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Netatmo's first smart door lock works with HomeKit
Smart home company Netatmo already has a HomeKit-friendly video doorbell, connected smoke alarms and AI-equipped security cameras. Now, the company is ready to introduce its first smart lock.
Apple 'surprised' by Germany's new law to open up mobile payments
Germany has introduced new legislation to deal with money-laundering, and it's causing problems for Apple. On Thursday, the German Parliament passed a raft of new measures to bring the country in line with EU directives on money laundering. These include stricter regulations for real estate agents, notaries, auction houses, and operators of electronic money infrastructure. The legislation didn't specifically name Apple nor Apple Pay, but it basically means Apple and Apple Pay.
Xiaomi’s first real smartwatch looks just like an Apple Watch
As Xiaomi gears up to launch its 108-megapixel phone at its November 5th event, the company has also unveiled details of its upcoming smartwatch -- and it looks awfully familiar. The device -- which will probably be called the Mi Watch -- bears a striking resemblance to the Apple Watch.
Starbucks Japan wants customers to pay for coffee with pens
Starbucks Japan sells a range of NFC-enabled goods and accessories linked to a digital wallet, which you can use to pay for your purchase. Unlike Costa's NFC-enabled cups in the UK, though, those products aren't even related to coffee. The latest addition to Starbucks Japan's "Touch" line of goods, for instance, is a pen -- a stylish one at that, with coffee-colored ink. It uses a contactless technology called FeliCa that's widely used in the country, allowing customers to simply tap it on a payment terminal.
Apple's contactless student IDs come to 12 more schools
A new school year is approaching, and for Apple that means an expansion of its contact-free student IDs. Apple Watch and iPhone owners can tap their devices to access campus facilities in 12 more schools, and these are institutions you'll likely recognize -- Georgetown University, the University of Tennessee and the University of San Francisco are some of the institutions. Considering that tap-based IDs were limited to just seven schools before, this is welcome news if you'd rather not pull out plastic to grab lunch or access the gym.
LG Pay goes live in the US
More than two years after it arrived in South Korea, LG's long-delayed contactless mobile payment system has finally gone live in the US. LG Pay is available on the G8 ThinQ at launch. In the coming months, it'll be available on V50 5G, V40, G7 and V35 from Google Play, and it'll work on all future flagship devices.
Germans can soon use their iPhones as virtual ID cards
iOS 13's newly expanded NFC support will be useful for more than just hopping on the subway. Germany is taking advantage of the upcoming software's support for Apple-approved NFC identification documents to let residents scan their ID cards and use them both online and for check-ins at international airports. You'll need to wait for both the release of iOS 13 (likely in September) and the German government's AusweisApp2 to make everything work, but this might just save you the trouble of pulling out your wallet to prove who you are.
NFC-enabled Hot Wheels cars keep tabs on which is fastest
Hot Wheels has done a lot over the past few years to reinvent itself as a brand that's more than just little die-cast cars. We've seen remote control vehicles, augmented reality racing and even cars you build yourself. Now the brand's next step is to go back to its 1/64-scale roots, but with a decidedly modern twist. Hot Wheels ID look like normal cars, but each carries a tiny NFC chip in the bottom that makes it possible to track each car's race time and speed. Now, when kids claim their car is the fastest, they have the data to back it up.
Finally, I can use my iPhone to ride the NYC subway
This morning, as I've done regularly since moving to New York City years ago, I left my Brooklyn apartment to head to Engadget headquarters in Manhattan. In an ideal world, I would've been able to use my iPhone to get through the turnstile at my nearby subway station. But, even though the MTA is now supporting contactless payments services such as Apple Pay, only a handful of stations and buses have so far been upgraded to the new One Metro New York (OMNY) system. The one close to my apartment isn't one of them. Still, I wanted to get the full experience beyond a quick demo from Apple. Thankfully, there's a subway station near our office that has the tap-to-pay turnstiles.
Fitbit devices can pay for your NYC bus or subway ride
Add Fitbit to the growing list of device makers that will support tap-to-pay in New York City's mass transit system. When the city's contactless fare pilot program starts on May 31st, Fitbit Pay-equipped wearables like the Versa Special Edition, Charge 3 Special Edition and Ionic will let you pay per ride on the MTA's Staten Island buses as well as the 4, 5 and 6 subway lines running between Grand Central and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center. You could use your watch to track your gym session one moment and get a ride home the next, in other words.
Apple Pay will work on NYC subways and buses starting May 31st
Ever since I moved to New York City nearly ten years ago, I've had to buy physical MetroCards to ride the subway almost every day. But last week, for the first time ever, I didn't have to swipe my card to get trough the turnstile and catch my train. Instead, the entire process was done on an iPhone, thanks to a demo I tried of the Apple Pay Express Transit feature -- one that will start rolling out to MTA subway and bus stations on Friday, May 31st. This contactless system, which also works with Apple Watch, is as seamless as you might expect: You just hold your device next to the screen on an upgraded tap-to-pay turnstile and, within a second, you'll see a message on the reader that says "GO" and you're on your way.
Apple Pay will support NFC stickers on scooters and parking meters
Apple is reportedly working on a new NFC feature that will allow iPhone users to make Apple Pay purchases by tapping special, NFC-equipped tags. That means retailers won't need bulky terminals, and iPhone users won't need to download a third-party app before, say, buying clothes or adding miles to their scooter rental. According to 9to5mac, Apple is partnering with Bonobos clothing store, PayByPhone parking meters and Bird scooters on the initial roll out.
iOS 12.3 code hints at support for more forms of mass transit
Apple's plans to expand support for mass transit now appear likely to hinge around its next big iOS 12 update. Tap Down Under has found code within iOS 12.3 that hints at support for EMV payment cards (think credit cards like AmEx, Mastercard and Visa) within Apple Pay Express Transit, letting you pay for public transportation fares in New York and other areas where EMV is an option. You could set a preferred card for transportation if you don't want to use your usual card for subway rides.
UK government starts accepting Apple Pay and Google Pay
It's now that much quicker for Brits to pay for official services online -- if you use the right services. The UK government now supports Apple Pay and Google Pay for a handful of online services as part of a trial. Right now, it's primarily useful for travel. You can use your mobile device to quickly pay for Global Entry (fast-tracking entry to the US), the Registered Traveller Service (for frequent non-EU visitors to the UK), the Electronic Visa Waiver Service (for some Middle Eastern visitors to the UK). It'll also work for "basic" DBS checks for work.
New York City's MTA will support Apple Pay in early summer
If you're a New Yorker, you won't have to wait long to use Apple Pay for mass transit. As part of a call discussing Apple's latest earnings, Tim Cook revealed that New York City's transit system would support Apple Pay in early summer, narrowing down the generic "later this year" mentioned in March. He didn't say just which services and routes would be covered, but the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's tap-to-pay OMNY system is supposed to launch May 31st with coverage on the 4, 5 and 6 subway lines as well as Staten Island buses.
Apple could make the iPhone's NFC more useful at WWDC
Apple has a lot in the cards for WWDC, and that might include improvements for... well, cards. The 9to5Mac team and Steve Troughton-Smith claim to have details of developer-friendly updates that will be unveiled in early June, and NFC support would be in line for a serious upgrade. App developers will finally have the option to read NFC tags based on ISO 7816 (usually ID and access cards), FeliCa (Japan's tap-based system) and MiFare (a popular mass transit format). In other words, you might use your iPhone to enter your office or hop aboard a bus in many cities.
Visa will help bring tap-to-pay to more buses and subways
Tap-to-pay is incredibly convenient for mass transit, but it's also incredibly inconsistent. There's no guarantee you'll find it in every big city, let alone smaller burgs that can't justify revamping their turnstiles. Visa wants to fix that -- it's partnering with Planeta Informatica on a new Secure Access Module that brings tap-to-pay to existing public transportation systems. Your bus or subway network wouldn't have to throw everything out to let you pay with your contactless card, smartphone or watch.
Wood block connects you to coffee shop WiFi with a tap
It's not very fun to connect to WiFi at a café or hotel. If you don't have to ask staff for a password, they'll have to print it somewhere -- and it's still a hassle when all you want to do is check your email. Ten One Design thinks it might have a friction-free answer. It's releasing the Wifi Porter, an unassuming wood block that connects your handset to the local network with a tap. NFC-equipped Android phones and 2018 iPhones (the iPhone XS and XR) just have get near the block to get a connection prompt, with no app or password required. If your device doesn't have those luxuries, you can still connect using a QR code on the bottom.
Apple Pay is now accepted at Target and Taco Bell
Some of the last holdouts on tap-to-pay services are finally hopping aboard. Target, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, Hy-Vee and Speedway have all introduced support for Apple Pay (and services like Google Pay by extension), making it trivially easy to check out when you need to run an errand or crave a Taco Supreme. The rollout will be gradual in some cases. Target expects all its 1,850 locations to support the technology in the "coming weeks," while Taco Bell and Jack in the Box expect to complete their deployments in the "next few months."
L'Oreal's wearable sensor tracks UV, pollen and pollution
L'Oreal isn't a brand you'd usually associate with medical technology, but over the past few years it's been making major inroads in skin protection innovation. There was My UV Patch, designed to inform wearers how their skin was being affected by the sun, and then UV Sense, a thumbnail-sized smart device that helped monitor sun exposure. Now, it's launching a battery-free wearable electronic that tracks your exposure to UV, pollution, pollen and humidity.
