Hong Kong subway riders will soon use QR payments

Jesse Collins
QR payments - Hong Kong Subway

Commuters will be able to scan a barcode to pay their fare for using the public transportation. The Hong Kong subway system will soon allow riders to use QR payments to pay their fare. This use of QR code scans as a form of ticketing is rising in popularity all over the world. The Hong Kong subway system’s mobile payments are a part of a new deal with Ant Financial. The deal between the subway system and Ant Financial – Alibaba’s payment affiliate – was first announced last week. As…

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New WhatsApp QR code feature will allow users to easily share contact info

Amanda Giasson
WhatsApp QR Codes - WhatsApp on mobile phone

WhatsApp to introduce a new tool that will make adding and sharing contact info easier. A WhatsApp QR code feature is reportedly in the works. This new tool will supposedly give WatsApp users the ability to easily share contact information and add contacts via a quick response code. Users simply need to scan a QR code to automatically add the contact to the app. WhatsApp has reportedly been working on these new features for weeks and adding the improvements it has been making in recent app updates, according to WABetaInfo.…

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Tappy adds finger-scanning mobile payments to watch bands

Jennifer Goula
Finger-scanning mobile payments - Women wearing watch

A new battery-less biometric payment authentication system can turn a watch band into a credit or debit card. Tappy Technologies, a Hong Kong-based company, has developed a finger-scanning mobile payments authentication system that is small enough to fit inside a watch band. The system turns the watch band into a secure credit card or debit card, providing wearers with a convenient, battery-free, contactless payment solution. Tappy’s solution gives banks an alternative to sharing transaction fees with bigger tech companies. More and more consumers are becoming comfortable with using their smartwatches…

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Mobile Black Friday shopping predicted to be a top choice for UK shoppers

John Montgallo
Mobile Black Friday Shopping - Mobile phone and computer

An estimated 77% of UK consumer will carry out most of their Black Friday Shopping online. Independent research conducted by Market and Brand Intelligence platform Attest has revealed that there will be an upswing of mobile Black Friday shopping in the UK. The recently released findings show that more than three out of four (77%) of UK shopper will do most of their Black Friday shopping online. This research is bad news for UK high streets. The research suggests that the British high street is likely to suffer from the…

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Indispensable Travel Apps

Ella
Best Travel Apps

Traveling can be both exciting and a little stressful if you don’t have the proper tools to help you along the way. With a little foresight and planning you can load up your smart phone with travel apps that will help you with everything from the trip planning to converting currency, reading signs in foreign languages, and even finding public bathrooms! The following are some indispensable travel apps that will help take the stress out of your vacation, leaving you free to fully enjoy the experience: Tripit This is a…

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CAC deletes nearly 10,000 Chinese social media accounts

L. Green
Chinese Social Media Accounts - Teen Selfie - Mobile Phone

Thousands of social media accounts have been eliminated by the nation’s top cyber authority. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has erased almost 10,000 Chinese social media accounts that it found to be in violation of the law. The account holders were accused of posting online content that the CAC deemed to be vulgar, sensational or politically harmful. Accounts were eradicated for a variety of violations. More specifically, thousands of Chinese social media accounts were erased for violations such as, “spreading politically harmful information, maliciously falsifying (Chinese Communist) party history,…

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The Samsung foldable phone is officially teased at SDC18

Sam Lambert
Samsung Foldable Phone - Infinity Flex Display

Samsung has finally shown off its rumored foldable smartphone. At the Samsung Developer Conference 2018 (SDC18) in San Francisco, during its Day 1 Opening Keynote, the highly rumored Samsung foldable phone was shown off by the company’s senior vice president of global marketing, Justin Denison. The device can be used as a phone and fold out into a tablet. While there have been many rumors about companies building foldable smartphones, the Samsung foldable phone – which has yet to be named – is the first to officially be introduce and…

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Amazon QR code catalog to be snail mailed out for holiday season shopping

Stephanie Beck
Amazon QR code catalog - Presents - holiday shopping

Amazon is giving holiday shoppers the chance to easily link to products via QR codes. Toys R’ Us may be long gone, but this doesn’t mean the end of toy catalogs for the holiday season. In fact, an Amazon QR code catalog called “A Holiday of Play,” may soon be mailed out to consumers across the United States. QR codes will make it easier for consumers to scan and connect to product links. While the Amazon holiday catalog will look like traditional holiday catalogs that are often mailed out around…

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Google Change the Game contest challenges teenage girls to design mobile games

Amanda Giasson
Google Change the Game Challenge - Mazu mobile game - Google Play - LearnDistrict Inc.

Google wants to see more mobile games developed by female gamers. Google Change the Game Design Challenge was launched by the internet giant last spring and challenged thousands of teenage girls to design games they would like to play. After receiving thousands of submissions, five finalists were selected by a group of Google employees and guest judges. The grand prize winner received a $10,000 college scholarship and a $15,000 technology contribution to her school. In addition to these awards, the grand prize winner, Christine – an 11th grader from Vancouver,…

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Virtual reality learning could help disadvantaged youth find employment

L. Green
Virtual reality learning - Grand Hyatt hotel in Shanghai

A new community-hiring program has been introduced by Hyatt Corp. The global hotel chain has a new community-hiring program called RiseHY, which provides young people, who are seeking career opportunities in the hospitality industry, with a virtual reality learning experience. Hyatt hotels around the world have committed to hiring 10,000 “opportunity youth.” The company plans to hire young people of ages 18 to 24 who are neither in school or working. The goal is to hire 10,000 of these individuals by 2025. The virtual reality learning experience provide by RiseHY…

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West Virginians living abroad cast their election ballots via mobile voting

John Montgallo
Mobile voting - Man using smartphone

The remote voting system via mobile device is a pilot project. Almost 140 West Virginians living abroad in 29 counties have used mobile voting in order to participate in the 2018 midterm elections. West Virginia is the first state to run a blockchain-based voting project at such a large scale. The statewide pilot project covers 24 of West Virginia’s 55 counties. It uses a variety of tech, including a combination of smartphones, facial recognition and blockchain to create a large-scale and secure method for West Virginians, including service members, Peace…

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