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Do You Accept Cellphone Payments?
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."
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.
Perhaps the real story here is how far behind the US is in the widespread use of mobile phone technology...
Dial M for McDonalds?
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.
a world in progress...
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.
-Tim Louden
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.
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-corder and Beam me up Scotty!
"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)
Note to self: No more arguing with the faithful.
...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.
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 obviously those very clever people in government have some evidince to the suggest this is possible."
p
h ttp://www.amta.org.au/?Page=174e shop.org/safety/banned.htm
. pd f&e=7413
Nope, it's largely a combination of more-or-less urban myth and arse covering.
http://www.snopes.com/autos/hazards/gasvapor.as
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/8885.shtml
http://www.mobil
This statement issued by Motorola:
http://www.motorola.com/mot/documents/0,,423,00
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 (in Dutch only, sorry), for more information.
Cheers,
Costyn.
The Official Steve Ballmer Webpage
Actually, most sparks involving entering / exiting one's transport vehicle typically are the fault of slick interiors and good scratchy clothes. When one slides out all in one motion, one generates a fairly large amount of static. If the next thing you do is bridge the gap between the pump and your car, you could have a little problem. And there is the BOOM! you describe. -theGreater Alternative.
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...
Business \Busi"ness\, n.;
A scam in which all people involved perceive as beneficial...
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.
// "Can't clowns and pirates just -try- to get along?"
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.
I'm generally "Interesting," "Insightful," and even "Funny" here. What the hell happens to me at parties?
I read about this the other day in the Journal; 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.
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.
Starbucks has been workign on this for years.
Heres a partical quote from the page.
[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 automatically charged to a credit card. This new service, "Starbucks Express" should cut down on customer wait times, at least in theory, and begin to build a mobile commerce channel for the Seattle-based retailer. Consumers are even able to pre-program their phones and then just press one digit to order their beverage of choice and a cranberry scone to go with it. "
TruePunk | Games
Some of us in Hong Kong are paying for our groceries, transportation and a lot more with our Octopus cards
Do I accept cellphone payments? Hell no! $15 for a 40 minute call is absurd!
...errr, wait. Different kind of cellphone payments. My bad.
"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 chunk away at one of their computers and then listen as tika-tika-tika your order comes out of a small credit card-looking machine on the counter. heck, you could even order a few minutes before you got there; this comes in handy, too, when your country is dark and under snow for several months out of the year. i'm surprised it took a tech-savvy place like korea this long to make it noteworthy.
- emilio
neurostyle dot net - it's all in your head
...can be a dangerous mix :
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.'