Has the M-Wallet Finally Arrived?

A cliché in the technology markets is that you’re never wrong, just early.

There have been periodic episodes of “buzz” for mobile commerce applications, often referred to as the m-wallet. In the past, the hype soon died along with the vendors promoting related technologies.

Well, it looks like a first of its kind trial is starting up in San Francisco in which riders of the transit system can pay for their fares with a specially configured phone from Sprint.

(Oh yeah, they can also buy lunch at participating Jack in the Box restaurants with that very same phone.)


BART to Trial Mobile Payments with First Data, Sprint
http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/bart-trial-nfc-mobile-payments-first-data-sprint?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal

A select group of BART riders is helping to launch a first-in-the-nation technological trial that will allow participants to walk up to any BART fare gate with a specially-equipped Sprint wireless phone and pay for their ride by tapping the phone on a reader located on top of the gate.