Near-Field Communication (NFC)

A less costly, software-based way to handle mobile transactions using near-field communication (NFC) technology is expected to begin fueling NFC payments later this year following the release of specifications from both MasterCard Inc. and Visa Inc. n Support from the two major international card networks comes as demand for HCE-based …

Ever since Google Inc. stunned the payments business early last month with its mobile operating system update that skirts the secure element for near-field communication, all eyes have been on a tiny startup in Austin, Texas, called SimplyTapp Inc. The 2-year-old company, with six full-time employees, has kept busy answering questions …

ABnote is adding support for near-field communication (NFC) technology to its miWallet mobile wallet with the addition of the Wave device from Israeli technology vendor On Track Innovations Ltd., ABnote recently announced. The device connects to mobile devices using the audio jack on smart phones and tablets. When connected, it …

  Consumers with compatible smart phones now can load the Isis mobile wallet onto their devices and pay with a tap anywhere contactless payments are accepted in the United States. Isis is a payment scheme backed by wireless carriers AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA. The smart-phone wallet, which …

  Independent sales organization Harbortouch has released a new payment terminal that incorporates near-field communication, a smart card reader and a magnetic-stripe reader. Dubbed Perkwave, the terminal, which carries no cost except for transactions processed through it, includes a contactless card reader adorned with a consumer-facing display. Point-of-sale device maker …

A wider array of payment cards and more finely targeted advertising are among the features and capabilities the Isis mobile-payments venture previewed on Thursday for possible launch in 2014, following the venture's national rollout. In pulling back the curtain, however, the venture, which is backed by mobile-network behemoths AT&T Mobility, …

Independent sales organizations and other acquirers could exploit Google Inc.’s move to decouple mobile payments based on near-field communication technology from a phone-based secure element, observers say. At the same time, much depends on how the mobile carriers, which have held tight control over the secure element, react to Google’s …

For two years, Google Inc. and Verizon Wireless have been at odds, with Verizon blocking the online search giant’s access to SIM cards on Verizon devices for Google Wallet. But on Thursday Google released a new version of its Android mobile operating system that not only slices through that Gordian …

  Large merchants that work with AJB Software Design Inc. to handle their payments-technology integration have a new option to use for outsourcing their payment needs. They can use TNSPayDirect, a new service from Transaction Network Services Inc., which provides access to an AJB retail transaction switch. AJB’s retail transaction …

Microsoft Corp.’s $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia Corp.’s handset business, announced late on Monday, brings to the Redmond, Wash.-based tech giant a pioneer in near-field communication technology and allows it to combine hardware with a mobile operating system in the manner of rivals Google Inc. and Apple Inc. It remains …