A premature press release posting earlier this month has now been made official, with Visa announcing that its partnership with DeviceFidelity will see the launch of a specially-designed iPhone case that will integrate a microSD slot to facilitate contactless payment transactions.
DeviceFidelity, Inc. today announced the availability of its In2Pay solution for iPhone, designed to enable iPhone users to make contactless transactions, such as Visa mobile payments, by simply waving the iPhone in front of a contactless payment terminal. The solution combines DeviceFidelity's In2Pay microSD technology with a specially designed, patent-pending protective case that adds mobile contactless capability and works with iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.
Building on Visa's payWave system that currently allows credit and debit users to simply wave their cards in front of compatible terminals to pay for purchases, the In2Pay system aims to allow users to reduce the need to carry credit cards or other payments forms in addition to their phones.
The system also offers the potential for expansion beyond payments to other proximity-based services, including building and computer network security access.
By placing a removable In2Pay microSD into the protective case, iPhone users can take advantage of In2Pay's secure contactless capabilities where contactless transactions are offered. They range from buying goods in retail stores and at unattended kiosks, to transit ticketing, and even securely accessing buildings and computers networks. Trials are scheduled to start during the second quarter of 2010.
DeviceFidelity's In2Pay system has been targeting the growing number of cellphones offering built-in microSD slots, but the iPhone's lack of such a slot required the company to develop an add-on to house the card and allowed to integrate it within a protective case.
Apple has been researching methods of providing such functionality directly within the iPhone, but in the meantime, companies are filling the void with their own proximty-based solutions.
