About Julie Campbell...

Author: Julie Campbell

Technology news made by LG as it enters the smart watch race

Julie Campbell | March 25, 2013

The mobile handset manufacturer has just revealed that it is also working on its own version of the device.

LG has just revealed its latest technology news with a statement that suggests that it will be one of the first companies to come out with the latest in wearable mobile technology, the smart watch.

Though the details, so far, are limited, it looks as though the device will have a touchscreen.

It has also been suggested that the next technology news surrounding this smart watch will involve an operating system based on Android or Firefox. The electronics maker has released this announcement at a time when other tech giants have also suggested that they are taking part in this race.

The LG technology news announcement coincided with that of other companies such as Google.

Another recent technology news announcement was made by Samsung. While predictions are being made about Apple creating one of these wearable devices, only Samsung has officially confirmed that a smart watch is indeed in the works and that it will be releasing them in the future.

For LG, this technology news is regarding to more of a re-entry into the race toward a smart watch than actually taking its first steps. The company had previously manufactured and sold watch phones that never became all that popular and were removed from the electronics manufacturer’s product line.

The company has yet to reveal any real details about the device itself, but many speculations are already being made about everything from its design to the various types of features that it will include. It has been suggested by many in the field that the company will be integrating the latest devices with a number of other “smart” products that it already has in its lines, such as refrigerators and washing machines. That has yet to be confirmed by the company.

At the same time as the technology news report regarding the smart watch, it was also revealed that LG is attempting to maintain its competitiveness by working on augmented reality glasses, as well. There are already a number of major players in that market, as well, with Google Glass being among the most hyped.

Mobile payments cause suspicion among Canadian merchants

Julie Campbell | March 24, 2013

Businesses in Canada seem interested in the technology but are wary of the costs that will be involved.

The wireless industry in Canada is strengthening the push that it has been making to accelerate the adoption of mobile payments, but merchants are feeling frustrated and pressured as they anticipate higher fees.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business has said that businesses are preparing to be hit with costs.

The organization, which represents over 109,000 small businesses in the country, said that mobile payments are primed to develop into the “next big fee palooza” for credit card companies, banks, payment processors, and wireless carriers. It has expressed that there has been a “breakdown of trust” between those providers and small businesses.

Small businesses are just waiting to see what higher processing fees and other premiums come with mobile payments.

The CFIB said that the lack of trust from small business toward those companies already exists and is coming from the premium credit card transaction processes that already involve higher processing fees in order to accept them. Now the organization says those companies are waiting to see what mobile payments will have up its sleeves.

The CFIB has said that it is seeking an “express consent” requirement. This would mean that merchants would not have to accept transactions over smartphones and tablets just because they have signed up for the programs to accept contactless credit card transactions.

Canadians have already been using the Visa payWave and MasterCard PayPass contactless terminals in order to make small purchases. Those are the same devices that could be used to accept mobile payments through NFC technology and the CFIB is concerned that the industry will soon be implementing new fees with the use of those devices for accepting smartphone transactions. This would make it difficult for small businesses to remove that option later on if they already have the devices for the contactless card transactions.

On the other hand, banks and wireless providers have stated that they do not have any intention to implement new fees for mobile payments but are concerned that a provision for express consent would slow down merchant adoption of the transaction option.