It makes you wonder if we're all following a bit of a red herring with mobile phone payments and banking ?
There seems to be so much money being poured into the solutions, but not enough 'Pervasive Relations' (http://www.thoughtden.co.uk/blog/2008/01/28/pr-pervasive-relations/) to back up people's security fears and knowledge.
Is it going to turn into another disaster like the 3g video calling, which led to billions of pounds being pumped into a service which never took off? Another fantastisy that just isn't practical?
Personnaly, dispate all this current dis-belief, I believe it's all very close to getting uber fantastic, and with regards to both these spankingly clever ideas.
The phone right now is a device clearly on the edge of a new era, with touch screen, wireless, Android (http://code.google.com/android/ - watch the vids) all making a break into the portable market.
These special technologies and keen interest by Google is going to turn the 'phone' much more into a 'phone wallet' type device. Paired with the fact all our real non-virtual money is quickly becoming digital, is it not just the natural step that my two
pocket buddies join (That's my Pound coins & Phone, cheeky)?
As Dan Harple the Netscape man said, "It's about waiting for that perfect pitch, then smacking it outta the park"
Maybe the perfect pitch is next up & these guys are already set-up...
Thought Dan : http://www.thoughtden.co.uk
Related post - http://www.thoughtden.co.uk/blog/2008/05/12/what-thought-den-are-reading/ - Money in your mobile