Keep in mind that Apple files tons of patents each year, but there are a handful of ones that look like they may actually make it onto Apple’s next device. Apple has just been granted a patent that describes an application which will handle all of your travel needs called iTravel.
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By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Next-gen iPhone prototypes are reportedly NFC capable, Apple to use 19-pin dock connector for 2012 iPhone?,
Apple has been chasing NFC patents for years, but it’s just now been granted a US patent for its own approach to a transportation check-in — one of the most common uses of the technology in the real world. The filing describes a theoretical iTravel app that would store reservation and ticket information for just about any vehicle and stop along the way: planes, trains and (rented) automobiles would just have the traveler tap an NFC-equipped device to hop onboard, and the hotel at the end of the line would also take credentials through a gentle bump. Besides the obvious paper-saving measures, iTravel could help skip key parts of the airport security line by providing passport information, a fingerprint or anything else screeners might want to see while we’d otherwise be juggling our suitcases.
It all sounds ideal, but before you start booking that trip to the South Pacific with ambitions of testing an NFC-equipped 2012 iPhone, remember this: the patent was originally filed in 2008. We clearly haven’t seen iTravel manifest itself as-is, and recent murmurs from the Wall Street Journal have suggested that Apple isn’t enthusiastic about the whole NFC-in-commerce idea even today. Still, with Passbook waiting in the wings, the patent can’t help but fuel speculation that Apple is getting more serious about an iPhone with near-field wireless in the future.
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation
Apple nabs patent for NFC-based travel check-in, doesn’t quell NFC iPhone rumors just yet originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 11:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Strangely, the Austrian city of Klagenfurt doesn’t have a public library, even though it hosts the Festival of German-Language Literature. However, an initiative dubbed Project Ingeborg is turning the municipality into a book repository of sorts with 70 QR code and NFC chip-equipped stickers. Plastered throughout town, they direct users to web pages where they can download public domain works, largely from Project Gutenberg. Oftentimes, e-books will be located in relevant locations — so you’ll be sure to find Arthur Schnitzler’s The Killer near the police station, for example. Come August, the team behind the effort will partner with local talent to distribute books, music and other digital content too. In an effort to build a stronger bond to the location, the organizers have prevented search engines from indexing the links, so you’ll have to visit Klagenfurt to access the curated goods. If you’d like to turn your city into a library, the group hopes to release instructions for replicating their system soon.
[Thanks, Michael]
Filed under: Cellphones
Austrian city builds public library with nothing but QR codes, NFC and stickers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 06:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
LG has an ongoing smartphone problem: despite a few valiant efforts (the G2x comes to mind) the company continues to live in the shadow of rival Samsung. Most of this malaise can be attributed to hit-and-miss hardware combined with lackluster software (we’re looking at you, Spectrum). Last February, at Mobile World Congress, LG spiced things up with an attractive collection of devices including the Optimus L7, Optimus Vu and Optimus 4X HD — the latter being one of the first quad-core handsets announced. Now, six months later, we live in a world where the global versions of HTC’s One X and Samsung’s Galaxy S III dominate the superphone market and share the quad-core crown. With me-too features like a Tegra 3 processor, 4.7-inch HD display, 8-megapixel camera and Ice Cream Sandwich on board, the Optimus 4X HD appears ready to play in the big leagues. Does it succeed or is it just a flash in the pan? Is it all style over substance or does it bring something unique and meaningful to the table? Hit the break for our full review.
Gallery: LG Optimus 4X HD review
Continue reading LG Optimus 4X HD review: runner-up to the quad-core throne
Filed under: Cellphones
LG Optimus 4X HD review: runner-up to the quad-core throne originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Remember those cool-looking Parrot Zik wireless headphones we saw back at CES? Well, now we have a date and a price for you Philippe Starck fans out there. Announced at the Hong Kong launch event earlier today, these NFC-enabled, active noise cancelling Bluetooth cans will be available globally in August, with the US getting a price tag of $399 before tax (and for those who care, you’ll be able to nab one in Hong Kong for HK$3,399 or US$440). During our brief ears-on, we certainly enjoyed the Zik’s great audio quality, noise isolation and the intuitiveness of its swipe gesture input. While the battery is swappable, note that this expensive package only comes with one cell (accessible under the magnetic cover on the left can) that typically lasts for around five hours, so road warriors will need to chip in about $30 for a spare one. Alternatively, product manager Theodore Sean (whom we had the pleasure to interview at CES) pointed out a unique and handy feature that sort of bypasses this problem: you can still use the Zik as a pair of passive headphones using the included 3.5mm audio cable, but without any battery juice left, you obviously won’t be able to enjoy the noise cancellation function (on a plane, for instance) or even make phone calls.
Continue reading Parrot Zik launching in August for $399, free app included for iOS and Android
Parrot Zik launching in August for $399, free app included for iOS and Android originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The good ship T-Mobile isn’t staying anchored in any one port for mobile payments: just hours after the ink started drying on a deal with MasterCard for NFC, the carrier’s parent company Deutsche Telekom has confirmed to Bloomberg that it’s been talking with Google as well. While Deutsche Telekom’s innovation lead Thomas Kiessling hasn’t said more about a pact beyond its being “theoretically possible,” it’s not hard to do the math and picture Google Wallet coming into the equation if discussions go smoothly. Google won’t go so far as to comment on its own — not that the silence is stopping the would-be German partner, which is also chatting up banks and individual credit card firms to make sure everything falls into place. If it pans out, a Google alliance would certainly help T-Mobile fend off competition from Orange in Europe and give Google Wallet some much-needed support.
T-Mobile talking to Google about mobile payments in Europe as well, keeps playing the field originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 00:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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What’s that? A Motorola phone with Sprint LTE, EVDO and the model number XT897 getting approved by the FCC? Why, it looks like this could be the Photon Q LTE! We weren’t able to glean much in the way of detail save for the fact it packs NFC and LTE band 25 (Sprint’s 1900MHz flavor), but this is good news for Motorola fans disappointed in the dearth of new handset options over the last six months. Head to the link to get your fill of measurements and other fun numbers.
Motorola Photon Q wanders into the FCC with Sprint LTE originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Another day, another mobile payments system, and this time it’s Deutsche Telekom and MasterCard inking a deal to roll out first a card/tag approach, followed by a true mobile wallet. The deal will see Poland get the system initially, later this year, followed by Germany; the initial system will use cards and tags for more low-tech payments, but in early 2013 that will be joined by a smartphone-based system.
Meanwhile, the mobile wallet service will also be thrown open to other issuing banks and partners, and both firms have broader European intentions that cover more of the carrier’s 93m mobile customers. The MasterCard product will be issued by ClickandBuy.
Unlike some systems, Deutsche Telekom and MasterCard will use a SIM-based approach for their mobile wallet. Functionality will include a text message receipt of each transaction, though we’re guessing that there’ll be some sort of phone app for checking balance and shopping history too, depending on platform. Coupons will definitely be supported, and the carrier will be installing NFC-enabled payment terminals in stores so as to boost the number of places the system is accepted.
Mobile payments continue to be the nut to crack, with various approaches to the marketplace. Google is reportedly working on its second-gen Wallet system, while Windows Phone 8 will include support for mobile payments over NFC. MasterCard is already working with other partners, most recently demonstrating the PayPass payment system on the Galaxy S II.
However, it could take Apple’s entry to the ecosystem to make a dent in it. The iPhone 5, expected to be launched later in 2012, is believed to include NFC for mobile payments.
MasterCard and Deutsche Telekom reveal Euro mobile payment plans is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Poland and Germany could be the next two countries to get smartphone payments, powered by MasterCard and Deutsche Telekom. The SIM-based NFC solution will utilize the US bank’s ClickandBuy service for processing and will be available to T-Mobile customers, rolling out to Poland in Q3 of this year and Germany in 2013. This latest partnership comes on the heels of Vodafone’s pairing with Visa, which is also said to be making a push for the German market. What remains to be seen is whether or not there is in fact a demand for mobile payments — the technology has yet to take off in the US, despite an influx of funding and infrastructure from MasterCard and Google. NFC is no doubt the future of cashless transactions, but it likely remains a few years away from hitting the mainstream, with compatible devices still limited, on both the customer and retail fronts. Hit up the links below for a closer look at DT’s push to conquer the European market, one NFC-equipped SIM card at a time. Then jump past the break for a quick intro, compliments of Deutsche Telekom CEO Rene Obermann and MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga (the two seemingly random gentlemen that you may have noticed above as well).
Continue reading MasterCard and T-Mobile to bring NFC payments to Europe in Q3 (video)
MasterCard and T-Mobile to bring NFC payments to Europe in Q3 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Jul 2012 09:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Consider your last trip to the car dealership. Let’s say you saved up and hit up BMW. While you might’ve looked at — or even test driven — the M3, there’s a good chance that your better judgment (and your budget) led you to drive off of the lot with a 328i. Sure, it’s only got a four-cylinder engine inside, but the car offers great handling and good gas mileage. Better yet, you didn’t have to spend an atrocious amount of money to get behind the wheel. The same goes with mobile phones. While it’s fun to dream of owning a One X, a Galaxy S III or an Optimus 4X HD, they’re called superphones for a reason: they cater to power-hungry individuals with a fair amount of disposable income. Like supercars, they’re designed to bring people into the store, even if shoppers ultimately leave with something else in hand.
Enter the LG Optimus L7. Positioned at the higher end of the company’s entry-level lineup, it aims to be the 328i of smartphones. Sure, no one’s lining up to drool over it, but LG is aiming for this to be a practical choice with just enough elegance and pizzaz to keep consumers grinning. Of course, that sweet spot is difficult to achieve, and we’ve seen plenty of smartphone manufacturers miss the mark in attempting to balance performance and amenities with a palatable price. So, does the Optimus L7 rise to the challenge? We’ve spent the past week with it as our daily driver, and we’re ready to make the call. Read on for the answer.
Gallery: LG Optimus L7 review
LG Optimus L7 review: a beautiful, entry-level Android 4.0 smartphone with LG’s new UI 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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