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Defending the Mobile Universe From a Fraudster Onslaught September 03, 2011 The mobile age has arrived. In 2011, global shipments of smartphones and tablet devices surpassed shipments of laptops and desktop PCs, laying the groundwork for an era in which consumers are increasingly using mobile technology for everything from airline reservations to vehicle purchases. The mobile age snuck up on many of us, but fraudsters have been eagerly waiting for its rise.

Hey, Mom - What's a Wallet? August 31, 2011 Thanks to a variety of mobile payment systems, buying and selling goods and services has never been easier. Increasingly, mobile devices are becoming both credit-card readers and stand-ins for the cards themselves. It might not mean the end of cash just yet, but we're moving in that direction. "Ten years from now, we'll be able to live without much of a wallet," said Double Diamond President Todd Ablowitz.

The Real-World SEO Innovations Driving Online Commerce August 30, 2011 The latest innovations in SEO are definitely social signals and how they impact search results. We are seeing a shift in the authority scores that Google is weighing. It is not based solely on in-bound links and page content, but also on the amount of social sharing and social signals that you actually see. Social signals encompass trending topics in Twitter and Facebook and how often those links are shared.

Google Gobbles Up Dealmap as Daily Deal Mania Grows August 03, 2011 Google is goosing its still-nascent Google Offers with the acquisition of The Dealmap. The startup, which aggregates discounts from a number of daily deal sites, launched a little more than a year ago, and has already gained a following of two million strong. Google Offers debuted about two months ago and is rolling out on a city-by-city basis.

Isis Slips Visa, MC and AmEx Into Its Virtual Wallet July 20, 2011 Isis, a mobile commerce venture that includes the U.S.' largest wireless providers, announced Tuesday that Visa, MasterCard and American Express will be partnering with the organization. The agreement makes Isis, a joint venture between AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile and supported by Discover at its start, the only mobile payment product that accepts all four major payment networks.

Make Way for T-Commerce July 16, 2011 Tablet commerce may be the new kid on the block when it comes to online retail, but as a recent Forrester research poll indicates, many online retailers are seeing that half of their mobile commerce transactions come from tablet devices. Moreover, an estimated 7.6 percent of the U.S. population will be tablet users by the end of 2012. So how should online retailers take advantage of tablet commerce?

Breaking Out of the Mobile Commerce Metaphor Trap July 06, 2011 Retailers aren't investing seriously in mobile platforms right now, and who can blame them? Despite the lofty percentage growth cited by mobile shopping advocates, retailers privately lament anemic mobile conversion rates and report total revenue figures that can kindly be described as "modest."

Appetite for Digital Goods Pushing Mobile Payments Skyward July 05, 2011 The total value of mobile payments of all types worldwide will surge from $240 billion this year to $670 billion by 2015, Juniper Research predicts. This covers mobile payments for digital and physical goods, money transfers and near field communications transactions. NFC is the mobile payment technology used in the Google E-Wallet; Apple is reportedly planning to include NFC capability in iOS 5.

Square Pulls Buyers and Sellers Into the Loop May 25, 2011 Square, a startup founded by Twitter alum Jack Dorsey, has rolled out revamped versions of its iPhone/iPad and Android apps. The company is positioning the offering as an alternative to NFC (near field communication) technology, the next-generation standard -- once it is finally settled -- for mobile contactless payments.

Salt Lake City to Give NFC Payment System a Go April 07, 2011 A different type of deployment for near field communications will be rolled out in Salt Lake City in early to mid 2012 -- different that is, from the projects rumored to be under way at Apple, Google and Amazon. Officials of the city and Isis, a mobile commerce joint venture, announced they have entered into an agreement with the Utah Transit Authority to make the entire transit system mobile-fare-payment enabled.

iAds: Pretty, Fun, Sometimes Cool - but Still Ads April 07, 2011 Apple has released a new app for viewing ads -- that's right, an app with the sole purpose of delivering ads. The app is iAd Gallery, and it's designed to show off innovative ads created by Apple advertising customers who invested large stacks of money to be part of Apple's iAd program. The top feature, it should be no surprise, is timeliness: iAd Gallery is regularly updated to include a selection of the latest ads running on the iAd Network.

Beyond the iPhone App: Seizing Today's M-Commerce Opportunities April 04, 2011 Mobile truly has created an "always on society," where people are online and accessible 24 hours per day. Mobile platforms have become more than simple communications devices; they are lifestyle assistants that enable people to connect, interact, inform and influence. Because of this, they are also an incredibly valuable piece of the commerce puzzle -- no other channel provides such a direct and persistent connection.

Androids May Get the Jump on Mobile Payment Tech March 28, 2011 Google may be working to let Android users make purchases using their mobile devices at retail points of sale. The company is rumored to be collaborating with MasterCard, Citigroup and VeriFone on a system based on near-field communications technology. The project would link Citigroup credit and debit cards to a mobile-payment application that would fit the current Android OS and future iterations.

A Reality Check on Righteous Privacy Indignation December 23, 2010 When I first heard about The Wall Street Journal's expose article last weekend, titled "Your Apps Are Watching You," I was outraged: My iPhone apps where sending my iPhone 4's Unique Device Identifier to marketing companies? They were tracking my location and sharing it with advertising networks? They were sharing my age and gender and ZIP code?

FCC's Net Neutrality Vote Could Leave Door Wide Open for New Wireless Fees December 20, 2010 Net neutrality may be anything but after the Federal Communications Commission votes Tuesday on the proposal, rumored to contain a controversial "usage-based pricing provision" that could boost service provider bottom lines. A leaked PowerPoint presentation reveals two large wireless suppliers -- Allot Communications and Openet -- showing wireless providers how to charge extra for popular Web services.

Holiday Hope for the iPad November 24, 2010 A slew of good news this week may indicate that Apple could have quite a happy holiday season. The company released iOS 4.2 at last, kids in the U.S. apparently want an iPad for Christmas, Foxconn has begun mass-producing iPads, and demand in South Korea is said to be strong. Finally, Apple's trying to regain the energy behind iAds by extending the online ads platform's reach overseas.

Android Smartphones to Become Big Fat Credit Cards November 16, 2010 Google will enable contactless shopping with a smartphone in its Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" operating system, which is due to be released in a few weeks, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said Monday at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco. In a discussion about new features Google is working on, Schmidt mentioned the inclusion of a special chip that could replace a credit card when consumers pay for goods and services.

Facebook Gives Mobile the Platform Treatment November 04, 2010 Facebook pulled the wraps off its new mobile platform Wednesday at a special event held at its headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. The offerings in the platform were designed to appeal to consumers, businesses and developers and to expand the reach of the social network's geolocation technology, Places.

The M-Commerce Revolution Is Here October 12, 2010 The mobile commerce revolution promises an "anywhere experience" that boasts the ultimate in convenience. U.S. mobile commerce sales hit $1.20 billion in 2009 and will grow to $2.42 billion this year, according to Coda research consultancy. This is great news for online retailers that are prepared to meet this rapid revenue increase.

Bridging the Online-Offline Shopping Divide With 2D Tags September 20, 2010 Today's consumers are more connected than ever with mobile devices in hand. Mobile solves many problems, with its high reach and in-the-moment communication. A well-designed app can place flashy content in the hands of the consumer. SMS provides the consumer with valuable tidbits of information.