This past week at Mobile ID World wearables were the name of the game as iPhone owners counted down to the impending Apple Watch street date. Mobile commerce made the news too, while the week was rounded out by smartphone updates and Internet of Things headlines.
Wearables
With the Apple Watch scheduled to start adorning consumer wrists on April 24 – and pre-orders having started this week – the industry is watching in careful anticipation. Will Apple’s wearable popularize smartwatches in the same way Apple Pay got consumers into mobile wallets? If it does, we have a lot to look forward to, including the major applications examined in this weeks’ featured article.
This week we reported on Samsung’s upcoming smartwatch that overcomes a major adoption barrier by not requiring a connected smartphone. Meanwhile we reported on a bid for smartwatch banking.
Here is how the week’s news had us thinking about mobility in a new, wearable way:
More Than Time: Three Major Applications For Wearable Tech
Buzz Builds as Apple Takes Smartwatch Preorders
New Samsung Smartwatch Doesn’t Require Phone Pairing
Can Wearables Right Smartphones’ Wrongs?
Digital Insights Helps Credit Union Pioneer Smartwatch Banking
Smartphones and Mobile Authentication
In handset news, this week we reported on the new phone from HTC which finally includes a biometric fingerprint sensor. Samsung surprised everyone with better Q1 financial results than expected, while its competitor Xiaomi set a world record in smartphone sales. All of that plus: Hitachi ID unveiled Hitachi ID Mobile Access as part of its Identity and Access Management Suite.
HTC Polishes Flagship Smartphone
Samsung Q1 Losses Not as Bad as Expected
Hitachi ID Systems Introduces Mobile Access to IAM System
Xiaomi Sees Record Sales on Birthday Event, Earns Guinness Recognition
Mobile Commerce, Mobile Healthcare
Remote healthcare is a very active area of application in mobile identity, and this week Alignment Healthcare and Vivify announced a partnership that will see the former’s patients equipped with the later’s cloud based remote care solutions.
Mobile commerce is another active area in mobile ID (some might even call it the dominant application at the moment), and this week the news brought us an update on how USAA’s mobile biometric authentication has benefited the firm, an advance notice of Early Warning’s acquisition of authentify, and ten more official merchant partners were announced for Apple Pay.
Alignment and Vivify Team Up to Deliver Home Care
Early Warning To Acquire Authentify
Biometric Innovation Boosts USAA Fiscal Results, Customer Satisfaction
Apple Pay Adds More Official Merchant Partners
Internet of Things
Finally, it doesn’t seem a week can go by this year with at least a little bit of Internet of Things news. This week we saw a new report surface regarding IoT and connected cars – both major areas of opportunity for strong authentication and mobile devices. Meanwhile, Arxan Technologies expanded its suite of security solutions for the Internet of Things ecosystem.
Arxan Expands IoT Security Arsenal
New Report Predicts Major Opportunities in IoT Transportation
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