Hasta La Gadget!

Mastercard is already a big fish in the still tiny NFC contactless payment pond, and now it wants to take that same technology to a veritable ocean — internet sales. The plastic purveyor is tag-teaming with ING in the Netherlands for PayPass-based smartphone internet payments that would have a “comparable level of security” to bricks and mortar purchases — by transmitting an EMV-compliant cryptogram or QR code to merchants. That would theoretically make online shopping less risky, and the system would also allow coupons and vouchers to be applied, giving a “similar user experience in both the physical and digital world.” The Dutch trial has already started and will continue until early 2013, but there’s no word if new users can still jump in — check the PR after the break to read the tea leaves for yourself.

Continue reading Mastercard previewing smartphone internet payment system with in-person security strength

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Mobile

Mastercard previewing smartphone internet payment system with in-person security strength originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 10:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumors have floated for the better part of a year that Google has been prepping a same-day delivery service that would pressure eBay and make even Amazon Prime seem pokey. If we’re to believe a pair of New York Times contacts, it’s much closer to reality. Google staffers and their close connections are supposedly in the midst of testing the extra-fast shipping option in San Francisco with at “at least one” major clothing chain participating alongside local shops. Most details are still missing, including the price premium for waiting mere hours as well as the implied mobile option; Google certainly isn’t talking on the record. We’re almost hoping that the story is bogus, as the last thing we need is one less reason to step outside.

Filed under: Internet, Google

NYT: Google actively trialing same-day delivery from retail for the chronically impatient originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 19:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Anyone who’s hopped on a flight at a major airport, or even some land-based transit, knows the agonizing wait that certain agencies demand while they scan for explosives and check boarding passes. Hitachi is working with Nippon Signal and the University of Yamanachi to build a new boarding gate that hopefully kills those two security birds with one stone. As you’re swiping your boarding pass (or smartphone), the machine also scans it for particle-sized traces of explosive materials and sends the all-clear or no-go in less than two seconds. If all goes well, the system could check up to 1,200 passengers every hour at a single gate — a rate quick enough to prevent a logjam at even the busiest terminals. Our chief reservations surround its scope. Hitachi has earned enough trust to get trial installations at Narita International Airport and a Tokyo subway station this coming spring, but we have a hunch that some airport officials would demand a more thorough screening, no matter how much it’s actually needed.

Continue reading Hitachi boarding gate can sniff explosives on passes, keep the transport queues flowing (video)

Filed under: Transportation, Alt

Hitachi boarding gate can sniff explosives on passes, keep the transport queues flowing (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 12:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want to know the definition of frustration? Try being teased with a FiOS TV app that supports live streaming, only to be denied when the app shows up. The end to that (admittedly mild) form of torture may be in sight. Engadget has learned through a tip that Verizon is sending invitations among a limited group to test a new FiOS TV iOS app with the usual schedule browsing, DVR control… oh, and live TV. Flex View On Demand videos and local media should be on tap as well, although it’s not clear whether or not any of the options will require an active link to Verizon’s fiber or cellular networks to watch. The trial leaves some time to go before we’re tuning in through a bedside iPhone 5; even so, it suggests the gap between hope and reality is about to close.

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, Mobile

Verizon sends invitations to closed trial of FiOS TV app for iOS with live streaming originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 15:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s a big day in the world of e-books, and not just for the crew at Amazon. Today, Judge Denise Cote approved settlement terms for three of the publishers accused by the Justice Department of price fixing. Hachette Book Group, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins each agreed to settle with the government, rather than face trial — as Apple, Macmillian and Penguin Group will do in June of 2013. As part of the settlement agreement, each of the publishers will be required to terminate their contracts with Apple within one week. Similarly, they will be required to end contracts with other e-book retailers where clauses exist that would hinder the seller’s ability to set pricing. Further, the settling companies won’t be able to form contracts for the next two years with e-book retailers that would hinder the seller’s discretion to set pricing.

During the settlement approval period, individuals and companies alike were given 60 days to weigh in on the matter, which included objections from the American Booksellers Association, the Authors Guild and Barnes & Noble. Ultimately, Judge Cote determined that arguments against the settlement were “insufficient” to block the approval.

Judge approves settlement for Hachette, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins in e-book lawsuit originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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