for years, and typically have the 900 and long distance shut off just for this reason. If this can't be done on cellular systems, then it's a severe lack of foresight by the designers of the system (failure to emulate land-line features of the network, which customers will invariably want).

      Now onto scenario two, it's no different from an ATM pin, so there is no need to address the issue. PINs
      • It seems like you haven't read the original post... Your giving solutions to problems I didn't raise nor would bother to.

        Wow. Okay scenario one is simple, turn this off on your kid's phone!

        Who said that the phone belonged STRICTLY to the child in the first place? What if mom or dad gave this child the phone as a "hand me down" because they are getting a new one. Out of the many cell phones out there, atleast a few owners of these phones will forget to disable this service. Besides this, I can't tel
        • So you invented some wacky scenarios to prove me "wrong." In scenario one, first the parents are stupid (for 'forgetting' to disable features), then the kid is a super genius (for social engineering the cell phone company into turning them back on - ha!). In scenario two, if someone stores the PIN on the phone, they are stupid. Sure, you can't write the ATM number on the card, but many cards come with a paper sleeve you could write the number on, or you could use your own piece of paper with the PIN on it a
          • These were the scenarios I originally stated in my first post... They are not "wacky". Problems like this can, and have occured in REAL LIFE situations (people stealing a username or password for example). But in this case the consequences are much more adverse. Ofcourse there will be stupid people, but that's the entire problem. People who either are too lazy or too forgetful will suffer the initial consequences (the banks and service providers later). Now out of the millions of people worldwide who use a
    • The problem is that if you give a child a cellphone like this, it is the same as handing them your credit card.

      The providers in my area all offer various "kid-proof" packages that feature a prepaid balance, usually don't permit added-cost services like SMS or web surfing, and either don't allow long-distance or limit it to a single pre-registered number (known as the "call-home option"). Once the kids use up their monthly quota they can only call 9-1-1 or the call-home number. This teaches kids to budge

  • merging cell carriers and credit card companies... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by *weasel ( 174362 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @07:58AM (#7280004)
    yeah... could we get a few more convicted monopolists into this system? perhaps Microsoft could build the proprietary network interface to handle all this secure data transfer and storage via passport or something...

    are we just -hoping- that they decide to play nice with their fees and standards and data security?

    sure it -sounds- like a good idea... wait no. it only sounds -futuristic-. it sounds like something spock would do at a vending machine. so it must be good right?

    please. is swiping a plastic card so difficult?

    even ignoring the added security problems of a wireless network - it just sounds unnecessary.
    • I agree -- if you are standing right in front of the vending machine why not touch it with some kid of plastic card. If you pay with cellphone the signal has to travel 10's of kilometers at least. What if the current cell is down? What if the vending machine's cell connection is down, etc.
      Just stupid. Like telneting in to your Linux box from the console!

      Now maybe its useful if you aren't touching the vending machine. Like Internet shopping but then there are Internet payment methods (credit card, pay

      • plastic card functionality: proven, existant, immune to remote theft.

        cell phone purchasing: unproven, nonexistant, susceptible to remote theft.

        what's the benefit of buying a coke from a foot away if you have to touch the machine anyway to grab the can?

        and telneting is a terribly inappropriate analogy.
        telnet makes sense because monitors occupy space, are expensive, and you can do remote work with such a connection.

        do i ever need to do remote work on a vending machine or at a grocery store? do i need to

  • car keys/house keys should be next (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Schlemphfer ( 556732 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @08:03AM (#7280037) Homepage
    Many people these days are stuck carrying around three things when they go out: a phone to communicate, a wallet to pay for stuff, and a set of keys for car and house. This is silly.

    There's no reason why an infrared or bluetooth port on a cellphone couldn't be made to unlock doors and start ignitions. Think how great would it be to only need one device to communicate, start your car, and pay for whatever you need when you go out.

    Up until now, the cell phone has added yet another thing to take with you and keep track of when you go out. Instead, with a bit of innovation using already-existing technologies, it could easily be the only thing you need to bring. I'd be more than happy to skip the camera/color screen/instant messaging features for my next phone -- what I really want is for my cellphone get rid of my keys and wallet.

    • And what do you suppose will happen when a reverse engineer figures out the encryption technique used and just intercepts the outgoing signal from your "key"? That is assuming ofcouse it is encrypted, otherwise any old universal garage door opener or infrared receiver will do the job.

      By the way, with monthly rates from providers like Nextel (former indirect dealer) going up so high, you will be "getting rid of" your wallet (or what's in it atleast) and keys (lease payment due yet?) soon enough.

      • And what do you suppose will happen when a reverse engineer figures out the encryption technique used and just intercepts the outgoing signal from your "key"?

        I think if that happens, it wouldn't tangibly affect the amount of car theft. Just look how things are today. Almost every police officer or tow truck operator carries what's essentially a fancy coat hanger in their trunk that will slide under the window and unlock just about any car door. And any second-rate thug knows how to hot wire a car or

        • Most thugs do not know how to hot wire a car. Any car built since sometime about 1970 has a steering wheel lock. Unless you can pick the lock (not hot wire it the car!) you cannot drive the car. Really old cars, hot wireing ment just that: one wire from the battery to the coil (the hot wire) and the car will run just fine, and you can drive away. If the car wasn't locked you can do the entire operation in a minute. With the steering wheel lock, you can't do that, either you have to pick the lock (a muc

    • Re:car keys/house keys should be next (Score:4, Insightful)

      by YrWrstNtmr ( 564987 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @08:17AM (#7280144)
      "Honey, the front door won't open"
      "Is the phone working?"
      "damn...forgot to charge the battery last night!"

      Sometimes, the lowtech answer is best.
      • How does your scenario prove that the lowtech solution is the best? Surely any system would have backups in case of failure, or else people wouldn't buy it.
        • A backup, in the case of a front door lock, would presumably be a keyed lock. Such as we have now.

          Either you carry your backup key with you, defeating the concept of carrying no keys, or you have inside the (now locked and inaccessible) house.

          People buy all kinds of motorized, electronic stuff with no backup in case of failure. Electric windows on cars. No backup, and if/when it fails...you're out of luck. Either can't get the window down in an emergency, or can't roll it up as it starts to rain, and th
          • The electric window scenario sounds like you've got me beat, except for a few simple points.

            1. A car window is not a door into your house. It is simply not 'required'. The only situation I can think of where it's anywhere near important is if you happen to drive into a lake. Don't forget that it's also possible to kick out the windows.

            2. Cars are made as cheap as possible. The inclusion of both systems would require more engineering than deemed necessary by the auto makers, and I tend to agree. I happen t
    • Think how great would it be to only need one device to communicate, start your car, and pay for whatever you need when you go out.

      it exists, it's called an ibutton [ibutton.com]

      and can do everything you say. in fact my harley starts with it, I can unlock my doors to my home with it.. and it can act as a creditcard/debitcard/micropayment device. plus it's 10 times more secure than any creditcard,key,smartcard. and much more durable and can be worn as a ring (as I have mine.)

      the thing holding it back is adoption. NOB

  • A conundrum: (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Dr. Photo ( 640363 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @08:03AM (#7280039) Journal
    I read about this the other day in the Journal [wsj.com]; the article there was about an Aussie phone company partnering with Coke to enable purchasing drinks from a vending machine with your cellphone. The article also mentioned the potential for just about anything to be purchased in this manner. The product prices are just added to your phone bill.

    And I soon got to thinking, what about people who have kids, or especially teenagers, and want to give them cellphones (very useful in an emergency, f'rinstance). Suddenly, giving them a cellphone is tantamount to giving them a credit card.

    And someone is going to come up the idea of a special cell phone, or a special subscription, that disables cellphone-based purchases, and some bozo is going to try and patent that idea, despite the fact that you heard it here first.

  • Parking tickets (Score:4, Informative)

    by Danta ( 2241 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @08:03AM (#7280041) Homepage
    In Copenhagen, Denmark, you have been able to pay parking tickets with your cellphone for over a year now. There are also supposed to be some vending machines where you can pay with your cellphone, but I haven't seen any of them yet.
  • They better lock this thing down tight...

    SealBeater
  • See this [japaninc.net] article from the August 2000 issue of Japan, Inc which talks about paying for vending machine purchases this way. The technology has also been adopted by convenience stores, etc. I don't think south korea is exactly breaking any new ground here.

  • In one of South Korea's latest efforts to establish itself as a technology trendsetter,

    What a biased way to introduce the subject! South Korea is a technology trendsetter in terms of mobile phone technology, as are several other countries including Estonia, Norway and Japan. The USA isn't. Get over it.

  • The rise of using cellphones as a personal data store, financial access, and micropayment scheme would seem to spell the death of smart cards. Why invest in all those card readers, when you can simply accept payments via the already ubiquitous cellphone network. Add a bit of encryption/passwords and a cellphone is just as secure (or insecure) as carrying a bunch of smartcards. Add built-in location/tracking features and you can find your lost cellphone (try that with a lost smartcard.)

    Although the cel
  • Paying by phone is of course pretty convenient, but I really prefer methods of payment where I'm not dependant on a battery that I have to charge. I.e. by credit card. And also there are places where you can't get a carrier, although those places have to be looked for these days.
  • There is a company called "paybox [paybox.at]" over here (operating in Austria and many other european countries) which allows payment of stuff through your mobile phone. Many shops partecipate, you can even buy real life porn ;-) [orion.at] with it.

    I personally don't use it, but it's been around for a few years already.
  • Have been possible since 1999 with e-gold, see http://mobile.e-gold.com for a demo. Not many customers actually use their phones as their primary interface, but it's possible, and e-gold doesn't discriminate against micropayments. I wish Slashdot would accept the currency, but so far no luck...
    JMR

  • The Super 88 asian grocery near my house in Boston has signs at their food court about paying for your purchase by cell phone. Haven't tried it and dunno how it works, but looks like this idea has made it over here as well.
  • I'm getting a little tired of having a wallet 2 inches thick. But nowadays I think a lot of us are faced with that. Every company wants to have their own shiny little card, whether it is a credit card, debit card, rewards card, members card, or whatever.

    Now of course, it is possible to "go commando" and only have a wallet with a limited number of cards. Maybe a debit card and two credit cards. (You need at least two credit cards in case you run into a place that doesn't take Visa, or doesn't take Mast

  • Starbucks has been workign on this for years.

    Heres a partical quote from the page [kelseygroup.com].

    [April 3, 2002]
    "Starbucks Express
    Starbucks just reported results of its trial wireless pre-order process for improving service. (One thing most consumers like less than paying high prices for a double tall latte is waiting in a very long line to order one.)

    With this trial program, consumers are able to order coffee and baked goods wirelessly and pick up the order at a special counter about four minutes later. The order is a
  • ...pay for everything from groceries to petrol by cellphone.

    Personally I am opposed to these barter systems, I can't imagine how it is more convienient paying for everything via bulky cellphone rather than flat paper money. And how does change work, what do I get back when something costs 1.8 Samsungs and I have a Nokia and a Treo? No sir, I'll stick with paper or plastic wafers.
  • That sure is a funny way to spell water.

  • In the mean time... (Score:3, Informative)

    by shri ( 17709 ) <shriramcNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @11:07AM (#7281641) Homepage
    Some of us in Hong Kong are paying for our groceries, transportation and a lot more with our Octopus cards [octopuscards.com]

  • Cellphone Payments == $$$$ (Score:3, Funny)

    by Twintop ( 579924 ) <david@twintop-tahoe.com> on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @11:44AM (#7282019) Homepage Journal
    Do I accept cellphone payments? Hell no! $15 for a 40 minute call is absurd!

    ...errr, wait. Different kind of cellphone payments. My bad.

  • What's the security like? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Animats ( 122034 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @01:00PM (#7282579) Homepage
    The cellphone people have a chance to do this right.

    "Right" is like this: Seller generates a transaction, sends it to the phone, buyer's phone displays the transaction, customer approves, phone signs the transaction and sends it to the seller. Seller sends transaction to bank. Bank validates transaction and replies to seller. Optionally, bank sends transaction to buyer's computer elsewhere (typically corporate purchases).

    Seller can only deposit that transaction; they can't create new ones or change the amount.

    Did they do it right?

  • saw this exact thing in finland, three years ago, and who knows how long they'd been doing it.

    movie tickets to get put on-call, coffee and a croissant (or ruisbread?), there are places where you have a series of SMS numbers and short code messages to send to them, then your phone just gets billed (terribly, terribly secure, i know). f'rinstance, the cafe at the bus station in helsinki has a secondary menu with popular items and their codes. if the line is too long you can order through there while you ch

  • Petrol Stations and Cellphones... (Score:3, Informative)

    by meowsqueak ( 599208 ) on Wednesday October 22, 2003 @04:46PM (#7284865)
    ...can be a dangerous mix [marcspages.co.uk] :

    Mobiles a fuel pump risk!

    DRIVERS have been warned to switch off their mobile phones at petrol stations because of the danger of them sparking fires. The alert follows three incidents where phones have ignited petrol fumes after motorists answered calls while filling their vehicles. One person was left with burns to the face and another received groin injuries. The NHS health chief called for warning signs at the entrances of petrol stations, adding: 'I urge people to remember to switch off phones and keep them off until they leave.'

  • I have a bunch of autopayment options setup. My mobile bill is applied to my credit card a week or so after I get the bill. My credit card balance is automatically debited from my bank acound a few weeks after I get that bill. Being able to bung charges onto my phone bill is actually very handy. Also, since there's a bonus consolidation time, it can be months before I actually pay for anything and it's all interest free :)

    (Mind you, it is a bit of a worry that my life would run quite well without me, so

  • in our country, philippines, one carrier already has implemented a similar system. it's called smart money (http://www.smart.com.ph/)

    it allows you to create an account (with mastercard) and the credit is the actual amount loaded into it. you can then use your mobile phone to pay goods in establishments that are their partners. it also allows you to pay for someone's purchase as well.

    kinda neat but i prefer a credit card for now (since I not give the money first before spending.)

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