Japan's NTT DoCoMo (writes "Mobile Pipeline News") will release Saturday (Aug. 7) what it calls the first 3G phone that is capable of serving as a "mobile wallet" for making purchases and for conducting ATM withdrawals and credit card transactions [1].
The company said its F900iC uses a smart card to work with its FeliCa mobile wallet service. That service enables users to use the phone's near-field wireless technology to make credit card purchases and conduct other transactions.
For security, the smart card functions can be locked using either a password or fingerprint sensor, the company said in a statement. In addition, the smart card function can be locked remotely using other phones.
The phone also sports a built-in 1.28 megapixel camera and a 2.4-inch high-resolution color LCD. It also has a built-in miniSD memory card slot.
The device works with DoCoMo's 3G service, although the electronic wallet also requires a subscription to the company's consumer i-mode service.
[1] Warning - the URL for the article generates some form of popup:
URL: http://www.commsdesign.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=26806340
[2] Here is a better article:
Japanese get first mobile wallets
Don't know much about 3G, but the mobile wallet capability is not new. Korea has certainly had it since my first visit there - I was quite impressed by the way everyone hops on and off busses and trains apparently without paying, and it was explained to me that the fare is automatically paid by the tiny phones which everyone seems to wear around their necks - and universally equipped with the near field technology. No credit cards seem to be involved - the charges all just appear on your phone bill.
DigbyT
Posted by: Digbyt at August 10, 2004 06:12 AM