Credit Cards? Wallets?..That's soo old school. We use our phones to pay now.

That's right ladies and gentlemen the future of marketing and technology keeps evolving faster than we can keep up. Not too long ago Starbucks came up with a new app mobile payment system with NFC (Near Field Communication). Which involved just buying a Starbucks debit card and while using that debit card you transfer funds to it and may take it anywhere you go, and I don't mean in your wallet. Just by using your phone and waving your phone near a scanner at the register that's it! Your good to go with your cup of coffee in one hand and your phone in the other. Now you might be saying "Wow that's awesome!" But don't get too excited. There are ways for other hackers to capture this in just 90 seconds and then they pay with your mobile payment not theirs. Other thing is they can email it to as many people as they want!  But this only applies to this Starbucks app.

You think Starbucks was the only one to think about this? Think again. Google decided to step in the NFC world by trying to stomp on any competition or at least making it hard for others to compete. Google has started working with other credit card companies like Citibank and MasterCard in order to start trying this NFC technology on only the android phone (for now although Apple is not too far behind from starting this mobile payment system also).

Now one question that might come to mind is what ever happened to those mini credit cards that you could put on your key chain and just wave in front of the credit card machine at stores? Isn't it kind of the same concept? Yes, but it was not well marketed and these new mobile payments is currently only in about 2 states to test out the system but I'm sure this will be made public as soon as Google is ready.

Now as all of this is coming together my question is will it be easier for hackers to be able to invade into this new technology? Only time will tell..

Keeping you updated on the future of marketing!

Cristy

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_field_communication NFC

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703576204576226722412152678.html - Google and Mobile Payments

http://www.nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com/2011/02/09/35844/hacker-shows-how-to-crack-starbucks-mobile-payments-app/ - Hacking into Starbucks mobile payment system.