Author: Editor

Mobile payments continue to be a complex issue

Mobile commerce has become quite popular, but not everyone is sold on the idea of paying for things with their mobile device. The idea is quite simple: Mobile applications act as facilitators of mobile transactions, allowing people to make purchases while shopping online from their smartphones and tablets. Under the surface, mobile commerce is anything but simple, thanks to changing commerce standards and the ever present threat of exploitation coming from malicious groups that want to get their hands on consumer financial information.

Because mobile commerce is not as straightforward as it seems, many people are wondering whether or not mobile payments are actually worthwhile or little more than a passing novelty. Much of this uncertainty is actually tied up in the technology that is supporting mobile payments. NFC technology and cloud computing are the two structures that currently support the mobile payments industry, and this industry is currently in the midst of a format war. NFC-based solutions are vying for the support of consumers and businesses alike alongside cloud-based services.

In the format war, the cloud may have the upper hand. NFC-based solutions have the drawback of only being available on NFC-enabled mobile devices. This means that mobile wallets and other mobile commerce services that rely on NFC can only be used by smartphones and tablets that have an NFC chip embedded within them. Cloud-based services have no such limitations and it is for this reason the cloud is becoming more prominent when it comes to mobile payments.

Beyond the format war, other issue exist that continue to make mobile commerce a complicated matter. Large companies are beginning to muscle their way into the mobile scene, hoping to take advantage of the growing popularity of mobile payments. Companies like AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Google, and others have launched mobile wallets into the market. The problem isn’t that large companies are entering into the mobile commerce fray, of course, it is that these companies are rushing into the battle with little concern for anything else but exposure.

When Google first launched its ambitious Wallet service, the mobile wallet quickly fell prey to serious security issues that made the platform unpopular with many people. The platform had been using NFC technology at the time, and many people began to consider that technology faulty from a security perspective. Google has since moved away from NFC and has resolved many of the security issues that it faced with the initial launch of Wallet, but the damage the company’s haste caused has set its mobile commerce interests back considerably.

Another issue that mobile payments are facing has to do with the long wait people must endure before mobile commerce services become available to them. Many of the services that are most popular today were only released a few short months ago, while those that are highly anticipated may not be released for several years yet. Large organizations are beginning to take their time developing comprehensive platforms, but small companies are pumping out nw platforms at a rapid pace, saturating the market but doing little to overcome the actual problems that face mobile commerce currently.

Mobile commerce is not something that can be solved easily. There is no singular correct approach to engaging mobile consumers or enticing them to pay for products with a smartphone or tablet. As with most things, those seeking success in this field may have to find a balance between the problems they can and cannot solve.

Rushing headlong into the digital age has consequences. The world is becoming more integrated and reliant on technology of all kinds. One of the clearest trends that is proving this is people’s growing dependence on mobile technology. Many people use their mobile devices on a daily basis and these devices often contain most of their precious personal information. Mobile technology is exciting for most people, and this excitement is blinding them to threats that exist in a world that is becoming digitized.

The digital era has brought people together in a way that was never before thought possible. Accessing the Internet, a person in the United States can form a intimate connection with another person living in Japan. Businesses are interacting with consumers in new ways because of social media and constant connection. While technology has helped bring people together, the digital world, much like the physical one, is not a safe place.

In the digital world, malicious groups are often on the lookout for ways to exploit people’s information. Identity theft is, perhaps, one of the most prolific crimes in the digital space and it is proving to be a difficult problem to protect oneself from. The digital world is filled with malware and viruses that are designed for malicious purpose and these weapons are evolving faster than the protective methods designed to mitigate their impact can adapt.

Large businesses that are beginning to focus more heavily on the digital space are beginning to fall victim to cyber attacks that are leading to billions of dollars in losses. Data breach is becoming more common and a growing number of people are beginning to see that their personal information is being compromised due to lackluster security. In the digital world, you cannot rely on a company to keep your information safe and have to take matters into your own hands.

In a world that is becoming more digital, absolute security is an impossible dream. Taking steps to protect yourself is not futile, however. More often than not, the lack of protection can make you a target for malicious groups that want to exploit whatever resources you might have. Even simply installing an anti-virus application on your mobile device can serve as an effective deterrent from an attack.