New cameras in police cars in the municipality in Pennsylvania could bring wearables to officers.

Police cars in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania are now being outfitted with cameras, leading some to believe that this may be the first major step toward the use of wearable technology by officers in the area.

Penn Hills Police Chief Howard Burton has submitted a request for the funds necessary for 20 vehicle cameras.

This would provide in-car camera technology for 20 vehicles used by his officers. The request was made for the funding to be worked into the municipal budget for 2016. According to Burton, the estimated cost for the 20 cameras is around $144,000. Though the cars driven by police officers have already been outfitted with cameras, that technology is rapidly becoming outdated and Burton feels that the police and the people in Penn Hills would be better served if the tech was replaced by new ones compatible with wearable technology.

That said, while they would be wearable technology compatible, there are no immediate intentions for wearables.

For example, Burton specifically pointed out that there aren’t any plans to outfit officers with wearables that would record audio or video. He explained that “I think this is the direction everyone is moving in.”

He also said that there are a range of issues that have yet to be ironed out by legislators when it comes to laws surrounding practices such as wiretapping and the length of time that wearable camera videos should be stored by police departments. Also being discussed are concerns regarding the affordability of storing recorded videos from wearables and the ways in which requests for those stored videos should be handled while the incident in question is still under investigation.

Pennsylvania laws do not contain any specific regulation against the use of cameras in wearable technology, but Harrisburg legislators are currently considering a bill that would create a wire tap law amendment that would then make it possible for police to record video while within homes, but would also be able to stop public access to whatever was recorded by that wearable equipment.

Apple Pay will expand in early 2016, giving more consumers access to mobile payments

Apple Pay is set to expand to prominent markets in Asia. The mobile payments service has managed to find modest success in the United States, but it has yet to become a mainstream service that consumers favor over other alternatives. Apple believes that the service will find significant success in Asian markets due to the growing number of people relying on their mobile devices to shop for and purchase the products that they are interested in.

Apple Pay to come to China, Hong Kong, and Singapore

Apple is preparing to launch its new mobile payments service in China, Hong Kong, and Singapore next year. The company is also expected to bring Apple Pay to Spain at some point in 2016, tapping into the growing mobile payments market in Europe. Notably, China and Hong Kong may be where Apple Pay finds the most success, but also the most competition. Mobile payments have been popular in Hong Kong for several years, with many companies having already established a major foothold that will make it difficult for Apple to find any traction. This is also true in China, where massive companies like Alibaba and Tencent have become involved in the mobile payments space.

Competition is strong in the Asian mobile payments space

While Apple Pay will be coming to new markets, Apple has been experiencing some pushback from financial institutions in several markets. Banks, in particular, are unsure of the value of Apple Pay, largely due to the other payment services that exist. Some of these banks have their own mobile payments platforms and see Apple Pay as something that will have only moderate appeal to consumers.

More retailers are beginning to support mobile payments

China is currently the leading mobile payments market, with many companies offering some degree of mobile commerce support. As smartphone penetration increases in the country, more consumers are beginning to rely on their devices to shop for products online. As a result, retailers are beginning to show more favor for mobile payments services, which allow them to better connect with consumers.