Paying for a purchase with your smart phone? The concept may seem unheard of in the United States but cell phone users may have that opportunity very soon. According to a Bloomberg report, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon would allow customers to pay for products by waving their smart phones (which would include an RFID tag associated with a user’s account embedded within the phone) in front of a wireless reader. Such service is already implemented in the UK, Japan and other overseas countries, according to the report. The process is one clearly designed to simplify consumers’ lives but is it one that the U.S. is ready to adopt? Also, the question remains how secure are such transactions? And are they really all that different or more accessible to hackers, than just using your debit or credit card for purchases? With security technologies, such as residential home security systems and panels becoming more consumer-driven, with features such as thermostat and lighting control accessible from ones PDA or smart phone, it seems like an inevitable next step and a definite ‘game-changer.’
Photo: Pierre Bourgeix
