[I:http://greypod.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/AlexSpeirs14.jpg]In Part 1, we looked at the potential for modernization in 4G focusing on Google’s innovative android platform. In this article, we see what software giant Microsoft is offering up following the release of their latest mobile operating system – Windows Phone 7. With it comes the integration of numerous Microsoft platforms and in particular, XBox Live.
The addition of Xbox Live to the mobile platform marks a significant step not only for gamers, but for a convergence of what was previously a strictly non-portable product with a mobile device. Microsoft has planned that Xbox Live users will be able to play games on their powerful new mobile devices whilst interacting and perhaps even playing against Xbox Live users on mobile and non-mobile platforms alike. Whilst portable gaming is nothing new, what makes this especially innovative is that Microsoft would be the first to achieve this integration at a platform level, successfully bridging the gap between mobile and home based platforms.
Moving on and let us look at mobile ticketing and mobile payments. Both can be real game changers for retailers, transport agencies, banks and so on. Mobile ticketing naturally eliminates traditional paper ticketing by sending them direct to mobile phones via SMS or MMS messaging. This system has already successfully been implemented for use at concerts, sporting events. The possibilities for businesses are amazing. The follow-on benefits are mutually inclusive, with costs reduced across the board which in turn should be passed on to consumers as well as impacting the environment by eliminating use of vast amounts of paper.
Although so far seen in limited terms to date, the potential and future plans for mobile payment systems appear set to become widespread in 2011 and beyond. Mobile payment offers a form of paying for purchases without having to physically use cards or cash, as they’re all integrated into a single payment system. Great for when you don’t have cash for that parking meter for example!
Contemporarily, such systems exist only online through companies like PayPal and Google Checkout. In the near future though, technology known near field communication will allow consumers to pay through Eftpos of credit cards by simply swiping their mobile phones. Such a system would truly integrate the mobile phone with a wallet, potentially ensuring more widespread consumer penetration.
This article was written by Alex Speirs of TXT2GET, an SMS mobile marketing company. For more free insights into industry trends and new technology, visit the TXT2GET blog.
