Barclays has launched updates to its Pingit app that will expand the bank's reach into mobile payments, kicking off the race among financial services firms to deliver m-commerce platforms. The latest Pingit features expand on the existing functionality of the app, launched in February 2012 after a six month in-house development period. The original version of the app focused entirely on person to person payments, though the service was subsequently extended to allow users to make payments to utilities companies by scanning QR codes on paper bills. The app has been well received by users to date, with 1.8 million …

Turn-by-turn directions have become a common technological enhancement to the automotive world thanks to a set of satellites dedicated to the task. To date, these radio positioning signals have been supplied to consumers primarily by the U.S. military through a satellite constellation called "GPS," or Global Positioning System. Essentially, receivers on the ground -- or in cars -- interpret the signals and tell you roughly where you are. Big changes are in the air, however, as a result of new, more accurate systems on the way. One example: geofencing, a highly targeted form of tight, perimeter-based locating.

Mobile sales rose by 133 percent year on year in August to GBP1.6bn, underlining the huge growth in consumer awareness and confidence in shopping on smartphone and tablet devices. The figures, from Capgemini consultancy and UK online retail association IMRG, also found that overall online sales rose by 18 percent in August 2013, compared with the same period in 2012. This is a double increase on the nine percent rise seen in July 2013 when compared with 2012. This equated to online sales worth GBP6.8bn for August 2013 compared with GBP5.79bn in August 2012.

Walgreens has rolled out a new photo feature to its application as the company sees more than 40 percent of print orders coming from mobile. The retailer's iPhone app has been updated to include a themed feature called photo cards that lets consumers upload and create customized collages. Walgreens has steadily added photo-based features to its mobile app as consumers increasingly turn to their mobile device first to print photos.

Application downloads and in-app purchases from Microsoft's Windows Phone Store have eclipsed 9 million per day worldwide, said Todd Brix, senior director of the company's Windows Phone Apps Team. "In recent years we've seen more than a 50 percent increase in app downloads and purchases during the busy holiday season of November and December," Brix added. "We expect this trend to continue this year." Brix said Microsoft is partnering with several third-party mobile advertising networks to bring expanded ad serving opportunities to Windows Phone developers.

McDonald's is testing mobile payments, order-ahead functionality and offers through the Isis mobile wallet. However, limited availability and a lack of employees familiar with the solution suggest it pales in comparison to Starbuck's industry-leading mobile payments offering. McDonald's has been heavily promoting mobile payments in the Austin, TX, area for the past two weeks through in-store, television and radio advertising, according to a local mobile consultant.

Mobile, online-offline convergence and simpler payment methods paint the landscape for where e-commerce is headed in South Africa, according to Luke McKend, country director for Google South Africa. Speaking at the uAfrica eCommerce Conference in Sandton on Wednesday (11 September 2013), McKend presented the challenges of doing e-commerce in South Africa, and painted a picture of what the market will look like in the next few years, according to trends seen by Google.

Mobile online gambling is growing as smartphones and tablets become more popular and affordable, process more information and present higher quality images and sounds. Juniper Research, a UK mobile commerce analysis firm, says the deregulation of online gambling in the US and Europe and the development of the Chinese market will push annual wagers on mobile gambling platforms to more than $US100 billion in 2017. The most rapid growth in mobile gambling is expected to come from casino games - roulette, blackjack, poker and virtual slot games. Aristocrat chief executive Jamie Odell says consumers have a growing appetite for gambling …

Retail executives have caught on to the power of mobile devices. Representatives from a number of retail companies gathered in mid-August to discuss the power of mobile at the eTail East Conference held in Philadelphia. Executives from all companies agreed: To expand mobile traffic and maximize mobile conversions (sales made on mobile devices), companies need the right strategy. According to Mobile Commerce Daily, a Hautelook executive reported at the "What's Next in Ecommerce: The Evolution of the Industry and its Impact on Your Retail Business" keynote session that a rise in mobile traffic has resulted in approximately 40 percent of …

Apple has seemingly raised the bar for smartphone security through its introduction of a biometric fingertip scanner on the new iPhone 5S. A first for the smartphone space, Apple's Touch ID is touted as the most convenient and secure means to unlock the iPhone ever devised. Located in the iPhone 5S's home button, Touch ID scans and identifies a user's unique fingerprint thereby creating s viable and superior alternative to traditional password protection. Best of all, Apple contends, fingerprint information is encrypted and stored in the Secure Enclave inside the A7 chip on the iPhone 5s. Simply put, it's never …