Mobile Phone Applications in Japan – What is Coming Next After the Camera Phone ?
...the mobile phone network operator’s monthly bill. This is much quicker than going to your PC, starting it up, connecting to the internet and entering the full URL, or browsing through the companies website to find the product mentioned in the advert. If companies mark their products with the 2-dimensional barcode, it can provide immediate access to further information or even a re-order m-commerce website. 2. Mobile Commerce with ConctactlessSmart Cards Contactless Smart Cards are not new but now NTT DoCoMo is embedding Sony’s Felica smart card technology in a mobile phone. These smart cards are already widely used on the Tokyo rail network. Since Japanese consumers always carry their mobile phone, they no longer have to worry about a separate smaller smart card. This makes it less likely that they will lose it. Also the electronic money in the smart card can potentially be topped-up through a transaction over the mobile phone with additional security checks. The consumer can then be billed through their mobile phone account which reduces the cost of handling many small transactions. Recently Japan Airlines announced plans to use this system for booking and fast check in of domestic flights. The consumer books the flight through the mobile phone and an e-ticket is downloaded to the smart card on the phone. To board the flight, the consumer simply walks through a special gateway which checks the contactless smart card. 3. Fingerprint sensors and Biometric security Fujitsu are now supplying mobile phones with a built in fingerprint sensor. Initially this was a square areas sensor. Now they use an even smaller line sensor. The user wipes their finger down over the sensor to scan it. This can provide additional security in case you lose your phone. Also it provides a quick dial facility. The use can assign a ...