I was rather hesitated to write this post when Amelia first suggested to
Blog A Trend. This could bore you to death, and it might sound nonsensical to some of you. But hey, every girl is entitled to dream. So let me bore you for a little while. :)
------------------------------------------------------------------------Mobile TechnologyI'm sure you are all aware with the increasing number of your family and friends using smartphones these days, and how often they're using them. I know one 15-yr old in Jakarta, Indonesia, who's been an avid user of BlackBerry (BB) for a few months now. Last holiday I met him again at a family event, and asked if any of his friends was using BB, he replied, "All of them. Everybody in my class has one." A startling fact, but it's happening. A recent article by
NYTimes, shows young Americans nowadays are becoming proficient in using mobile technology.
"On average, young people spend about two hours a day consuming media on a mobile device, the study found." -- NYTimes.Some people (teens or adults) even have more than one mobile device. In addition to smartphones, they could have
iPod,
Kindle, or soon, the newly-launched
iPad. So it won't be surprising if future generations would have more mobile devices than a pile of receipts/cards in his/her bag. Below is a short explanation on why I think Smart Integrated Wallet could possibly be part of future lifestyle.
What is Smart Integrated Wallet?Smart Integrated Wallet is a thin light mobile device with
Bluetooth technology that works pretty much like ordinary wallet, but smarter. It stores data like credit card details, reward/membership cards, identity cards, cash amount, and receipts. It compiles a log of daily transactions. And it shows numerical and graphical stats of spending behavior based on recorded transactions. Every Smart Integrated Wallet is password protected and comes with a unique WalletID. And just like ordinary wallet, Smart Integrated Wallet could come in various brands.
Why Smart Integrated Wallet?With increasing hectic and demanding lifestyle, future generations will become more critical in running their daily lives. They will require control over information and personal enjoyment. Instantaneous and accuracy are key. In short, the world at their finger tips. No delays, no lost cards, no queuing, no time wasted. Knowing all credit cards, reward/membership cards, identity cards, cash, and receipts are constantly intact and available on demand, will be a necessity.
Smart Integrated Wallet would eliminate the possibility of misplaced cards/cash/receipts. It would eliminate the need of physical monetary notes, thus eliminate the need of ATM machines and money changers. When travelling, no more scouring around the city looking for your_international_bank ATM machine or money changer. Banks/merchants/institutions would only need to issue card details, no actual card needed. No time wasted in searching for misplaced cards, reporting lost cards, and getting replacement cards.
How would Smart Integrated Wallet work?To enable Smart Integrated Wallet, a password will be required. To store credit card/reward/membership card details, you would need to enter the data to the device. This would be as easy as updating contacts in smartphones. These are the only data that could be edited in Smart Integrated Wallet.
To receive/store cash amount, a fund transfer to your registered WalletID in the currency of your choice, could be done through internet banking by using your smartphone.
To store identity cards, the related government agencies would need to send the details (name, photo, address, etc.) directly to your WalletID. Any changes to identity cards (new home address, etc.) could only be made through the gov. agencies involved.
To make payment using Smart Integrated Wallet, data could be transferred via Bluetooth to merchant's device. Prior to data transfer, another password will be required. Receipt then would be sent by the merchant to your Smart Integrated Wallet via Bluetooth.
Daily transactions would be recorded in the log. Numerical and graphical stats would be generated on a specified time basis. Credit card/reward/membership card details, log and stats can be uploaded and saved into your home computer, and thus be printed when needed. These saved data would serve as back-up data should you lose your Smart Integrated Wallet, and these would easily be restored into a new WalletID. Of course, if you lost your wallet, you'd lose the cash amount and identity cards in it. The government agencies who produced your identity cards would then need to be notified with the change of WalletID. This would work pretty much the same as if you lost your identity card now.
You could deactivate/reactivate your WalletID by using your smartphone, data would then be encrypted/decrypted respectively, if you lost your Smart Integrated Wallet momentarily. Otherwise, WalletID could remain deactivated.
------------------------------------------------------------------------So what do you think? Did I get carried away, just to
Blog A Trend?? Haha. I sure did. :) You must've thought I've gone insane with this post. Well, you could be right. After all, everybody needs a dose of insanity in life. ;) Thank you for reading!
