Slashdot Mirror
Cell phones as Credit Cards
ante_up writes "We should have known this was coming. Business Week reported that Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. (DCM ) is vamping up their cell phone technology. First they added a debit card facility and now are expanding to full credit card capability. What else can you add to a cell phone?"
I discovered an awesome feature on my phone, in between the text messaging and e-mail and bluetooth and credit card and camera. It gives me the ability to hold a multimedia (voice only) conversation with another person. All I have to do is punch in some kind of locator code (similar to an IP address), and I can actually *speak* to the person.
It's amazing all of the nifty things they can pack into cell phones these days.
Don't most people pay their phone bill with their credit card? I'm seeing something oroborous about this.
I still don't get the draw of cell phones, either. I'm not even 30 yet, but I carry a cheap pay-as-you-go cell phone that I use for emergencies and calling taxis. If I want to have a conversation with someone, I'll just wait until I get to my office or home and use a comfortable human-sized phone.
As for credit cards... Meh. I don't know. I have no sympathy for people who go into debt because they act like their credit-line is free money. I *CERTAINLY* have no sympathy for our parents (previous generation) who have treated credit cards that way.
I use my credit card for one purpose - building credit. That's it. I try to keep it at 30% usage - no more and no less. And to keep it that way, I only use it to pay predictable, regular bills (internet, cable, safari.oreilly, renter's insurance, etc). And then I use my automatic online bill-pay service to transfer the correct amount from my checking account to my credit card to pay it off each month. I barley even have to pay attention to it.
I suppose I'd use my credit card if I had some huge emergency and my debit card wasn't handy (which it always is), but I sure wouldn't use it for buying myself neat little toys and taking people out to dinner becaue "it's free money!" or anything.
I've been waiting for *years* for a cell phone manufacturer to do the OBVIOUS and add a remote control function to a cell phone. Surely this happened 5 years ago, and I've just been missing them ever since, right? The keypad is aleady there! How much can an IR LED add to the cost of the cellphone?
I've always got my cellphone with me, but I'm always trying to figure out where I left the remote. Plus, I'd never need to buy obscure AAA batteries for the darn remote again, 'cause the cell phone's battery is rechargeable!
Whoever designed level 61 in Frozen Bubble is a sadistic bastard.
This is just the next step. I mean, they're adding RFID stuff to credit cards, what's the point of having like nine digital / identificatory devices situated upon your person? I'm all good with not having to have a wallet, a cell phone, AND a set of keys. The future IS that I will have all three in one device somewhere around the size of my current cell phone. The real question is whether everyone else is enough of a sheep to buy stuff that has ONLY the option of 1 credit card, 1 car key, and 1 cell phone provider.
The way people work, I expect the credit card and cell phone provider to merge so they can provide it 'easier' - that's what this particular article seems to mention. The car, well, that's just a matter of horizontal integration within the marketplace. (otherwise known as monopoly) I mean, do you LIKE having multiple devices you need to drag with you everywhere? Common sense says you wouldn't want ANY of it, but that would require stronger biometrics than currently exist / people find acceptable along with a more integrated identification network. The options are all rather bleak, but I'm sure you agree that eventually one of them will evolve and dominate if the market continues as it is today.
My little site.
Well, adding laser pointers to cellphones would combine the two most-irritating things about going to a movie, so, that's a good option. Perhaps a ringtone of a baby crying could be the third. And then speakerphone capability on ALL cellphones. Yes, the Axis of Annoyance(tm)!
Lessee...how about a tazer? That'd be useful for dealing with members of the Axis of Annoyance(tm). Blood sugar monitor for diabetics (though I think at least one Korean phone already has that).
What I'd _really_ like to see is the ability to make a phone go into vibrate-only mode, and make it legal in the U.S. to do so (cellphone jammers are apparently illegal here, I think). That way you wouldn't have to turn them OFF in a theatre or restaurant; it gets done FOR you. Oh yeah, that would be my #1 feature, for sure. Even more than improved call quality.
How is it debt if it's paid off every month?
I prefer using a credit card over a debit card because I get to use the credit card co's money for (up to) 30 days. With a debit card, the transaction is immediate. I'd rather earn a little interest on my money before handing it over.
Similar to the poster you were replying to, we get one air mile for every dollar we purchase on our credit card. As a result, my wife and I will be flying to Europe this summer for free. All we did was buy the same stuff we would have bought with cash or debit if we didn't have the 'reward card'.
A debit card might be what works for you, but I think a wisely used credit card can be more beneficial.
"Michael, I did nothing. I did absolutely nothing - and it was everything that I thought it could be."