Tag: tablet commerce

PayPal claims NFC technology is hurting retail

| January 29, 2013

PayPal snubs nfc technologyPayPal continues to snub NFC technology in mobile commerce

It is no secret that PayPal is not a fan of NFC technology. The technology enables mobile devices to collect and distribute information over very short distances. While the technology has seen use in marketing, its most well known for its uses in mobile commerce. NFC technology can effectively turn any mobile device into a payment platform, allowing consumers to make purchases for goods and services using nothing but their smart phones or tablets. While the concept of mobile commerce has becoming very attractive to consumers, PayPal believes that its reliance on NFC technology is a fallacy.

Use of NFC technology may lead to failure

In the past, PayPal has been somewhat outspoken in its opposition of NFC technology. Recently, however, the company has been growing more aggressive in its stance on the matter. According to David Marcus, president of PayPal, the technology may actually be harmful for the retail industry, which has come to embrace mobile commerce in a big way. Marcus suggests that NFC is not the right technology to facilitate mobile payments from consumers and that the more retailers focus on its use, the more likely they are to meet failure.

Poor experiences create tension in mobile commerce

Marcus suggests that NFC technology created a very limited experience for consumers, especially with their relationship to a retailer. Despite the somewhat simplistic nature of NFC technology, Marcus claims that consumers often have a bad experience when making purchases with NFC-enabled devices at retail stores. The president of PayPal notes that this experience is largely due to the fact that consumers are forced to make use of physical NFC terminals in order to make a purchase, rather than make purchases wherever they are using their Internet connection on their smart phone or tablet.

PayPal investing in alternative solution

PayPal has been investing heavily in an alternative to NFC technology. The company has been working on building a multi-channel solution that will allow consumers to make mobile payments without having to interact with a physical terminal or checkout system. The solution that the company has been investing in is meant to facilitate payments in-store and online, providing consumers with more flexibility in their mobile commerce interests.

Fixmo receives support from Samsung Ventures

| January 24, 2013

Fixmo gets support from SamsungSamsung Ventures announces backing of Fixmo

Samsung Ventures, the investment branch of the massive South Korean Samsung Group, has thrown its support behind Fixmo, a developer of mobile software. Fixmo has a very acute focus on the realm of mobile security. The company typically caters to enterprises and government clients, offering a variety of risk management and security tools for mobile devices. Samsung Ventures believes that the company holds a great deal of promise, especially as the world becomes more reliant on mobile technology.

Mobile security continues to attract attention of large companies

Mobile security has become a very serious issue across a variety of industries and channels. Consumers are becoming more reliant on their smart phones and tablets to function in their daily lives. Phenomena like mobile commerce are great examples as to how mobile technology is beginning to play a more important role throughout the world. Because consumers have a tendency to share or store very valuable information on their smart phones and tablets, these devices have also become prime targets for hackers and anyone interested in exploiting this information for some form of gain.

Investments will help Fixmo with research and development

Fixmo notes that the investments coming from Samsung Ventures will help the company continue its research and development projects. Samsung has been working to get more involved in the mobile security space recently, especially where it concerns enterprise. The company is not the only one showing interest in Fixmo, however. Last year, Motorola also partnered with Fixmo in order to get more involved with mobile security and help make progress in this particular field.

Samsung may be looking to compete with RIM for enterprises

Samsung may be strategically positioning itself to compete with one of the largest companies that has made several breakthroughs in the field of mobile security: Research In Motion (RIM). RIM is gearing up for the release of the BlackBerry 10, which is expected to be one of the most popular mobile devices for enterprises around the world. The BlackBerry platform has long catered to enterprise clients and offers a variety of security features that make it more viable than mobile devices coming from other companies.