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Android Ships 33M Smartphones to Lead World: Canalys

Google's Android platform shipped 33.3 million units, or roughly one-third of the 101.2 million smartphones shipped across the globe, Canalys said.

Google's Android operating system became the world's leading smartphone platform, accounting for 33.3 million of the 101.2 million smartphones shipped worldwide in the fourth quarter 2010, according to researcher Canalys.

Canalys, which crunched smartphone shipments across North America, Asia Pacific, EMEA and Latin America, said Android edged the struggling Nokia, which sold 31 million units for the quarter.

Android's market share closed hewed to its shipment total, at 32.9 percent, while Nokia was at 30.6 percent share through Q4.

Apple sold 16.2 million iPhones, good for a 16 percent share and solid third place. Research In Motion, which finds its smartphone leadership position squeezed in the U.S. market by Apple iPhones and Android handsets, followed Apple with 14.6 million units shipped on 14.4 percent share.

No. 5 smartphone provider Microsoft's unit shipments and market share were 3.1 million and 3.1 percent, respectively for Q4.

HTC and Samsung together accounted for nearly 45 percent of Android handset shipments worldwide.

Moreover, Android's volume growth was astronomical across LG, Samsung, Acer and HTC, where shipment volumes grew 4,127 percent, 1,474 percent, 709 percent and 371 percent, respectively, from the year-ago period.

Android clearly didn't catch fire in the market until 2010, partly triggered by the first major marketing push of Verizon's Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Eris in the 2009 holiday season.

While Canalys analyst Chris Jones allowed that 2010 was a "fantastic year for the smartphone market," he expects 2011 to be a highly competitive year as Google, Apple, RIM and Microsoft tout newfangled technologies.

Jones pointed to the arrival of dual-core processors, near field communications chips and 3D displays in smartphone software and handsets.

Indeed, Motorola is seizing on the dual-core momentum to bring the Motorola Atrix 4G from AT&T this quarter and the Droid Bionic in Q2.

Samsung already sells the Android-based Nexus S with NFC support. Ideally, this capability will enable mobile payments and other perks to take advantage of the short-range wireless technology.

Android led the U.S. smartphone market in shipping 12.1 million units for Q4, or nearly three times those of RIM's BlackBerry devices.

Don't forget about Apple. Canalys analyst Tim Shepherd said the U.S. mobile market will "shift dramatically" in 2011 thanks to Verizon's agreement to sell the iPhone 4 starting Feb. 10.

"Verizon will move its focus away from the Droid range, but the overall market impact will mean less carrier-exclusive deals, while increasing the AT&T opportunity for Android vendors, such as HTC, Motorola and Samsung," Shepherd added.

Most analysts expect iPhone to easily outstrip Android in the United States, tacking 10 million to 20 million unit sales via Verizon alone.

Eredeti cikk: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Android-Ships-33M-Smartphones-to-Lead-World-Canalys-162803/

London To Lead World As Plans Unveiled For Travel With Just A Swipe Of A Contactless Bank Card

London will lead the world in 2012 when it will become the first city in the world where passengers are able to access an entire transport network with just a swipe of their contactless bank or credit card.

By the end of 2012 card readers across the whole of the Transport for London (TfL) network will have been upgraded so that a touch of a contactless bank or credit card will allow passengers to touch in and out for pay as you go travel on the bus, Tube, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), Tram and London Overground network.

The new system will be up and running on all of London's 8,000 buses in time for the 2012 Games, enabling quick and easy bus travel for the millions of visitors who will flock to the Capital to enjoy the greatest show on earth.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said, "It is tip top news that from next year a simple tap of a contactless bank card will be enough to whizz you from A to B in this great city."

"London leads the way in so many different fields and we will be the first in the world to allow the millions using our Tube, trams, buses and trains to benefit from the ease of using this technology."

Millions of customers

The system will be rolled out onto the Tube, DLR, Tram and London Overground network before the end of 2012.

Discussions are also under way with the Train Operating Companies that serve London about whether contactless payment cards could be used on National Rail services where Oyster is currently accepted.

Oyster will also continue to be accepted for the many millions of customers who use it every day.

To make the new system possible TfL is upgrading software in the Oyster smartcard system to recognise contactless credit and debit cards issued by Visa, MasterCard and American Express as well as Oyster cards.

Forefront of ticketing technology

Customers will be able to touch in with their contactless credit and debit cards in the same way that they can today to make low value purchases in many coffee shops and other retail outlets.

TfL has been at the forefront of ticketing technology for a decade and is renowned for the success of its Oyster smartcard ticketing with over 40m Oyster cards issued since 2003.

Contactless payment is another innovative development to London's ticketing system and TfL is leading the way globally with its introduction.

TfL has worked closely with the banking industry, including Visa Europe, MasterCard and American Express and card issuers, in order to bring contactless payment to London's transport network.

No need for a PIN

The software upgrade being delivered on the Oyster system will be fully approved by the payment schemes and will make full use of the payments industry's security systems.

Certain features of contactless payments will be adapted to suit the public transport environment - for example, customers will never be asked to enter a PIN at a busy station gate-line.

Customers who choose to pay this way will be charged for their travel directly from their bank or credit card account, removing the need to go out of their way to top up Oyster pay as you go credit balances.

The new system will make London's public transport far more accessible for domestic and international visitors.

Touching in

Most visitors currently arrive in London without any kind of public transport ticket in their possession, and have to spend their valuable time buying one.

But this enhancement to the Oyster system will mean visitors with a contactless credit or debit card are able to enter the transport network as soon as they arrive simply by touching in with their bank card at the Oyster reader.

When fully rolled out, the technology will work even if their card was issued by an overseas bank.

This innovation will significantly increase visitors' ability to make the most of their time in London, and will increase London's attractiveness as a destination for tourism and business and its competitiveness with other world cities.

Leading the way

Contactless payment will also reduce commissions and processing costs for TfL, as well as enabling a reduction in the number of Oyster cards produced and issued. It is another example of TfL's efforts to operate more efficiently and provide value for money for London's fare and taxpayers.

Will Judge, TfL's Head of Future Ticketing, said, "We are leading the way globally with this project, and with over 12 million contactless debit and credit cards already in circulation in the UK, we are confident that this payment option will be widely adopted in the coming years, either as an alternative to Oyster or as a back up for when the Oyster card is left at home."

"As more people use their bank issued cards to pay for their travel directly, TfL's costs will reduce, delivering better value for money for London's fare and taxpayers."

Mark Austin, VP and Head of Visa contactless, Visa Europe, said, "We are expecting 20 million contactless debit and credit cards to be issued by the start of 2012."

Shared vision

"This initiative between TfL and the banking industry will be a great new convenient service which will save people time queuing to either purchase tickets or top up their Oyster card."

Hany Fam, President of MasterCard UK & Ireland, said, "We've been working closely with TfL since 2006 to make this shared vision a reality and recently announced a deal for the exclusive branding of TfL's Oyster card wallet for 2011."

"MasterCard was the first to introduce contactless bankcard payments on UK public transport in 2009 and we're delighted that from 2012 consumers with a PayPass card issued anywhere in the world can use it to access London's transport system."

"We believe that London's leadership will pave the way for adoption of contactless payments in other major cities across the world."

In talks

Scott Abrahams, Vice President UK Merchant Services for American Express, said, "The introduction of contactless payments on the TfL network is great news for commuters and visitors to London."

"The UK is leading the world in the implementation of contactless payments and its introduction on the TfL network will put London at the forefront of emerging payment technologies."

"American Express is pleased to be leading the way in partnership with TfL."

TfL is also in talks with transport operators around the world to share detailed information and experience on using this technology on their systems.

If these other operators choose to follow TfL's path, this would allow passengers to use their debit and credit cards on urban transport networks across the globe.

Eredeti cikk: http://thesmartsense.com/contactless/19687

MTA New York City Transit, New Jersey Transit and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have collaborated with Visa to create a payment system that uses Visa's PayWave technology and several popular smartphones, including the iPhone. Travelers trying out the service can pay for passage onto the trains by simply waving a properly-equipped iPhone over a special sensor at the turnstiles.

Here's how it works. First, iPhones equipped with PayWave and special sensors (don't ask us how you get one) are activated, which let the users know when it's ready to use. Then, it's held before the sensor and presto! You're in.

Currently, the pilot program is limited to 28 stops along the Lexington line of the New York subway system. Similar testing is being done in London, Paris, Istanbul, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

It's a neat idea. I've certainly lost track of how much credit I've got on a card, and I detest waiting in line at the machine. Of course, this also means an increase of people waving easily dropped (or grabbed) iPhones around.

Eredeti cikk: http://www.tuaw.com/2010/09/23/new-york-new-jersey-transit-pilot-iphone-payment-system/

February 24, 2009

Despite recent evidence to the contrary, the major airlines are not out to make your life miserable. A handful of carriers, including American Airlines and Continental Airlines, have kicked off pilot programs designed to let you skip the check-in counter or kiosk while helping the environment. And they’re using a business traveler’s best friend to make it all possible—the cell phone.

Sure, if you’re coming from home or the office you can check in from your desktop and print an e-ticket, but mobile check-in promises greater speed and convenience. After all, using your phone—instead of being stuck ticketless in traffic on the way to the airport—could be the difference between making or missing that flight.

Boarding planes with the swipe of a phone is just the latest in a longer line of self-service check-in options, including airport kiosks and online check-in. All the major domestic airlines, including American, Continental, Delta, Southwest, United Airlines, and US Airways have mobile sites. But not all let users check the status of their flights. To do that, you’re still better off downloading a dedicated app, such as Flight Status for iPhone ($4.99) or WorldMate Live Gold for BlackBerry ($99.95 a year), which among other things, pulls information from FlightStats.com.

How Mobile Boarding Works

Travelers who want to take advantage of mobile boarding must first check in through the airline’s mobile site on their phone’s browser. As long as the device is Web-enabled and can receive e-mails and display images, you’re good to go, regardless of the screen size.

After checking in, you’ll see a two-dimensional, encrypted bar code on the screen. Provided your airport has the right equipment, airline officials can scan the bar code on your cell, both at security checkpoints and the gate. If for some reason the system fails, attendants can print your boarding pass at the gate.

American Airlines lets passengers use their cell phone as a boarding pass in Chicago O’Hare International, Los Angeles International, and John Wayne–Orange County airports. Continental has programs in George Bush Intercontinental, LaGuardia International, Newark Liberty International, Ronald Reagan Washington National, Cleveland Hopkins International, San Antonio International, Austin-Bergstrom International, and Logan International airports. Delta is running trials at New York’s LaGuardia International Airport. In total, 13 airlines worldwide offer mobile boarding options.

"We view it as a customer-service initiative," said Mary Clark, a spokeswoman for Continental Airlines. "Our customers have been telling us that they like self-service options, and this is just an addition to a number of other options we have available; allowing them to use their own technology to save time and paper."

But airports and airlines appreciate that these bar codes cannot be replicated, even when printed. "For the TSA it’s an additional security layer to be able to ensure a passenger is not trying to use a fake boarding pass," said Lara Uselding, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration. Acknowledging the rare few instances of passengers printing counterfeit boarding passes, she said that the TSA hopes to apply the same embedding technology into its paper passes as it does its mobile ones.

Ready for Take-Off?

Despite its convenience, mobile boarding still has its drawbacks. For now, the U.S. airlines are offering the service just on domestic flights, and since only a handful of airports are participating, you might have to wait in line for a paper boarding pass on your return trip. Moreover, booking a reservation for multiple people—say, family members—is less convenient; your phone can display only one boarding pass (i.e., for one passenger). Plus, it’s limited to direct flights. And mobile boarding passes may not prove time-saving for those who check luggage (not that you’d want to, given the $25 fees some airlines charge to check a first bag).

Although Clark would not say how Continental Airlines identifies which airports should be equipped for mobile boarding, she said that the airline intends to roll out the service to all airports where Continental operates. (The TSA and a spokesperson for American Airlines made similar predictions.)

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which created the bar code standard and whose 230-plus member airlines compose 93 percent of air traffic, has no deadline for the implementation of mobile boarding passes, but it has mandated that bar code–based boarding passes replace the current magnet standard by the end of 2010 among all members. The association set this deadline in 2005. Since then, airports and airlines alike have had to take on the costs of upgrading their technology, which will save the industry up to $1.5 billion every year.

"It’s a massive undertaking to convert anything industry-wide," said Lorne Riley, an IATA spokesman. "If you look at what we’ve done successfully with electronic ticketing, we went from 20 percent ticketing in 2004 to 100 percent just four years later. With bar-coded boarding passes, we’re using a similar time frame. Within five years we will [have] rid the industry of these expensive, outdated solutions." He added that more than 200 airlines were bar code–enabled by the end of 2008.

Grant Martin, editor of travel blog Gadling.com, said his one experience with mobile boarding didn’t save time—it wasted it. When flying nonstop from New York to Detroit on Northwest Airlines, he had no problem checking in using his iPhone. But when he approached his first TSA agent, presenting her with his phone and driver’s license, he was greeted with an annoyed, "Oh ... one of those." The bar code didn’t register at first, but it worked once Martin zoomed in on it.

When he advanced to the security checkpoint the agent made him put his phone in a bucket but then asked why he didn’t have his boarding pass on him. Martin explained. The agent’s response? A roll of the eyes and a pat down.

Continental’s Clark, who said mobile boarding passes have more-obvious benefits for the airlines, contended that mobile boarding passes need more work—not just time. "For customers to save time checking in, it has to be convenient. You have to be able to pay fees for checking bags and purchasing upgrades via a phone or mobile device," she said. "And you need support from the airline staff if there’s a technical problem." We’re going to go out on a limb and say that mobile boarding won’t go anywhere until there’s no need for tech support and all agents become better educated

Eredeti cikk: http://www.laptopmag.com/business/travel/your-next-e-ticket.aspx#axzz16OoyKJA5

2010. november 17.

San Franciscoban november 15 és 17-e között kerül megrendezésre a Web 2.0 Summit konferencia, ahol a jelentősebb informatikai cégek vezetői előadást tartanak. A nyitónapon egy interjút készítettek Eric Schmidttel, a Google vezérigazgatójával, ahol több érdekes információra is fény derült. A legjelentősebb fejlesztésnek az NFC kommunikációt nevezte meg, melynek működéséhez egy speciális chip szükséges, ami a jövőben képes lehet kiváltani a napjainkban használt hitelkártyákat. Mit is jelent ez a sokak által eddig ismeretlen NFC technológia?

Az NFC (Near Field Communication) egy rövidhullámú RFID technológia, mely a rádióalapú kommunikációs eszközöket hivatott leváltani bizonyos esetekben, főként biztonsági okokból. A működéséhez fizikai érintkezés vagy nagyon kis távolság (kevesebb, mint 10 cm) szükséges, így akár mobil pénztárcaként is használhatjuk és fizethetünk vele az arra alkalmas elfogadóhelyeken. Az NFC a későbbiekben akár kiválthatja majd a Bluetooth technológia elavult párosítási eljárását.

A Google a szabványos NFC technológiát támogatja, annak érdekében, hogy minél több eszközzel képesek legyenek majd kommunikálni az Android készülékek. A konferencián Schmidt egyértelműen kijelentette, hogy a Google nem gyárt eszközöket, de ezután mégis egy “ismeretlen” készüléket húzott elő a zsebéből, melyen semmilyen gyártói megjelölést nem látszott, egyszerű fekete telefon, lekerekített sarkokkal, nem túl nagy kijelzővel. A készülék a T-Mobile USA hálózatát használta és beépített NFC támogatással rendelkezett. Emellett megjegyezte: “Mint már mondtam, nem lesz Nexus 2″. Mindemellett azt is megtudhattuk, hogy az Android Gingerbread 2.3 néhány héten belül jelenik majd meg vélhetően a “titkos” készülékkel egyidőben. Valószínűsíthetően a készüléket a Samsung gyártja majd, amit majd egy közös sajtótájékoztató keretein belül mutatnak be. Kíváncsian várjuk, hogy milyen újdonsággal áll elő az új készülék és ezzel párhuzamosan a Gingerbread OS is.

Eredeti cikk: http://androidhungary.com/2010/11/beepitett-bankkartya-funkcio-a-jovo-android-keszulekeiben/

Sep 23rd 2010

MTA New York City Transit, New Jersey Transit and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have collaborated with Visa to create a payment system that uses Visa's PayWave technology and several popular smartphones, including the iPhone. Travelers trying out the service can pay for passage onto the trains by simply waving a properly-equipped iPhone over a special sensor at the turnstiles.

Here's how it works. First, iPhones equipped with PayWave and special sensors (don't ask us how you get one) are activated, which let the users know when it's ready to use. Then, it's held before the sensor and presto! You're in.

Currently, the pilot program is limited to 28 stops along the Lexington line of the New York subway system. Similar testing is being done in London, Paris, Istanbul, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

It's a neat idea. I've certainly lost track of how much credit I've got on a card, and I detest waiting in line at the machine. Of course, this also means an increase of people waving easily dropped (or grabbed) iPhones around.

Tyfone and First Data say they hope to start offering products to end-users in the second half of this year.

Eredeti cikk: http://www.tuaw.com/2010/09/23/new-york-new-jersey-transit-pilot-iphone-payment-system/

Marc, 17 2010

IDG News Service - Tyfone is putting the pieces together for a commercial mobile wallet offering, forming an alliance with First Data.

Tyfone has developed an offering similar to what's known as near field communications that lets users tap their phones against a scanner at a cash register to pay for something. But rather than building the technology into the phone or on the SIM card, Tyfone builds it on a MicroSD card.

That makes it easier to remotely make changes to the card over the air and could make the concept more palatable in the U.S., where MicroSD cards are more universal than SIM cards. People with Tyfone's product can use the MicroSD card to store other data like music, in addition to the mobile payment technology.

The deal means that First Data, which handles transactions, will supply Tyfone's cards and the software platform that helps manage the cards to merchants and financial institutions.

The companies, however, have not announced any deals with critical partners: retailers or banks that have committed to using the cards.

There are a few scenarios in which a retailer could use the cards, said Siva Narendra, chief technology officer of Tyfone. A merchant like Starbucks, for example, could give or sell the cards to customers who would use them like they already use prepaid Starbucks cards. Starbucks, which sells music in addition to coffee, could even preload songs onto the MicroSD card.

Banks could also issue the Tyfone cards in place of existing debit or credit cards.

Tyfone says the scanners are becoming more common. "Contactless reader infrastructure deployment is its own lifecycle. That's being seeded by the fact that plastic cards--there are 20 million plus--have contactless payment capabilities," Narendra said. Some credit cards already feature the same kind of chips as Tyfone's MicroSD cards, letting users tap them at the cash register to pay.

In addition, Tyfone expects that its technology might first work in the transportation sector. There are already 13 major cities in the U.S. that either have the contactless payment infrastructure in place or are in the process of installing it this year, he said. That means that a transportation agency could allow riders to buy Tyfone's MicroSD cards and tap their phones when entering a bus to pay for the ride.

End-users can reference an application on their phones to check the balance of a prepaid card. A Tyfone card issuer can set up security in various ways, including requiring a user to enter a password before the card is debited.

Users won't need to buy additional Tyfone cards, swapping them in and out of the phone when necessary, if they want to use the cards for multiple payment purposes. "Let's say you have a debit card and tomorrow you get a prepay card. You don't need to change the card. You can get the application downloaded into the security chip remotely," Narendra said.

Tyfone and First Data aren't alone in working on this type of concept. Earlier this year Visa signed a deal with DeviceFidelity to market a similar MicroSD card system. It is designed to let end-users make Visa payments at any retailer that can scan a contactless device.

Tyfone may also have some competition from phone applications. For instance, Starbucks is trialing an iPhone app that serves as a prepaid card. When users approach the register in a store they bring up the application, which features a barcode representing their account. The clerk scans the barcode, which debits the user's account.

Companies have been working on the idea of using a mobile phone as a wallet for years. In late 2006, Nokia formed a joint venture company designed to encourage near-field communications technologies. But in December last year, it sold its share in the company.

One of the biggest barriers may have been the idea of building the technology into the hardware of mobile phones or on SIM cards, which requires all the other parties involved in the technology to work with mobile operators. "That's what has put the breaks on NFC," said Narendra. Plus, in the U.S., some operators don't use SIM cards.

Tyfone and First Data say they hope to start offering products to end-users in the second half of this year.

Eredeti cikk: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9171439/First_Data_Tyfone_work_on_mobile_wallet?taxonomyId=15&pageNumber=1

2009. július 20.

Bolgár eset cáfol rá azokra a jóslatokra, melyek a vonalkódot felváltó RFID technológia jövőbeni kizárólagos térnyerését vetítik előre. Az évi fél milliós látogatószámmal büszkélkedő Balcsik Botanikus kert ugyanis hagyományos jegyrendszerét nemrégiben vonalkóddal működő automatikus kapukra cserélte, amely eredményesen és költséghatékony módon egészíti ki a rendszeres látogatók esetében alkalmazott RFID technológiát.

Európa vezető botanikus kertjében szükségessé vált a váltás, hiszen a huszonhat hektáros területre telepített változatos növényvilág látogatóinak száma a bolgár turizmus fejlődésének köszönhetően eléri éves szinten az ötszázezer főt. Habár a botanikus kert a rendszeres vendégek esetén korábban már rendelkezett rádiófrekvenciás, azaz RFID alapon működő beléptető kártyával, azonban ez a megoldás nem bizonyult elég költséghatékonynak a szélesebb körű forgalomba hozatalhoz. A kert így a Citizen Systems berendezéseivel megvalósuló vonalkódos rendszer mellett döntött, hiszen a belépőjegyre nyomtatott egyedi azonosító segítségével egyszerre oldódott meg a tömegek esetében is kényelmes beléptetés a működési költségek csökkentése mellett.

Szakértők szerint az RFID főleg technikai és gazdaságossági okokból nem fogja a vonalkódok alkalmazását záros határidőn belül lecserélni. Az RFID-chipek kiolvasása valós környezetben igen körülményes, illetve egyes chipek bekerülési költsége nem valószínű, hogy a közeli jövőben versenyképes lesz a vonalkódok használatával szemben.

A vonalkódok megbízhatósága, költséghatékony volta a beléptető rendszereken túl a logisztikában is kiválóan egészítheti ki az RFID technológiák adattárolási kapacitásait, így halmozott előnyhöz juttatva a szervezet vállalatirányítási rendszerét. Szakértők véleménye szerint az RFID és a vonalkód együttes integrációja olyan kulcstechnológiát kínálhat egy vállalatnak, mely hosszú távon a legjobb üzleti előnyöket nyújtja. (Citizen)

Eredeti cikk: http://www.hscf.net/039ikf_hirex/039_290720cit_botkert.htm

2009. május 21.

Több mint harminc százalékkal nagyobb bevétel, kényelmesebb utazás lenne elérhető egyes hazai tömegközlekedési vállalatoknál, ha vonalkód alapú jegynyomtatást vezetnének be.

A Citizen közreműködésével Szófia metróhálózatában bevezetett vonalkód-rendszer jóvoltából a korábbinál jóval nagyobb bevételt ért el a bolgár főváros közlekedési vállalata. A Citizen becslése szerint hasonló nagyságrendű eredményeket lehetne elérni Magyarországon is.

A Szófiában viszonylag későn, az 1990-es években kiépített metróhálózatot eleve a mai ember igényeihez alakították ki. Metrórendszerük nem csak gyorsaságával igazodik a modern élet kihívásaihoz, de újabban vonalkódos jegykezelési rendszere is megkönnyíti a közlekedést az utasok számára. A rendszer központi elemei a metróállomások területén található jegykiadó automatákba szerelt, fejlett vonalkód-nyomtatók. Ezek a kiadott jegyekre egyedi vonalkód-azonosítót helyeznek, és mivel a speciális jegykiadó automaták nem előre kinyomtatott jegyeket tartalmaznak, azok mindig az aktuális igényekre szabhatók. Ezzel a módszerrel nélkülözhetővé válnak a már előre elkészített jegyek nyomtatási, tárolási, szállítási költségei, így csökkenhet a metrójegyek aktuális eladási ára is.

A rendszer további előnye, hogy a metróhoz való eljutást minden esetben a vonalkód azonosítása előzi meg, mely a jegyen található egyedi jel segítségével lehetetlenné teszi a bliccelést. A szófiai metrónál ennek a 100 százalékos kontrollnak köszönhetően közvetlenül a rendszer bevezetése után 32 százalékos forgalomnövekedést tapasztaltak a jegyeladásokban.

A bolgár fővárosban az új vonalkódos beléptetőrendszer kiépítése gyorsan megtérülő beruházásnak minősült, mivel az új infrastruktúra és a nyomtató-kioszkok kiépítése már rövidtávon meghozta a hasznot a város számára. A szófiai projekt a bevezetést követő három éven belül a jegyeladások költségeit tekintve is jelentős megtakarítást eredményezett, amelyek tovább javították a tömegközlekedési vállalat eredményét. (Citizen)

Eredeti cikk: http://www.hscf.net/039ikf_hirex/039_290521vonalkod.htm

We don't need no stinkin' NFC By Bill Ray

Posted in Mobile, 17th December 2008 16:39 GMT

The UK's rail operators have agreed to adopt a national standard for electronic tickets with bar-codes, opening the way for train tickets on mobile phones to be accepted everywhere.

Following successful trails with various train companies Masabi has worked with the Rail Settlement plan - the body that cross charges networks for ticketing to create an open standard for train tickets carrying bar codes to be accepted across rail franchises - enabling tickets to be printed out at home, or even displayed on mobile-phone screens, and used on journeys between network operators.

Eredeti cikk: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/17/train_bar_codes/

Aug, 24 2009

The UK government is proposing the introduction of an England-wide smart ticketing system that will let travellers pay for bus and train journeys using their NFC-enabled bank cards and mobile phones.

The national plans come in the wake of London's successful Oyster card system, which is now used for 78% of bus and tube journeys.

Central to the plan is a national ticketing infrastructure using the government-backed ITSO smartcard specification which will enable 'tickets' to work anywhere in the country.

Travellers could then use mobile phones and bank cards to pay directly for journeys by tapping them against specially equipped readers.

The department for transport estimates that the benefits of a universal 'integrated smart' system could be as much as £2 billion per year through improved journey times and faster, more convenient and reliable purchasing and use of tickets, with benefits for local government and operators too.

Transport Minister Sadiq Khan, transport minister, says: "We know that passengers want quicker journeys and better reliability, and smart ticketing will help us do that. We could see the end to waiting in line at ticket machines, while buses could spend half the amount of time sitting at the bus stop waiting for people to board and looking for the right change. In some cases, direct payments may even do away with the need for a ticket at all."

Jonathan Bray, director, passenger transport executive group support unit, adds: "Oystercard has become intrinsic to London life - passengers have a right to expect a similar deal in the next tier of major urban areas."

Transport for London recently revealed the Oyster card could be dumped by 2010 in favour of a system that uses mobile phones or bank cards.

A consultation on the ticketing proposals can be found here.

Source : Finextra

Eredeti cikk: http://www.nextendis.com/uk-plans-to-ditch-paper-transport-tickets-for-mobile-phones-and-bank-cards.html

The construction of new section of Prague’s subway includes building of new parking lots of Park and Ride (P+R) system in Praha Letňany. Mikroelektronika is supplying a complex system consisting of entry and exit terminals and ticket vending machines.

These parking spaces are connected to the fare collection system of public transport. Drivers are provided with the discounted fare in the mass transit vehicles. The P+R parking in Letňany, with capacity of 700 vehicles is equipped with five machines. In spite of the common ticket vending machines used in Prague, these at P+R systems are equipped with barcode reader. The barcode ticket is used in entry and exit terminals and based on this ticket, the ticket vending machine issues tickets with discounted fare.

The parking systems in Letňany was launched in the middle of May together with the new subway section. The total number of ticket vending machines at Prague’s P+R system reached 40.

Eredeti cikk: http://www.mikroelektronika.cz/fare-collection-systems/novinky

Access have released products to satisfy the fast-growing need to read barcodes from the screens of mobile devices including phones and PDAs. Mobile tickets and vouchers are increasingly used as a low-cost and convenient method of issuing tickets for transport, entertainment and events, and as a way to send offers in the form of vouchers to drive footfall to retail outlets.

Devices are designed to be intuitive to use by operators or the general public making them suitable for self-service scanning in kiosks or in counter top applications.

LSR devices operate on presentation of a mobile phone or PDA. The high performance 2D barcode imager captures barcodes in any orientation in less than a second of presentation of the mobile device. The LSR110 confirms a successful read via bright green LED and audible alarm.

Devices can be configured with data format settings and to also respond to host messages. Serial RS232 and USB (serial or keyboard) interface versions are available. The LSR imagers reads all popular linear, PDF417 and 2D symbologies.

Eredeti cikk: http://www.access-is.com/phone_pda_barcode_reader.php