New Tech & Services
New Tech & Services

New Tech & Services

JCB's MOPASS IC Credit Card

JCB, a leading international payment brand, has developed contactless credit for MOPASS cards [.jpg image] conforming to ISO/IEC14443 for Type B communications. The MOPASS card (MObile PASSport), created in cooperation with Hitachi Ltd., combines smart card microprocessor functions with the flash memory card format for use in PCs, mobile phones, PDAs and other information devices with a memory card slot. JCB demonstrated the card at the 9th JCB World Conference on October 18 and 19 in Kyoto, Japan.

Micropayments Fuel M-Commerce

The global mobile commerce market excluding mobile entertainment, will become a $40bn industry by 2009, fuelled by a growth in micropayment volumes, according to a new study from Juniper Research. The purchase of tickets (such as car parking and cinema tickets) using the mobile phone, will dominate the growth in m-commerce. Mobile users have started already to show interest in ticketing particularly in Europe and Japan, while in the retail sector, initial applications are geared towards vending machines, but this will see slow growth.

WiMAX High-Speed Hype, for Now

At virtually every turn, Intel Corp. executives are heaping praise on an emerging long-range wireless technology known as WiMAX, which can blanket entire cities with high-speed Internet access. Market research firm iSuppli on Monday described a largely lackluster outlook for WiMAX, which it said is surrounded by hype and will likely fail to catch on beyond niche applications. Established broadband access providers see no reason to adopt yet another technology for delivering data at high speeds, the company said.

Mobile Financial Services Alliance

Japan’s NTT DoCoMo and Korea’s SK Telecom, South Korea’s biggest mobile-phone operator, agreed to cooperate in providing financial services because of the business growth potential, said Chai Young Hoon, a spokesman for SK Telecom, confirming an earlier Electronic Times report. Preliminary meetings are scheduled for this month and November, he said.

Nissan, DoCoMo Offer i-mode for CARWINGS

Nissan Motor and NTT DoCoMo today announced that they would offer a new service that enables drivers to receive i-mode content on their mobile phones using their Nissan’s CARWINGS navigation system. This is the first time an automaker has connected its telematics services to DoCoMo’s i-mode. The new service, called Okutto-Keitai, allows drivers to receive i-mode digital maps and restaurant information corresponding to the area in which their car is located or destined. The service was made available for the first time on Nissan’s Tiida compact hatchback which went on sale on September 30.

FOMA 3G Fuel-Cell Announced

DoCoMo, Inc. announced today the joint development of a prototype [.jpg image] micro fuel cell for 3G FOMA handsets. The prototype, manufactured by Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., is expected to greatly extend FOMA handset usage time once it goes into commercial production. The prototype has the same basic specifications of other FOMA handset rechargers and will be compatible with all FOMA handsets. Further development of the prototype is expected to be completed by the end of fiscal 2005.