UK mobile payments spark innovation and the founding of new companies
The United Kingdom is emerging as a hub for innovation in the world of mobile payments. The country boasts of high penetration when it comes to mobile technology, with a massive number of consumers having access to smartphones and tablets. Several of the country’s largest retailers, including Tesco, have begun embracing mobile payments very aggressively, making mobile commerce much more popular among British consumers. The growing popularity of mobile payments has lead to the emergence of new companies that aim to establish a formidable force in the evolving state of commerce. Droplet is one such company.
Droplet finds success in UK mobile commerce
Droplet is a mobile payments firm, which released a mobile application of the same name earlier this year. The Droplet application allows users to purchase goods and services using their mobile device. Users can transfer funds to others as well, free of charge. Droplet recently closed a successful beta testing phase for the application, wherein it saw significant success in consumer adoption. Backed by this success, the application is heading to London, where it aims to spark a commerce revolution.
Droplet sees major growth through beta testing phase
Commerce is becoming increasingly mobile-centric. Many consumers in the United Kingdom are becoming more comfortable with the concept of mobile payments, making it more likely for these consumers to make purchases directly from their smartphones and tablets. In Birmingham, where Droplet’s beta phase was focused, more than 60 merchants signed up for the firm’s services and more than 2,500 consumers downloaded the Droplet application in order to make mobile payments. In London, Droplet expects to see those numbers rise exponentially.
Mobile payments to become more attractive in London
Droplet will become more than a mobile payments platform in the coming weeks. Droplet Tools is currently in development and will serve as a platform that will enable applications developers to create customized features for merchants. Through these features, merchants will be able to leverage loyalty programs or provide consumers with special offers. The fact that Droplet is fee-free is also expected to attract a great deal of attention from London’s merchants.
Intel looking to take a swing at mobile technology
The world of mobile technology may soon become more complicated as Intel looks to enter into the mobile space. Intel is the world’s leading producer of chips for PCs, with virtually every PC in the world equipped with some form of processor developed by Intel. Intel recently announced that it is beginning to develop chips for mobile devices, looking to expand its portfolio and become more dominant in the world of mobile technology. Intel’s endeavors have set it on a crash course with Qualcomm, the leading producer of chips for mobile devices.
Qualcomm may soon have serious competition in mobile chipsets
Qualcomm has been the leader in mobile chip development for some time. The company’s chips can be found in the vast majority of smartphones and tablets. Intel has taken note of the growing popularity of mobile technology, coming to expect that smartphones and tablets may one day replace PCs. In order to retain its strong presence in the world of computing, Intel is developing a new line of chips for such devices, but this endeavor may cause a rift throughout mobile technology.
New chipset could make cross-platform development difficult
For years, developers of mobile applications and hardware have benefitted from the fact that Qualcomm owns a majority share of the mobile technology market. The company’s chips allow for synergy between all mobile devices, making it easier for developers to create cross-platform software. Intel’s entry into the mobile technology field may create some problems for developers in the future. Because there will be obvious differences between the chips that Intel and Qualcomm develop, developers and mobile device makers will have to adopt, creating software and devices that are based on the respective chips coming from each company.
Intel mobile chips may cause rift in mobile technology
Intel’s presence in the world of mobile technology could put an end to rampant cross-platform development. Last year, Intel launched its first mobile chipset, but it received some criticism due to lackluster performance. Intel is currently working to make chips that are more capable of meeting the demands of modern technology and consumers. Intel plans to launch a new chipset relatively soon, which means that the day is coming when consumers will have to question whether their favorite mobile applications will actually work on a new smartphone or tablet that makes use of Intel chips.
