Use your iPod as a credit card?
Posted by Lab Rat
Have you ever wished you could buy an iPod WITH an iPod?
Me either. However, a company called Ingencio has developed the world’s first-ever terminal which can accept payment via an iPod. By combining their i5100 terminal technology with an iPod using Griffin’s iTrip FM Transmitter to broadcast a signal, Ingenico was able to demonstrate at the Cartes 2005 exhibition how future transactions could be made via MP3 players. In theory, this could allow for ATM withdrawals as well as retail payments via iPods.
While at the moment they admit this is more a proof of concept than anything likely to take off in the near future, Ingencio sites an example of an iPod being used to securely book air flight reservations:
“At this past Cartes exhibition, Ingenico demonstrated how, in a hypothetical future, travellers could book plane tickets and receive them via MP3 format by e-mail. He or she would then just need to store the MP3 receipt on an iPod before going to the airport. When preparing to board, the traveller would simply play the MP3 ticket on the iPod to send all ticket information securely and in real time to the boarding gate. Ticket information might include passport, itinerary and price data as well as pre-encoded biometric features for passenger verification at the gate. The same intuitive, user friendly payment system can also be used for gift vouchers, tickets and virtually all other forms of prepaid transaction.�
Hmm, isn’t that potentially dangerous? iPods are easily stolen or lost, and if there’s no verification needed, you’re in trouble. I suppose credit cards can also easily be stolen or lost too, but it just seems a bit precarious to make a hot item for theft even hotter.
Yeah, I don’t think it will happen, the article says they are just proving their technology can be applied to various devices, even an iPod.
Although almost everything is moving this way. They are making credit cards now you just have to hold near a register to pay.
But good point about theft. iPods don’t need another reason to be stolen.
FM Broadcast. wow, that’s secure. how about I stand next to the counter with a recorder/receiver…
Maybe if they broadcast your credit card info over AM…
Even CRIMINALS don’t check AM.
bah… apple will probably be the main conduit for audio and video in 10 years. I guess by then people wont remember about FM. or faxes, or telex, or morse code, like cd’s, cassettes, vinyls, or dvd’s, vhs, beta…
see the trend?
And then the world explodes and we start using sticks and stones again.
In ten years retail stores won’t exist, and you can use your iPod to do your online shopping via a secure wired connection.
No need to leave the house, and I can’t wait.
Have it scan the holder’s fingerprints, its being held anyways, for positive ID before a financial transaction can be made or info transmitted… make it a cell phone as well, add GPS and some other goodies. I will buy one. So will everyone else.
you guys would not believe the amount of security behind Ingenico’s products. All are products have to go through outside security companys that validates our systems fr a fee.
we do not release products on the field without making sure that it is secure.
and gues what there is alot more mind bogleling ideas to come from us.