Safa T1000 MP3 player with e-wallet

While most of the action on the e-wallet front is focused on cellphones, South Korea's Safa has decided to concentrate on the other device you don't leave home without: a digital audio player. The company's T1000 has a built in T-Money card, which can be used for purchases at participating institutions. As with other near-field payment systems, you can just wave your DAP in the general direction of the payment terminal for it to register. It's an interesting idea, but we'd probably prefer to add both audio and payment functions to our cellphone, rather than pick up a DAP specifically designed to work as a wallet.

[Via New Launches]

[Lee @ Mar 29th 2006 2:11PM]

Sweet, it's a T1000... the Terminator MP3 player. It's also got T-Money.
There's far too much funny here.

Anyway, it's actually pretty nice looking & I dig the little thumb joystick (I know some folks dislike them). And whether you have your e-money on your moto or your DAP, it won't matter in a few years, as they'll all do it.

[diulei @ Mar 29th 2006 2:29PM]

Sounds like a cheesy rapper name.

[SL @ Mar 29th 2006 4:35PM]

actually T-money is a very useful card in Korea because you can pay subway and bus fees with it. it might sound cheesy but if it is incorporated in the cell phone, its going to sell very well IMO. all you need to do is to run cell phone through the scanner and you are in.

plus you dont have to make a separate purchase to get T-money if you are using cell phone because it will charge straight to cell phone bill. IMO a very handy concept to use in Korea.

[SL @ Mar 29th 2006 4:35PM]

actually T-money is a very useful card in Korea because you can pay subway and bus fees with it. it might sound cheesy but if it is incorporated in the cell phone, its going to sell very well IMO. all you need to do is to run cell phone through the scanner and you are in.

plus you dont have to make a separate purchase to get T-money if you are using cell phone because it will charge straight to cell phone bill. IMO a very handy concept to use in Korea.

[ConceptVBS @ Mar 29th 2006 8:42PM]

I use T-Money everyday here in Korea. It is extremely useful for just about everything in public transportion. I dont even have to take the card out to scan it. Just walk past or bump the scanner and it deducts money from the card.

[Max Watson @ Mar 29th 2006 8:59PM]

"just wave your DAP in the general direction of the payment terminal for it to register."

uhh, no. it's more of a "put your wallet on top of the reader and wait for the beep" kind of thing.

[Jason @ Mar 30th 2006 6:37AM]

Cool, so now someone doesn't have to steal your credit card, which you keep in your wallet or purse and protect, they can just make off with your player, which might just be dangling off your belt invitingly, or which you set down on a table when you sit down at a restaurant, etc.

Bad idea.

[josh @ Mar 30th 2006 10:14AM]

my question is what keeps people from making (or stealing) the card readers, going around in public places taking money from people who have no idea whats going on?