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Apple has won a patent that adds another piece to the puzzle of mobile payments via near-field communications.

Dubbed "Motion based payment confirmation," the new patent details several ways to help the user confirm that a mobile transaction has actually been completed while using a mobile device like an iPhone or iPod.

One method points to a graphical element on the screen that the user can move to confirm or decline a transaction. Another method cites the use of an accelerometer to sense movement of the device and move the graphical element in response.

Artwork in the patent … Read more

The iPhone 5 will sport the usual home button, front camera, and a currently unidentified component that could be an NFC chip, according to AppleInsider.

Scouring photos posted by Taiwan-based blog Apple.pro (English translation), AppleInsider discovered a part that had not appeared in previous photos. The size of the part has lead to speculation that it could be a chip for near-field communication, or NFC.

Positioned next to the front camera, the square part matches the size of other NFC chips, such as the one made by NXP, AppleInsider noted. Of course, the photos by themselves don't prove … Read more

High electromagnetic field levels of household appliances (such as washing machines and hair dryers) and wireless devices (such as laptops and routers) may be at least partially to blame for the rise in childhood obesity in recent years, according to a 13-year study by Kaiser Permanente that followed hundreds of pregnant women and 733 of their children.

After controlling for several factors, including child gender, pre-pregnancy BMI, maternal age at delivery, race, education, breastfeeding, and smoking, researchers write in Nature's Scientific Reports that children exposed to high in-utero levels are nearly twice as likely to be overweight or obese … Read more

While outdoor navigation has been mastered with GPS satellites and cell phone triangulation, indoor navigation has proven more tricky.

Now, a group of researchers at the University of Oulu in Finland has tapped the Earth's magnetic field to create an indoor positioning system (IPS). The researchers say their approach was inspired by studying the way homing pigeons and lobsters use anomalies in the magnetic field to navigate their travels.

Researchers explain in a paper (PDF) -- titled "Ambient magnetic field-based indoor location technology / Bringing the compass to the next level" -- that the same magnetic field that … Read more

The next iPhone could let users buy products and share files through near field communication.

Code pulled from Pre-EVT (Engineering Verification Testing) iPhone 5,1 and iPhone 5,2 prototypes by 9to5Mac leads the Apple enthusiast site to believe that NFC chips and an antenna will be built into this year's iPhone.

If true, it means Apple would finally jump onto the mobile payments bandwagon, allowing its users to purchase goods and services directly through their smartphones. This latest rumor also comes on top of the company's launch of Passbook, a feature slated for iOS 6 that would … Read more

Google Wallet is turning one, but the application that was supposed to transform the smartphone into a wallet and revolutionize how consumers pay for things has barely gotten off the ground.

Why? The reason may be that Google has bet on the wrong technology: NFC.

A year ago, Google execs, along with its partners MasterCard, Citibank, and Sprint, took the stage in New York City to show off the future of payments. No longer would people have to overload their wallets with cards and receipts. Google's plan was to virtualize it all.

Through an application for its Android smartphones, … Read more

WaterField Designs makes some swanky cases for laptops, tablets, e-readers, and even the PS Vita. The company's latest edition to its catalog is the CitySlicker, a compact carrying case for the MacBook Air and presumably smaller Windows ultrabooks.

Although I haven't gotten my hands on one, the nice thing about it seems to be that while it's slim, it does offer more storage than a laptop sleeve, with a few pockets on the inside and one on the outside for storing the Air's AC adapter and charging cable.

The downside is the price.… Read more

Consumers waiting for a TV set from Apple may have to sit tight for a couple more years.

Apple won't launch any type of TV this year, says J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz. Instead, the company is likely to build up to such a product in two separate phases.

First, Apple would expand its current TV box by launching a more advanced set-top module sometime in 2013 at the earliest. Then the company could unveil a full-blown TV with a display and speakers in 2014 or later, the analyst said in a research note released today.

Why no … Read more

Whether you're in charge of managing hardware for a whole company or you have your own extensive collection, it makes sense to have a way to keep track of what you have on hand. Hardware Asset Tracker is a simple program that lets you record the details of your computers, monitors, printers, and more. It's not the most elegant program we've ever seen, but it's not bad for what it is.

Hardware Asset Tracker has a tabbed interface that categorizes hardware as Computers, Laptops, Modems, Monitors, NICs, Printers, and Workstations. If you don't like those … Read more