Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 2003)
'mu SciITech The Battalion Pag| 5 • Tuesday, November 18, 2003 'gat centti !g ISi 1 in theirtj. "■niofmeij ey existed ited worli) then feai® flocked m\i ings, ■ is that ac? he comp ties for vide ow to locj; .bonus trad- s might ki; tvilhoutk ind directe: n or tal messas le too nil messaget.: ig tidbits ti e musics ormatioiit From ■ les.lhete.; )eopleneir ie me connectif' y of top ireggjtft nice wait' >ut spendi erf Sari 1 Giving cell phones the credit they’re due New technology provides cellular phones with same buying power as credit cards By Kyle Ross The battalion The things a cell phone can do beyond interpersonal conversations seems to be growing by the day. Electronic gaming, photography, text and voice messaging, phone books and appointment books are just a few of the extra tools currently made available. Now, with the combined effort of credit card companies and a South Korean-based telecommunication cor poration, a new J ing remit a! c kwardsrf and "T r: etting ^ on tsure# been their e# ptist ays. k. ered ha eacherb pre-k ^ ichool' II Park* 11 hool,W’ ! W technology has been produced that will give consumers the ability to use their cell phones to pay for products. Harex InfoTech, the company awarded the exclu sive rights to mar ket this system, has been the leading force in developing the technology. Damon Gonzalez, in charge of business development for Harex, says it was only a matter of time before cell phones became a new form of credit card. “The meat of a credit card, debit card or even a driver license is the digital electronic information stored in the magnetic strip on the back of the card,” Gonzalez said. “The credit card account data is stored electroni cally in memory (of the cell phone) the same way it is on the back of the plastic card.” Using an infrared beam, account data can be sent wirelessly from a cell phone to a small cashier terminal, com pletely erasing the need for plastic I think it would be nice if I could use my cell phone to pay for things. My only worry is if it would be secure. cards. Rather than handing over a card for swiping, users can type in a person al password and press a button. Financial transactions, performed thousands of times a day, are simply adjustments to memory banks in com puters, Gonzalez said. It is this system that makes it possible to think of cell phones as credit cards. “I think it would be nice if I could use my cell phone to pay for things,” said Mark Baughman, a junior electrical engineering major. “My only worry is if it would be secure.” No need to worry. Security did not take a back seat when develop ing this technolo gy, Gonzalez said. The transmission is encrypted, and — Mark Baughman junior electrical engineering major the use of a pass word ensures pro tection against fraudulent activity. When the phone-based card is — used, the credit expiration date or card remains hidden. card number, verification value allowing only the computer system to see them. “It’s the time-worn tale of giving your plastic card to a waiter who copies down the. information visible on the card and later uses it to pay for a tropi cal vacation,” Gonzales said. “Using a cell phone eliminates such a worry.” Disabling a lost or stolen cell phone will also be preferable to losing a credit card because noticing the loss will be instantaneous. “It is usually a matter of weeks before most people realize they've lost their plastic card, while losing your phone is something you know about readily, often within a few minutes,” Gonzalez said. “In the first case, a thief has plenty of time for mischief with your card. However, in the latter it is possible to dis able the electronic card before the thief has a chance to get to the next store.” While consumers may enjoy the convenience and security of this tech nology, people such as Sam Boggan, store manager of The Gap in College Station, are more excited about the time it will save them. “Anything that streamlines the checkout process is what is desirable to us,” Boggan said. “If this would cut back checkout time and paperwork and give us more time to do things like actually sell the product, it would be great.” Baughman’s concerns with security are an accurate sample of the sort of feedback already being received by Gonzalez as far as acceptance of this technology. “Our experience with persuading peo ple that mobile phones could be electric wallets suffi cient for us anywhere in the world has not been met with reser vations but with wild enthusiasm,” Gonzalez said. “It hasn't been so much a matter of ‘Why should I do that?’ but rather a question of ‘When?’ and ‘Where do I buy one of these things?’” 3rd Annual Texas A & M University i SYMPOSIUM AN EVENING OF DIALOGUE Dr. Karan Watson Moderator Oran of tkultia A Associate Provost.TAMU Hector Gutierrez, Jr. ’69 Managing Director HILIX'O I’artners, Board of Directors, The Association of f ormer Students Dr. Frances Kendall Dr, James Anderson Cynthia Rocha Consultant on Organizational Change & Communication Specializing in Issues of Diversity Vice President and Dircetnr of Diversity. Associate Provost for ll-P.-B Institutional Assessment and Diversity. TAMU Discover what these individuals have to say about diversity - and the experiences they have had in their lives. Take part in a discussion where we will seek to understand each other and celebrate diversity at Texas A&M. THURSDAY NOVEMBBi 20 7:00 PM Rudder Theater http://sgadiversity.tamu.edu (979) 845-305! Admission Is FREE EDC Pam ol the Texas Higher Education Diversity Conlerence ARE YOU LOST? Find yourself at the Library You never knew you could have such great drinks at such great prices! FREE ENTRANCE TILL 11 PM TUESDAY NIGHTS s 2 Martinis ALL NIGHT *1 Wells TILL MIDNIGHT THE Librar Meet • Drink • Lounge Tuesday-Saturday 9p.m. - 2a.m. available for private parties contact: Jimmie Hammond 979-739-1967 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY! THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY I LARGE I-TOPPING 99 pu/oniy $ 5. 5 2 LARGE I-TOPPING $|2 9 9 ® pu/delivery I EX-LARGE 2-TOPPING $ I0. 50 r 9 pu/delivery I LARGE 2-TOPPING & 2 liter drink $1 I 99 I • pu/delivery PICK YOUR SIDE LARGE 2 TOPPING AND I SIDE 78 pu/delivery 12. FAMILY SPECIAL I LARGE SPECIALTY I LARGE 2 TOPPING $ 16. 99 ANY LARGE SPECIALTY 99 *11. Northgate Post Oak Square Center Rock Prairie 601 University Dr. 100 Harvey Rd., Suite D 1700 Rock Prairie 979-846-3600 979-764-7272 979-680-0508 Sunday: 1 1 a.nra. - midnight Monday - Wednesday: 1 1 a.m. - t Thursday: 1 1 a.m. - 2 a.m. Friday & Saturday: 11 a.m. - 3 a.