Hasta La Gadget!

Most of the mobile payment services are powered by NFC (Near Field Communication), this technology is commonly found in most mid-range and high-end smartphones. Apple has always kept the iPhone out of this loop. The company’s smartphone has never come with NFC built-in, which means that iPhone users can’t use these services. That might be about to change. An analyst predicts that in the upcoming iPhone Apple may finally opt for NFC just to facilitate mobile payments.

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Apple Might Consider NFC For Next Generation iPhone original content from Ubergizmo.

Sony and Gemalto have come together to offer solutions that involve the implementation of FeliCa/NFC technology since 2012, which has led to Gemalto’s high end UpTeq SIMs that will integrate FeliCa/NFC capability. It seems that there is the implementation of Sony’s FeliCa/NFC technology in Gemalto’s microSD memory cards now, as both companies intend to open up the door for mobile handsets as well as smartphones to gain access to different FeliCa/NFC contactless services, where among these will range from e-money payment all the way to transportation ticketing and personal identification.

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Sony Implements FeliCa/NFC Functionality In Gemalto MicroSD Cards original content from Ubergizmo.

Nokia has unveiled a new accessory designed to make sure users of its Lumia smartphone are never parted from their handset. Or at least, that when they leave the house with their tagged keys or bag, they’ll be reminded to pick up their phone too. Or vice versa.

Called Treasure Tag, the smart fob can be paired via NFC or Bluetooth 4.0 with a Lumia smartphone running the Lumia Black update to link the two devices — so that if either one moves out of range of the other an alarm sounds on both to alert the user that all is not well with their favourite gadget.

Now there are scores and scores of startups building lost and found gizmos. One of which, Tile, which we covered last summer, managed to amass $2.6 million in crowdfunding before the field started getting insanely crowded. And now Nokia has thrown its hat into the ring — although most lost and found startups aren’t going to see the Treasure Tag as any kind of competition.

For one thing, Nokia’s system is currently* a closed one, limited to use with a sub-set of Lumia smartphones, rather than allowing the ability to tag any kind of treasured possession (inanimate or otherwise). (*Nokia does say there will also be third-party apps for Treasure Tag to support Android and iOS devices in future.)

Nokia’s tag also offers a very limited feature-set vs some of the more elaborate tracker tag concepts out there. Whereas Tile’s plan, for instance, is to build a distributed network of other Tile users so that the community  of users can expand its location-pinpointing range, Treasure Tag is not so smart, with only the paired link between phone and tag to go on.

So expect its alarm to sound when you’re popping to the toilet with your keys in your pocket but not your phone, for instance. (The alarm can be muted or put to sleep via the corresponding app, or you can long press on the tag itself to deactivate it — all of which sounds like a fair bit of hassle.)

The Treasure Tag system also supports locating a lost tagged item, such as your keys or bag, on a map within the app — or it will if you are within range of it. It can only report the last known location, so if the item has been moved since it’s not going to turn up.

And if you want to tag multiple items to link them to your phone, you’ll need to buy multiple Treasure Tags. Up to four different tags can be simultaneously connected to the handset — with the ability to assign ready-made icons to each (such as a keys icon), or use a photo, to try and make the managing multiple tags scenario less confusing.

Either way, with the tags themselves being relatively large vs some of the tracker startup competition — each Treasure Tag is a roughly matchbox sized 30 x 30 x 10mm — it’s not exactly an elegant solution to forgetfulness. Forget slipping a tag inside your wallet, for instance, as you can with the likes of Protag Elite.

The battery life of each Treasure Tag is pegged at ‘up to six months’. A standard coin cell type battery that’s user replaceable powers each tag.

Nokia said it expects the Treasure Tag to go on sale via global retailers in April, costing €24,90 ($29.90). Colour options are the bright yellow and cyan that Nokia also uses for its phone range, as well as white or black.

Nokia has gone official with the introduction of its latest gadget called the Treasure Tag. We talked about the Treasure Tag device back in July of last year when the … Continue reading

iPhone cases come and go, there is no doubt about that. The thing is, I do wonder how many of them tend to lean more on the functional than the fashionable side of things? Incipio is surely a name that many people would have been familiar with, and their latest outing comes in the form of the Cashwrap Mobile Wallet Case. Hmmm, this is starting to sound rather interesting, don’t you think so? The Cashwrap Mobile Wallet Case will be made available online for $69.99 a pop, where you can also opt to pick it up from brick and mortar AT&T company owned retail locations at the end of this month.

What makes the Cashwrap Mobile Wallet Case so special from all of the other smartphone cases in the market? Well, there is more than just protection associated with this bad boy, as the Cashwrap Mobile Wallet Case will set the standard for secure contactless payments for iPhone 5 and 5s, where this particular product delivers superior protection as well, all the while throwing in the convenience of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology that iPhone users will be able to enjoy.

With the Cashwrap Mobile Wallet Case from Incipio, consumers who happen to own an iPhone 4, 4S, 5, and 5S are able to make use of the Isis Mobile Wallet so that they can make their purchases at compatible stores with but a simple tap of their smartphone. The Cashwrap Mobile Wallet Case will also be able to hold participating payment and loyalty cards, in addition to offers. This is in fact, the only NFC mobile solution for iPhone 5/5s as at press time, now how about that?

Considering how variety is the spice of life, we are more than pleased to bring you word that the Cashwrap Mobile Wallet Case for !T&T will arrive in different color combinations including Black/Black, Pink/Gray and White/Gray. Not only that, each purchase will come with a secure element microNFC and Micro-USB cable.

Press Release
[ Incipio launches Cashwrap Mobile Wallet Case copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]