Category: NFC Technology

Nokia fights to find traction with new products

 

Mobile Commerce Nokia ChinaNokia finds some stability in China

Finnish mobile device maker Nokia has been having trouble in numerous markets recently. The company may be a well known name in the field of mobile technology with its wide range of products and impressive smart phone portfolio, but it has experienced a difficult year in regards to its latest projects. Many of the company’s latest smart phones have been the subject of aggressive hype, but consumers have responded poorly to these products when they reached the market. China is one of the countries where Nokia has been seeing some success, but the Chinese market may not be enough to revitalize the company.

Growth in China may be due to mobile commerce

The Chinese market accounts for one-third of the world’s smart phone shipments. Mobile technology is in very high demand with consumers, especially those that are becoming more interested in mobile commerce. Nokia is one of the few smart phone makers that develops devices that are equipped with NFC technology. Much of mobile commerce revolves around the use of NFC technology, which is capable of transforming a smart phone into a mobile payment platform.

Consumers  not yet won over by high-end Lumia phones

While the demand for mobile commerce has been growing among Chinese consumers, Nokia has had trouble establishing a strong foothold within the country. In the third quarter of 2012, Nokia likely sold fewer than 500,000 devices from its Lumia line in China. Less than 100,000 of these are estimated to be high-end Lumia devices, such as those equipped with NFC technology, like the 820.

China Mobile deal could help boost Nokia performance

Nokia is expected to see some major gains in China due to a new deal with China Mobile, the country’s largest mobile network operator. Per the deal with China Mobile, Nokia will begin selling a localized version of its high-powered Lumia 920 smart phone, which is equipped with NFC technology. This deal with China Mobile could increase the sale of high-end mobile device in the country by as much as 50%.

Isis teams with USA Technologies to bring mobile commerce to vending machines

 

Isis gets a boost through partnership with USA Technologies

USA Technologies, a leading cMobile Commerce - Isis teams with USA Technologies ashless payment solutions firm serving primarily small sectors of the retail industry, has teamed with Isis, one of the largest mobile commerce platforms in the world. Isis was formed as a joint venture from AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile, and is the only mobile commerce platform that was able to garner the support of most of the world’s major financial institutions before its launch. Isis is poised to become the leading mobile commerce platform in the world, and it is getting a major boost from USA Technologies.

Mobile commerce comes to vending machines

USA Technologies has announced that some 7,500 vending machines in Austin, Texas, and Salt Lake City, Utah, will be able to accept mobile payments made through the Isis platform. These vending machines will be equipped with USA Technologies’ ePort and ePort Connect services. These are NFC-based services that are designed to facilitate mobile, wireless payments. Users of the Isis platform will be able to use their mobile device to purchase products from these vending machines without having to use physical currency or connect to the vending machine in any way.

Vending machines use NFC technology

Because the vending machines will be equipped with NFC technology, only consumers with NFC-enabled mobile devices will be able to use the vending machines with Isis. The vending machines will accept traditional currency in order to serve those without Isis or an NFC-enabled device. Mobile commerce has seen some criticism in the past because of its acute focus on NFC technology. The scarcity of NFC-enabled mobile devices is part of the reason behind the criticism, as well as concerns regarding the security of the technology.

Isis poised to compete for mobile commerce superiority

Mobile commerce continues to gain momentum in the U.S., and Isis and USA Technologies are keen to take advantage of that fact. Isis is currently considered one of the only mobile commerce platforms that may be able to compete with Google and PayPal. Both these companies have invested heavily in mobile commerce, with PayPal working on developing an alternative to NFC technology that is more inclusive of a wider range of consumers.