NFC World

Chrome browser adds support for reading and writing NFC tags

Smartphone tapping NFC enabled cards

The next version of the Chrome web browser for Android will include support for NFC tags, making it possible for developers to integrate tag reading, writing and data exchange directly into websites and web apps to improve the user experience and add new functionality — without the need for a user to download an app... More


W3C adopts password-free login standard

W3C approves WebAuthn as the web standard for password-free logins — VentureBeat — “The specification lets users log into online accounts using biometrics, mobile devices, and/or Fido security keys. WebAuthn is supported by Android and Windows 10. On the browser side, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge all added support last year. Apple has supported WebAuthn in preview versions of Safari since December.”


What's New in Payments

Microsoft to shut down its Microsoft Wallet service

Microsoft Wallet for Windows Phone to be retired in February — Windows Central — “Support is set to end for all Windows 10 Mobile devices by the end of this year, and Microsoft is already beginning to retire apps in anticipation. In an update to the Microsoft Wallet website, Microsoft has noted that the app will be ‘officially retired’ on February 28, 2019.”



What's New in Payments

Microsoft rolls out support for Masterpass payments

Microsoft Pay is now available with Masterpass — Microsoft — “US-based consumers using the latest Microsoft Edge browser on Windows 10 devices can sign in to their Microsoft account and use Microsoft Pay to make secure purchases wherever Masterpass is accepted online. More broadly, Microsoft Pay allows for a seamless and convenient consumer experience within the Microsoft ecosystem, including paying bills in Outlook, and buying goods or services in apps or bots.”


What's New in Payments

Microsoft to add payments to Outlook

Conversations become actions in Outlook — Microsoft — “We will soon be introducing payments in Outlook to help users to pay bills or invoices, right in email, without needing to switch to another app or service. Powered by Microsoft Pay, payments in Outlook is a fast and secure way to pay from within email. To start, it will be supported by a number of payment processors including Stripe and Braintree, billing services including Zuora, and invoicing services including FreshBooks, Intuit, Invoice2Go, Sage, Wave, and Xero.”


NFC World

Microsoft researchers unveil NFC smart mat ‘sensing platform’

Project Zanzibar: Blurring the distinction between the digital and the physical worlds via tangible interaction in a portable implementation — Microsoft Research — “The Project Zanzibar mat combines capacitive sensing and near field communication (NFC) in a novel way, enabling multi-touch and hover gesture input to coexist with physical object manipulation and control. The Project Zanzibar research platform also introduces the power of portability in a tangible user interface because rather than provide its own display, it takes advantage of existing devices such as tablets. Roll it up, stow it and break it out at a picnic or on a train trip.”


Microsoft sets out vision for a blockchain-based infrastructure that lets consumers manage their own digital identities

Decentralized digital identities and blockchain — The future as we see it — Microsoft — “The world is undergoing a global digital transformation where digital and physical reality are blurring into a single integrated modern way of living. This new world needs a new model for digital identity… We believe it is essential for individuals to own and control all elements of their digital identity… This self-owned identity must be easy to use and give us complete control over how our identity data is accessed and used.”



Lloyds to trial biometrics for online banking

Microsoft Hello

Customers of Lloyds Banking Group across the UK will soon be able to log into their online banking accounts using fingerprint or facial recognition through Microsoft’s Windows Hello biometric authentication technology. The banking group is to trial the solution with Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers with Windows 10 devices in the second half of this year. More


What's New in Payments

Starbucks to add gift cards to iMessage as Mobile Order & Pay grows

Users can send each other Starbucks gift cards in Apple's messaging app

Starbucks customers across the US will soon be able to purchase gift cards using Apple Pay and send them to friends and family within Apple’s iMessage platform. The move comes as the coffee giant reveals it now has approximately nine million mobile paying customers with one in three using Mobile Order & Pay, which accounted for 8% of all transactions made across US stores last month. More



NFC World

NXP reveals solutions for secure wearables and IoT at CES 2017

NXP

PARTNER NEWS: NXP has unveiled a series of solutions for secure wearables and the Internet of Things (IoT) at CES 2017, including a new test bed to support the development of products and applications using embedded secure element (eSE) technology and a new module to add support for NFC to a wide range of wearables, home appliances and IoT devices... More





What's New in Payments

Mastercard adds online Masterpass payments to Android Pay, Samsung Pay and Microsoft Wallet

Mastercard ID check

Mastercard has signed deals with Google, Samsung and Microsoft to allow its customers that use Android Pay, Samsung Pay or Microsoft Wallet to shop online wherever Masterpass is accepted, while Google has announced a similar deal with Visa to offer the same functionality to Android Pay users via Visa Checkout... More