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NTT DoCoMo Debuts Credit Card Phone

Posted by samzenpus on from the my-phone-is-maxed-out dept.

Scott S. writes "NTT DoCoMo Unveils its new phone allowing a simply wave to pay for items at the supermarket, rent movies, get airplane tickets and more. The i-mode FeliCa serves as a "mobile wallet" that detects weak electronic signals from a reader/writer and can be used when the phone is off. Credit card phones have been an idea in the past and leave it to the Japanese to make one."

10 of 123 comments (clear)

  1. One FeliCa to access them all by fembots · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It seems almost inevitable that Japanese is going to have a Felica after Toyota's Celica and Mitsubishi's Delica :) Where's Google when you need a Gelica (Girly Car)?

    The article mentioned "i-mode FeliCa will make your wallet more slim. It can be your cash, credit card, membership ID, and even your house key." Given that many people have mobile phones stolen/lost, or worse, broken in the most unexpected moment, is relying too heavily on one device too much a risk?

    I think it's equally annoying to have your cash stolen, house broken into, and not being able to enter your house (and you can't call for help without a mobile phone or cash for payphone!)

    --
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    1. Re:One FeliCa to access them all by kryonD · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I will freely admit to not having RTFA, but that's because I check out DoCoMo's site on a regular basis. There 506i series of phones had one model with fingerprint activiation and the next gen will likely follow that trend as DoCoMo has always done in the past. Having to finger the phone may seem like a minor annoyance, but for anyone who has frantically tried to make it through the crowds to the ticket machines when you realize your pass is your other pocket would consider this almost as eay as just reaching for your wallet with the JR pass in it. Add the ability to pay for items with the press of your finger and a single source of billing and you have a winner.

      I'm counting the days til I can return to Tokyo and replace my two year old 505i (which by the way, still puts 95% of the current US phones to shame)

      --
      I've dirtied my hands writing poetry, for the sake of seduction; that is, for the sake of a useful cause. --Dostoevsky
  2. Why attached to a phone? by LostCluster · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I use ExxonMobil's Speedpass from time to time, but I don't quite see why the same thing needs to be attached into a cell phone. Isn't an RFID chip on a keychain enough to do the job?

    1. Re:Why attached to a phone? by gl4ss · · Score: 5, Interesting

      well.. the idea is that it cuts down on the seperate things you have to carry..

      with eventually you having to carry just one thing(preferably that has the data portions somewhere backed up automagically where they're easily replaceable securely for you if you lose the thing).

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
  3. Passive reading? by Mad-Mage1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I always wondered, is it possible to read these passively at some other location (i.e. a small reader attached near the lock on an apartment complex?) and bill later? Perhaps storing the tag's info in flash for eventual DL?

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  4. Theft without needing to break into your house? by UnapprovedThought · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Does this mean that unauthorized charges can be made without even being able to turn off the capability?

    If so, then drive-by theft suddenly becomes possible. Gives war-driving a whole new meaning.

  5. Fraud? by yohus · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Am I the only one who sees this as a boon to thieves?

    1. Steal unsuspecting person's phone
    2. Make lots of purchases quickly
    3. Ditch phone and abscond with goods
    4. Achieve eternal contentment

    --
    What is life, save a temporary victory over that which causes out inevitable death
  6. Lost Phone? by ezberry · · Score: 2, Interesting

    If your cell phone is your only phone, and you lose your cell phone, how do you report that you lost your credit card?
    (let's assume you don't have any friends and your work doesn't have any phones, either, OK?)

  7. Use Dexit in Toronto by iso · · Score: 2, Interesting

    In Toronto we have Dexit tags (like an Esso Speedpass) that can be used for small purchase. It's not often seen outside of the downtown core, but hopefully they will be adopted in more places soon.

    Telus Mobility also has a Dexit tag that attaches to your cellphone so it acts something like the one described in the article. It's not built into the phone, but rather just a different style Dexit tag that attaches to the phone.

    Anyhow, they're quite useful for small ($50) day-to-day purchases.

  8. I don't like the sounds of this by The+Wing+Lover · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Just yesterday I found someone's phone on the train approaching Tokyo Station; they'd got off at Ginza leaving it there. Sitting right beside the phone was the person's train ticket. This person wouldn't have even been able to exit the ticket gates at Ginza to get to where the pay phone was so he could call Lost and Found.

    The thing is, with actual paper money and credit cards and everything else, you're not likely to have your wallet out of your pants during the train ride, but around here a good 25% of the people on the train have their cel phones out doing text messaging or playing video games during the train ride.

    It seems like there'll be a greater chance for people to lose their cel phones than their wallets, and now that we're cramming everything under the sun into cel phones, it'll just be more devistating to lose one.

    --

    - In Capitalist America, law violates YOU!