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Cell phones as Credit Cards 299

Posted by samzenpus from the cut-up-your-phone dept.
ante_up writes "We should have known this was coming. Business Week reported that Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo Inc. (DCM ) is vamping up their cell phone technology. First they added a debit card facility and now are expanding to full credit card capability. What else can you add to a cell phone?"
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Cell phones as Credit Cards More

Cell phones as Credit Cards

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  • What else can you add to a cell phone?

    For starters, how about a little COMMON SENSE?

    • What will they think of next? (Score:5, Funny)

      by msmercenary ( 837876 ) on Wednesday June 01, 2005 @06:26PM (#12699909)
      I discovered an awesome feature on my phone, in between the text messaging and e-mail and bluetooth and credit card and camera. It gives me the ability to hold a multimedia (voice only) conversation with another person. All I have to do is punch in some kind of locator code (similar to an IP address), and I can actually *speak* to the person.

      It's amazing all of the nifty things they can pack into cell phones these days.

    • Re:What else? Hmmm (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Seumas ( 6865 )
      Don't most people pay their phone bill with their credit card? I'm seeing something oroborous about this.

      I still don't get the draw of cell phones, either. I'm not even 30 yet, but I carry a cheap pay-as-you-go cell phone that I use for emergencies and calling taxis. If I want to have a conversation with someone, I'll just wait until I get to my office or home and use a comfortable human-sized phone.

      As for credit cards... Meh. I don't know. I have no sympathy for people who go into debt because they act l
      • 'Don't most people pay their phone bill with their credit card? '

        No, they don't.

        Pay-as-you-go - whether through age( under 18s) or choice (anonymous billing), or no access to credit, is massive in Europe - don't know about where you live, but in Europe, and Japan, this method of usage is huge - hence OP

        'And then I use my automatic online bill-pay service to transfer the correct amount from my checking account'

        Wow! You're so 20th Century! What about places that aren't online? Mobile 'phones work there y

    • Re:What else? Hmmm (Score:5, Insightful)

      by MrAnnoyanceToYou ( 654053 ) <dylan@NOsPam.dylanbrams.com> on Wednesday June 01, 2005 @06:48PM (#12700098) Homepage Journal
      This is just the next step. I mean, they're adding RFID stuff to credit cards, what's the point of having like nine digital / identificatory devices situated upon your person? I'm all good with not having to have a wallet, a cell phone, AND a set of keys. The future IS that I will have all three in one device somewhere around the size of my current cell phone. The real question is whether everyone else is enough of a sheep to buy stuff that has ONLY the option of 1 credit card, 1 car key, and 1 cell phone provider.

      The way people work, I expect the credit card and cell phone provider to merge so they can provide it 'easier' - that's what this particular article seems to mention. The car, well, that's just a matter of horizontal integration within the marketplace. (otherwise known as monopoly) I mean, do you LIKE having multiple devices you need to drag with you everywhere? Common sense says you wouldn't want ANY of it, but that would require stronger biometrics than currently exist / people find acceptable along with a more integrated identification network. The options are all rather bleak, but I'm sure you agree that eventually one of them will evolve and dominate if the market continues as it is today.
      • I don't want to concentrate all my life on a single device. Too many bad things can happen...

        - Forget it at home
        - Get robbed
        - Batteries go dead
        - Break

        Things like credit and debit cards, keys and passwords, must be placed on reliable, fail-safe, places. Magnetic cards and Smart cards are good choices... a cellphone is not!

  • razor (Score:2, Funny)

    by brickballs ( 839527 )
    I dont know about you all, but I could use an electric razor in mine.
    Every so often im at work screwing off and I realize that I missed a spot. it'd be great to go and touch it up.
    • let me introduce you to my little friend.

      The Bic Razor. [haco.co.ke]
    • and for the women who want to screw off at work see here [flirtylingerie.com].
    • How about a swiss army knife, car keys, and a can opener?

      Oh, and a towel, just in case.
      • Towels [bbc.co.uk] should be at the top of your list.

      • Re:razor (Score:2, Funny)

        by brickballs ( 839527 )
        obgliatory, now that a cellphone with a built in towel has been mentioned:

        "The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy has a few things to say on the subject of towels.

        A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitch hiker can have. Partly it has great practical value -- you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep un

  • Don't take a picture of yourself (Score:3, Funny)

    by yotto ( 590067 ) on Wednesday June 01, 2005 @06:17PM (#12699832) Homepage
    Don't take a picture of yourself in the mirror, or anybody who sees it can get your credit card number!
  • How about a corkscrew and bottle-opener.

    Or an optical sensor on the bottom so it can be used as a mouse.

    • Re:What else? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Ryan Stortz ( 598060 )
      What else can you add to a cell phone?
      An easy way to add a second line? I'd need a few more hands to be able to count the number of people I know with two cell phones (a few have a pager aswell).

      • Re:What else? (Score:3, Informative)

        by matth ( 22742 )
        You can.. at least with some samsungs on the Verizon network... my phone has a place for 2 NAMs.. so I can have 2 lines and switch back and forth :)
  • "What else can you add to a cell phone?"

    Wouldn't surprise me to see an automatic tampon remover....

    B.
    • well the vibration feature already makes it a decent "sexual aid" so I suppose that not such a long shot.

      They do need to make it self cleaning at some point. It bad enough when the guy next to you have Cheetos stains on his cell...

      • > well the vibration feature already makes it a decent "sexual aid" so I suppose that not such a long shot.

        A real catch-22:

        Show off your latest ringtone once, and five minutes later, you can't hear it ring anymore.

        Put the fuckin' thing on vibrate first, and nobody even tries to shove one up your ass.

  • There was another article I read somewhere... it was a system designed to increase convenience, decrease the chance of theft or credit card fraud...

    Basically, it was a system to use giant limestone wheels from the island of Yap as credit cards. The giant wheels are difficult to counterfeit, and therefore will prevent theft through credit card fraud. These will be called credit rocks, rather than credit cards, and will take a crane to move, but many retailers believe that it will provide consumers with the a

  • How about clear sound. Talking to my daughter on her cell sounds like she's underwater.

    Yeah, yeah....buy a better phone. BS. The tech for reasonably clear sound is trivial. Clean audio should be a base model feature.

  • Alright damnit (Score:3, Funny)

    by Epistax ( 544591 ) <epistax @ g m a il.com> on Wednesday June 01, 2005 @06:19PM (#12699853) Journal
    For years I've said I just want a fucking phone. I've changed my mind. If it makes me food, I'll buy it.

  • Carbonated Meat Dispenser!

  • Cellphones as entry tickets (Score:3, Interesting)

    by GillBates0 ( 664202 ) on Wednesday June 01, 2005 @06:23PM (#12699879) Homepage Journal
    What else can you add to a cell phone?

    How about using cell phones as entry tickets to a Cricket match [slashdot.org]. From TFA:

    The first match of the India-Australia cricket Test series in Bangalore next month will have hi-tech ticketing with the launch of 'Mobile-Ticketing,' a new service that enables cricket fans across the world to book the tickets online. But thats half the fun, since the tickets would be delivered directly to their mobile phones. the service is managed by Spice . The service delives the ticket as a special barcode which can then be scanned by a barcode reader. Sounds simple. Wired reported a similar story a while back.

    More details here [indiainfo.com].

    • Convergence in this area is something i have been expecting for a while now. The SIM in my phone has more capcity than my credit card, and I do not see why I need to carry a swag of plastic shards. We've already seen phone accounts being used for credit; call the vending machine and have the purchase added to you next phone bill. The phone companies already have the infrastructure to track and manage many small transactions.
    • This isn't a phone feature, or doesn't need to be, as described--just go to a web page, enter in some info, download a barcode to be displayed on the screeen.

      Anyway, phones as tickets isn't really new (in countries with decent cell phones, that is, NOT the good old US of A).

  • Already in Spain (Score:3, Interesting)

    by paugq ( 443696 ) <pgquiles@elpauer . o rg> on Wednesday June 01, 2005 @06:25PM (#12699887) Homepage

    Oh my god, this already exists in Spain: Mobipay [mobipay.es], Paybox [paybox.es]. Little success, by the way.

  • Due to the popularity of the MTR/Octopus card, I've heard that some companies are trying to build this into their cellphones as an added benefit feature... the octopus is even better than a cc, since there's no signiature requried (authentication is simpler for user).

    It'd be great, esp since you could easily type in your PIN (or better yet, vendor generated one-time tranasaction offset + PIN) and even authenticate more securely.

  • What else can you add to a cell phone?

    I would like to see high-powered plastic explosives added to cell phones. That way when someone is being obnoxious on their phone in a public place, I can hit a button on my phone that will cause their phone to explode.

  • "I'm here, i've got everything you'll ever need to cripple me financially, rob me now!"

    I'll keep my black-and-white screened text message and voice-only phone thank you. I'm happy if a thief says "What a crap phone" and doesn't want to nick it.
  • When I was in the Marines, I was in some frozen country in northern England for about two weeks. I stayed pretty drunk the whole time as the beer there was far better than in the U.S. What I do remember is that cell phones worked on everything. Wanted to pay at McDonalds, ring up a number on the cell phone. Need a coke from the machine, ring up a number on the cell phone. A short hairy guy in a furry coat explained that they had one nationalized cell phone company, so it was easy to make a standard tha
  • What else can you add to a cell phone?

    You know, people are making a lot of jokes about adding physical components to cell phones - electric razors, can openers, etc. - but I think that what would be ideal is if I could have everything physical I needed in one pocket - like a souped-up version of a Swiss Army knife - and everything informational I needed in the other pocket.

    Ideally, one day we'll carry a small "wallet PC" that acts as both a cell phone and a computer in general, and is a complete replac
  • Don't.

    Even.

    Go.

    There.
  • I can't believe it's taken this long for telcos to handle purchase transactions. I want my "phone" to show me cryptosigned invoices with OK/CANCEL buttons, putting them in my local database and the one at their server. They should bill me against my phone bill, and I should be able to download my bill into my spreadsheet to check it against my local database, and ask questions about my buying patterns. This would be much more convenient for me than carrying my credit "card" also, which is about the only rea
  • Now you'll nver get them to stop calling you for late payments!

  • A wallet (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Hektor_Troy ( 262592 ) on Wednesday June 01, 2005 @06:42PM (#12700053)
    And a key ring.

    That way when it gets stolen, the thief has everything he needs, and not just my money.
    • Yes, yes. Everyone complains about the convergence of ID devices. Every time this is brought up, I think about my current wallet. If it was stolen, I'd have to call at least four different credit card companies, my bank, my grocery store, and the library. I'd also have to drive around town to get a new driver's license, healthcare card, warehouse membership card, etc. All of which could take me weeks to complete. If all my information was managed with one device, and implemented properly, one call t
  • I'm so glad somebody implemented this. It was simply getting waaaay too cumbersome to carry around my cell phone and my credit card at the same time!

  • Why not a remote control?! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by orangepeel ( 114557 ) on Wednesday June 01, 2005 @06:46PM (#12700083)
    I've been waiting for *years* for a cell phone manufacturer to do the OBVIOUS and add a remote control function to a cell phone. Surely this happened 5 years ago, and I've just been missing them ever since, right? The keypad is aleady there! How much can an IR LED add to the cost of the cellphone?

    I've always got my cellphone with me, but I'm always trying to figure out where I left the remote. Plus, I'd never need to buy obscure AAA batteries for the darn remote again, 'cause the cell phone's battery is rechargeable!
    • Ummm.

      1. How will the phone know when you want to dial versus when you want to change the channel. Surely without it knowing this, or you having to flip a switch, you will be annoyed one way or the other. (Changing the channel when you want to dial, and vice versa.)

      2. Cell phone keypads are designed to call people (and type messages, sometimes), and remotes are designed to control electronic devices. Other than the 10 digits, I don't see any correlation between the two devices. Why can't your landline phon
    • Get a PalmOS phone with a (strong enough) IR port, and Novii Remote [novii.tv]. Done.
    • If you're in Japan, you don't need a remote control for you cellphone because its already a portable television. I didn't bother buying that feature for myself because it drains batteries and I don't really watch that much TV, but the handset that had it (in addition to video calls, something I don't think is catching on anytime soon) cost a whopping... fifty bucks.
    • My old Sharp had this. Very powerful transmitter. Very handy for watching exactly what you want at airports without being too obvious about it.
    • Currently there are 8 replies to your post, and no one says anything about you calling AAA batteries "obscure"! I think you would have trouble finding any sort of general purpose retail store that doesn't carry AAAs.

      -prator
    • Most Japanese phones already come with a small Java application to turn the phone into a remote control. My old phone had this function, and the new one [ag0ny.com] does too. The application in both phones shows a list of well-known TV/video manufacturers to choose from (I guess each company uses its own IR codes/protocols/whatever). It's not a feature that I use often because I don't watch much TV lately.

      In any case, if your phone doesn't come with a remote control applet, you can always [infoseek.co.jp] download [appget.com] one [256byte.com] (links

  • what else to add (Score:5, Funny)

    by Tumbleweed ( 3706 ) * on Wednesday June 01, 2005 @06:55PM (#12700143)
    Well, adding laser pointers to cellphones would combine the two most-irritating things about going to a movie, so, that's a good option. Perhaps a ringtone of a baby crying could be the third. And then speakerphone capability on ALL cellphones. Yes, the Axis of Annoyance(tm)!

    Lessee...how about a tazer? That'd be useful for dealing with members of the Axis of Annoyance(tm). Blood sugar monitor for diabetics (though I think at least one Korean phone already has that).

    What I'd _really_ like to see is the ability to make a phone go into vibrate-only mode, and make it legal in the U.S. to do so (cellphone jammers are apparently illegal here, I think). That way you wouldn't have to turn them OFF in a theatre or restaurant; it gets done FOR you. Oh yeah, that would be my #1 feature, for sure. Even more than improved call quality.
  • What else can you add to a cell phone?

    Have every once of credit you have screwed because some guy was sitting around scanning the cell bands.

  • a small explosive device, to start with. then move to a larger explosive device.
  • I would love to have fully programmable IR in my phone. Beam device setup info (and address book) from a computer, and be able to control my home theater.

    It doesn't need to be a camera or PDA, but a decent calendar, to do list, and remote would be nice.
  • "... What else can you add to a cell phone?"

    How about the ability to complete a phone call?

    About a year ago, I upgraded my ancient Startac to the latest model offered by Verizon. I quickly discovered two locations in my town where the new phone failed to place a call, yet the Startac manages to do so. I visit these two places often, so I returned the new phone. I am using the Startac again.

    I asked several Verizon reps which of their phones offers the best RF performance. Each rep stated that all of the
  • What else can you add to a cell phone?

    A tactical nuclear device?
  • ...a finite improbability generator, so that people with cell phones in theaters and restaurants can be really annoying?
  • How about building an ATM machine into the phone? Then when I need $20 to buy a burger, fries, and a shake at a joint that doesn't take plastic, I just swipe my ATM card on the phone, enter the PIN, and out pops a fresh new $20 bill. I suppose the phone would have to be a bit bigger to contain a stack of $20 bills, and I'd have to take it in to be refilled from time to time. Maybe they could just work out a deal with the US Bureau of Printing and Engraving to include blank money and print it on the fly.
  • Like any business idea, the first question should always be, "What itch does this business scratch"? And honestly, I can't figure this out. A credit card is a tiny size of a cell phone, and actually, you don't even need a physical card to use one. They're already universally accepted. So could this *possibly* be any small kind of improvement that would make it a viable product?
    • A credit card is a tiny size of a cell phone, and actually, you don't even need a physical card to use one. They're already universally accepted.

      Two points.

      First, no matter how small it is, it is too large compared to softtware inside the cell phone, if you will be carrying a cell phone anyway.

      Second, credit/debit cards are far from universally accepted. The beauty of a cell phone is that it can be both the credit card and the card terminal, meaning it can both be charged and charge. You may one day tra
  • I don't think a cell phone will be complete without cheese.
  • And that would be... Paris Hilton :-) She's gotta have one of those uber-platinum cards... Hello thinkgeek.com!
    • Bank: Hello, Ms. Hilton? This is megabank. I'm calling because of some very unusual credit card activity. I see a $1,400 purchase from something called "thinkgeek". According to our records, for the last five years all of your purchases have been from liquor stores and trashy lingerie shops. Did you make the purchase from this "thinkgeek"?

      Paris: Wha f*ck b*tch motherf*cker who? I can buy (hic) and sell you b*tch

      Bank: Thank you Ms. Hilton. We'll cancel the charge immediatly.
  • i've been watching for this to happen for a while now. i worked for a company that wanted to do this several years ago. the technology has been around to handle this on the phone side for a while now. the problem has always been finding a way to integrate it with the millions of existing POS terminals already out there, which we eventually gave up on. it looks like i was right back then- rather than trying to figure out how to work with the existing systems, this was going to have to wait until somebody
  • This doesn't apply as much to NTT DoCoMo, but in general more features are not what cell phones need (though they're all fine and good).

    The real thing cell phones need is interface designers for their software. I have to click at least half a dozen buttons and wait for my phone to connect to the internet to get anywhere near sending an email.

    With my Japanese phone (from AU by KDDI) one button got me into my email menu, instantly. If I didn't want to type in an address I could select someone from my addr
  • With all these features cramped into 1 device (you can't really call it a phone anymore), you lose 20 gadgets, and now also your creditcard and debitcard, when it gets stolen/lost/broken. Not so smart(phone).

    Also... do these things still have the ability to ehmm... just call someone?

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