Who needs a wallet when you already have a cell phone?

Wireless carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are looking to allow customers to simply "tap" their phone to make purchases. Similar in idea to the Charlie Card and Mastercard's paypass system, Isis technology is being integrated into Android, iPhone, Nokia, and Blackberry phones and relies on near field communication technology. The charges incurred will be sent to your phone bill rather than your credit card bill.

Interesting idea, however many concerns remain regarding consumers' willingness to switch, retail location infrastructure (incorporating an Isis register), how much credit will be extended through smartphone devices, identity theft, and the list goes on.

While widespread adoption is expected to take decades, it will be interesting to see what applications will be made available in that time to provide similar services.

Facebook Phone: Fact or Fiction?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/social.media/09/20/facebook.phone/index.html?iref=allsearch

Facebook has long denied that it's "building" a mobile phone, however that doesn't mean that they're not in the works to plan out the development of such a mobile device. Given the failure of Microsoft's KIN phone with its discontinuation only 6-weeks after it was launch, why would Facebook want to venture out into developing a social networking phone?

One thing I absolutely love about my iPhone is that it gives me immediate access to my treasured networking site, Facebook, while allowing me to have direct access to email, the web, and hundreds of other apps. I'm not certain what purpose the Facebook phone will serve as a standalone, which is why it's looking to partner with Samsung or HTC would build the hardware for an Android-powered phone that would have Facebook's social-networking features deeply integrated. But really, are we in a day and age where we need a dedicated phone to "poke" our friends and immediately untag unflattering pictures of ourselves before anyone has the chance to see them? I think Facebook should learn from Microsoft's failure of the KIN and completely pull out of this venture before facing a similar fate.

Why Apple Really Isn't Losing the Mobile Race

Since Google released the Android mobile operating system, observers have carefully watched to see when they would overtake Apple in mobile market share. It seems as if every month a report would come out showing how Google was quickly catching up with Apple and that it was only a matter of time until Apple fell behind in market share. The way it was reported, you would think market share was the only measure of success in the mobile OS industry.

In recent months, Apple has come under ever harsher criticism for restricting its devices to one carrier instead of opening them to all carriers as Google has done. Analysts predict at every product announcement event that “today will be the day Apple opens up the device on Verizon and other carriers”, but they are then surprised when Apple does not make the change.

However, when you look at the Apple’s track record for the past 30 years, people really shouldn’t be surprised by the strategy Apple is following. Apple likes to strictly control its products and partners. Every wireless carrier in the world would carry Apple devices if they could, thus giving power in that relationship to Apple. If there is a disagreement, Apple can always move to another carrier. If they opened it to everyone, they would lose their control over their partners. The last thing Apple wants to do is lose control over the relationship and its products.

Additionally, it is only recently that Apple became a mainstream brand – for decades, it was a product for professionals and the elite. They have never gone after huge market share, but rather for superior products and groundbreaking design. People pay more for Apple products in general because Apple (through Steve Jobs) gives them exactly what they need and not every possible feature available (as Microsoft does), creating a more clean and flawless experience.

Rather than wonder why Apple is losing the battle against Google, we should look deeper at what Apple is really doing and notice they are competing on a far different strategy than Google (and Microsoft). It is no accident that they have seen more growth over the past years and have a higher market value than both companies. Apple is looking out the windows laughing at the critics, because they know by the time everyone figures out their strategy, it will be too late to stop them.