Author: Rebecca

U.S. Bank has announced that it is starting a trial in Portland and in Salt Lake City.

FlexPerks Visa cardholders in Portland, Oregon and Salt Lake City, Utah are being offered a new opportunity from U.S. Bank, in which they can try out a new mobile payments opportunity based on NFC technology.

This opportunity to try the mobile payments product is specific to individuals who have an iPhone 4 or 4S.

Though neither of these devices is enabled with NFC technology, customers who sign up for the program will be shipped a special case created by DeviceFidelity that will allow them to use their iPhones in order to make a purchase at the checkout counter of participating merchants. U.S. Bank explained that its introduction of the service is to be considered a beta release for account holders with the new FlexPerks Travel Rewards Visa Signature card (and an appropriate model of the iPhone).

The NFC technology mobile payments service will be rolled out more broadly later in 2013.

The DeviceFidelity case will provide multiple benefits to the iPhone 4 and 4S device users who receive it. It will not only enable them with NFC technology – a capability that is absent in all Apple smartphone models – but it also contains an additional battery in order to extend the length of the charge of the device.

This is not only convenient in addition to the NFC technology chip, but it also provides the user with the added peace of mind of knowing that they have better odds of completing their purchase transactions without running out of power.

According to the U.S. Bank Payment Services chief innovation officer, Dominic Venturo, “We have incorporated all of the feedback we have received from prior pilots and our customer research into this latest offering and we are excited to offer U.S. Bank Go Mobile in these two markets.”

Though DeviceFidelity is among the more obvious partners in this venture, as it is the provider of the NFC technology cases, there are others involved in this project, as well. For example, Visa will be providing its PayWave tech in order to receive the contactless payments at the checkout counters of the participating merchants. Moreover Datacard Group will be securely issuing and provisioning the accounts.

When thinking of mobile and cellular technology, consumers typically think of their laptop with WIFI, their phone, and possibly tablets like the iPad. However, technology trends all point to mobile capabilities creeping up everywhere leading to a new generation that will never know a life that is not ultra connected to the rest of the world.

Technology trends in every sector

This years Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was all about the vast expansion of mobile technologies into every aspect of life and how the next generation will rely on mobile connectivity like never before. Keynote speaker for the event was chief executive of Qualcomm, Paul Jacobs. Qualcomm has produced chips for 11 billion devices but is hardly the household name like Microsoft, which handled keynotes in the recent past.

Mobile life is now not just about the mobile phone or the iPad. Technology trends already see this type of technology and connectivity in the workplace, healthcare, cars, movies, and televisions. Gaming uses it, as many game consoles connect to the internet and are used for more than just playing simple video games. Some believe that mobile will even some day play a part in our bodies. Mobile commerce is also on the rise, making paying for everyday items without cash something anyone with a smartphone can do.

Mobilizing the young

CES started out with actors playing the roles of some of the people society may find most annoying whether in line for coffee or waiting for a subway. Some roles included the geeky gamer with a surfer dialog, the young girl that believes everything that happens deserves the “OMG” treatment, and many more. They seem unrelated, but they all shared the same trait, being born into a world where mobile technology trends are here to stay.

With close to 85 percent of people around the world stating that they could not see a day through without accessing their mobile device, it is clear to see this is not just in the U.S. but everywhere. Smartphone technology is so common that consumers will see it in more and more aspects of their lives, as in things like Google’s Project Glass smart glasses, digital cameras, and smarter TVs.