The IEEE is using Bluetooth beacons to guide visitors around the International Microwave Symposium being held this week in Tampa, Florida... More
- Eventbrite brings tap to pay to the events industry
- Biometric card pioneer backs away from payments citing lower-than-expected market uptake
- EU calls for feedback on proposed settlement with Apple over NFC chip access
- Google signs deal to take UPI beyond India
- NFC Forum spells out DPP ambitions in ebook
Tesco-backed coffee chain Harris+Hoole introduces mobile payments
Tesco-backed coffee chain Harris+Hoole has updated its mobile app to enable customers to order and pay at any of its 36 outlets without having to touch, tap or scan at a counter. More
Samsung includes NFC and BLE in first Tizen phone
Samsung has announced the first commercially available phone based on its Tizen operating system, and it will come with NFC. The Samsung Z is a 4.8-inch touchscreen smartphone with a 2.3GHz quad core processor and 2GB of RAM, and boasts high-end features including a fingerprint sensor and a heart rate monitor. More
Apple opens up Touch ID
The Touch ID fingerprint verification technology built into the iPhone 5S can now be used by third-party developers to secure their applications, Apple’s Craig Federighi announced at the company’s 2014 WorldWide Developers Conference (WWDC)... More
Broadcom patents multiple antenna solution for NFC phones
Chip maker Broadcom has developed a way for multiple NFC antennas to be built into an NFC device, making it possible in future for consumers to conduct NFC interactions without having to orientate their phone in a particular way. More
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French retailer uses PowaTag to create 10,000 virtual shops, major UK chains to follow
French fashion retailer Comptoir des Cotonniers is using a platform developed by Powa Technologies to turn posters, billboards, magazines, cafe table tops, postcards, flyers and clothing into ‘virtual boutiques’ that let consumers order and pay for goods with their mobile phone. More
GE lets retailers send offers to shoppers via LED lighting
GE Lighting and US startup Bytelight have unveiled a marketing platform that lets merchants use LED lighting installed in and around their stores to send offers, directions to particular products and information services to shoppers, based on their precise location within a retail store. More
Alfa-Bank uses activity trackers to offer higher interest rates to customers who exercise
Russia’s Alfa-Bank has introduced a new savings account linked to an activity tracker, which rewards customers who exercise more with a higher interest rate. More
Apple begins mobile payments talks with retailers
Apple is holding talks with a number of upmarket US retailers to gauge how interested they would be in the iPhone maker introducing its own mobile payments service, according to 9to5Mac which cites “a source with direct knowledge of the talks”. More
Silicon Craft unveils NFC smart poster with multiple touchpoints
Thailand-based technology provider Silicon Craft Technology (SCT) has shown off a low-cost interactive poster that contains multiple touchpoints, enabling one NFC interface to be used to provide consumers with a range of content, coupons and offers from a variety of different promoters. More
Bitcoin gets Facebook transfers
US startup QuickCoin is making it possible for Facebook users to send Bitcoins to friends from within the social networking platform... More
Meadowhall shopping centre provides special offers via Bluetooth LE
Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield, UK is to use iBeacon technology to gamify a shopping event, with brands providing offers, discounts, pampering freebies and prize giveaways. Participating retailers include Krispy Kreme, Hotel Chocolat, Cath Kidston and House of Fraser. More
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Finnish banks call for real-time payments
Finland’s banks are inviting proposals to replace their existing urgent payment system with a real-time system operating 24 hours a day, every day... More
John Lewis backs tech startups
Upmarket UK department store chain John Lewis has chosen iBeacon, smart label and in-store digital engagement start-up firms to join JLAB, its first technology business incubator... More
Burger chain gets mobile payments
Customers of Finnish hamburger chain Hesburger can today pay for food, connect their loyalty card and redeem offers using Swedish mobile wallet app SEQR... More
NFC detects fake wine
An NFC-based solution to the growing threat of counterfeit wine sold worldwide has been launched by embedded mobile security firm Inside Secure and object identification specialist Selinko... More
Thinfilm shows printed NFC smart label with temperature sensor
Printed electronics specialist Thinfilm has demonstrated an NFC-enabled label that includes a temperature sensor, which can be used to track a product throughout its journey to a store and report on whether or not the item has exceeded a particular temperature threshold at any point. More
Apple patents NFC antenna that works on all sides of a mobile device
Apple has applied for a patent on an antenna design that allows NFC signals to be transmitted from both the top and bottom of a mobile phone — front and rear — reducing the need for a user to orientate their device in a particular way when conducting an NFC transaction. More
Walmart turns digital receipts into shopping opportunities
The retail giant is introducing a digital receipt service across its 4,200 US stores, enabling shoppers to store a digital version of their receipt in a mobile app by scanning a QR code on their paper receipt or by entering their mobile number at the point of sale. Customers will then be able to use the receipts to create a shopping list on their device, making the in-store experience “easier and more convenient”. More
Payments Council outlines expansion plans for Paym mobile payments platform
More than 500,000 UK bank account holders have signed up for Paym mobile payments since its launch last month, the Payments Council reports, and the organisation is now looking at adding additional proxies to the service, such as email addresses and driving license numbers, as well as making Paym available for other types of payment requests and international transfers. More