payments

We've been talking about mobile payments gaining U.S. traction for years, but it's been during only the past few weeks that there's been a stampede of activity signaling that the fight for dominion over mobile payments is about to begin.

What makes the topic such a tangle is the fact that the term "mobile payments" can mean anything from NFC (near-field communication) technology at the cash register or bus stop to paying for items with a smartphone app.

Sprint is reportedly setting up a mobile payment network via cell phones, Bloomberg reported today.

The carrier's Vice President of Product Platforms Kevin McGinnis told Bloomberg that Sprint phones will eventually have near-field communication (NFC) chips inside and those phones can be waved over a terminal installed in retail stores in order to pay for items.

Items paid for via NFC will show up on a user's credit card statement, and not their cell phone bill. Sprint will likely not take a percentage of each transaction, but instead take a share of revenue generated from coupons or deals … Read more

Yet another company looks to be testing the waters of near-field communication for mobile payments.

This time it's Amazon.com, who in a report by Bloomberg today, is said to be exploring the possibility of enabling such a service for smartphones. The report cites sources who asked not to be named. The report goes on to say that Amazon will decide whether or not to pursue the project in the next three to five months.

Amazon already has a business division that enables mobile payments. But incorporating near-field communications, or NFC, chips would allow users to wave their phone … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--There will be quite the land grab ahead as mobile trends continue to make their way into the e-commerce world. Or at least that's what it seems based on two short talks at this week's Web 2.0 Expo about the future of commerce, one yesterday afternoon from Google vice president of payments Osama Bedier, and one this morning from eBay vice president of global product management Dane Glasgow.

"Shoppers don't distinguish between online and mobile. They think of mobile as an extension of their everyday activities," Glasgow said. "Mobile's clearly having … Read more

Microsoft is expected to include mobile-payment technology in the next version of the Windows Phone operating system that will allow users to turn their Windows phones into an electronic wallet, according to a Bloomberg report.

The first handsets featuring the technology could appear later this year, according to the report, which cited two unidentified people described as familiar with the plans.

Microsoft representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.

With the move, Microsoft would join a growing list of software makers incorporating near-field communication (NFC) to turn consumers' smartphones into mobile wallets. The total … Read more

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Google launches a group-texting service called Disco

YouTube offers Create to help you edit other people's videos into your own

Google is reportedly working with Citigroup and MasterCard to launch mobile payments on Android devices

Intel is taking a crack at the smartphone market

Amazon.com may be looking to launch a cloud locker service that would host and stream all of your music, photos, movies, and books

Wal-Mart will give you a $100 credit for your old Nintendo DS if you want to buy a new 3DS

A new concept gadget … Read more

Google is partnering with MasterCard and Citigroup to deliver a mobile-payment service to Android smartphones, according to a report.

Citing anonymous sources, The Wall Street Journal reports that Google will allow people with debit and credit cards from the two financial giants to turn on an app and pay for a purchase from their smartphones. At no point would they need to take those cards out of their wallets to make a purchase.

Google plans to launch the program later this year, according to today's article.

The Journal report follows an earlier claim via Bloomberg that Google will deliver … Read more

It was only a matter of time: American Express has taken a full-out dive into the crowded and ambiguous space full of companies both big and small that are trying to figure out the future of consumer payment transactions. The company today announced Serve, a set of applications designed to let users make payments more easily online or with mobile phones via special accounts funded by credit cards, debit cards, or bank accounts. With this product, the company "aims to expand into new segments of the market that do not rely on traditional charge and credit cards to manage … Read more

We may not have jet packs yet, but pretty soon plastic will be a thing of the past. At least in our wallets, that is.

The technology that will bring us part of the way there is near-field communications (NFC), an exciting tool that lets devices exchange information with one another when in close proximity. So far, its main use has centered on payments, specifically point-of-sale terminals at retailers. In fact, you probably have a credit card from your bank with an NFC chip in it.

The next frontier for those little chips is in smartphones. Like wallets, these have … Read more