You know that old Motorola Razr that's been sitting in your nightstand for the last year? If you live near Omaha, Neb., you can march up to the EcoATM at the Nebraska Furniture Mart, toss it in, and automatically get an in-store trade-up coupon or gift card.
The self-serve e-cycling station electronically inspects phones, assigns them real-time secondary market value, and provides in-store payment--if the handset still has any monetary worth. If not, consumers can choose to assign the device to the recycle bin, and then it's on its way to getting recycled or refurbished.
(Credit:
EcoATM)
The kiosk at the Omaha store is the first such station to be installed by San Diego-based start-up EcoATM, and it's serving as a test case in advance of a scheduled larger rollout.
The company, formerly called ReMobile, declared the Nebraska machine an immediate success when it went into operation September 21--both in the number of recycled devices collected and the trade-up purchases.
On its first day, 23 phones went into the recycle bin. In addition, "the EcoATM at NFM bought back over $100 in phones on day two, including a perfect BlackBerry Curve," Twittered EcoATM's Eric Rosser, who said in an interview he thinks retailers will appreciate the automation of the EcoATM and consumers will value the speed and convenience.
The company plans to install kiosks at wireless stores and big-box retailers in San Diego, Texas, Washington state, and Vermont this quarter, Rosser said, with a "massive rollout" set for the second quarter of next year. Eventually the EcoATMs should be able to recognize other gadgets, such as MP3 players, digital cameras, notebooks, printers, and storage devices.
The machines rely on a camera-based system to detect signs of wear such as cracked screens, missing keys, and scuff marks, and to determine a device's approximate value. If it's not worth anything, consumers could still get a free gift for their efforts--in Omaha's case, a waterproof phone case. And in a green nod, EcoATM will plant a tree for them.
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Sanrio)
Acting in typical expansionist fashion, the Sanrio empire began targeting our finances through a branded credit card a few months back. But apparently its insatiable needs are even more urgent than originally thought, for now it's going directly after our cash.
That's right: There's now a Hello Kitty ATM bank. The miniature teller machine even comes with its own "cash card," as Hello Kitty Hell explains. But don't be fooled: We suspect that it will provide only deposits and no withdrawals.
John Shepherd-Barron, father of the automated teller machine
(Credit: BBC)Forty years ago this week, life changed. There's been plenty of hoopla over the 40th anniversary of the "Summer of Love" and the Beatles appearing on American TV, but this event even affects life on Antarctica: the birth of the ATM. Yes, there's an ATM for researchers down at McMurdo Sound.
Before the first ATM was installed by Barclay's Bank near London in 1967, there was a lot of standing in line and writing of checks, though there were probably a lot fewer $20 bills in the United States back then.
More than $25 billion will be withdrawn from bank accounts around the world today from 1.5 million of the ubiquitous dispensers. In keeping with our status as the most indebted nation in history, we Americans have more than a quarter of the world's ATMs.
Despite some security threats and occasional hacks, there seems to be no worry that ATMs will continue to be the teller of choice for most consumers. And for the record, when you're visiting its birthplace, the United Kingdom, don't ask for the nearest ATM. They're called "cash machines."
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MagnePrint)
The way the particles land on a given credit card's magnetic stripe are as unique as individual snowflakes or human fingerprints--or so says a Magtek, the company that developed, MagnePrint, which records the unique magnetic media signature for all credit and debit cards scanned through its readers. The first scan by a MagnePrint reader creates a template against which all subsequent scans are compared.
MagnePrint is designed to prevent "skimming." Online carders buy credit-card information from a black-market database, then copy that information onto a blank physical card using a machine that costs about $250. The skimmed card is then used in an ATM or a retail environment, as though it were the original card, until the credit or debit limits are maxed.
Using MagnePrint, faux cards are identified quickly. Even if you were to rerecord the magnetic stripe information onto your credit card a second time (say you damaged your first card and seek a replacement), the magnetic particles on the second card would not match the original and would be flagged. The results are given in percentages, with around 80% considered to be enough of a match. The bank always has the ability to accept or deny the recommendations.
(Credit:
Hammacher Schlemmer )
Speaking of parental duties, what kind of values does something like a toy ATM machine indicate? At least a play cash register implies some responsibilities, such as work, commerce and what it takes to buy something. But an ATM?
Hammacher Schlemmer claims that the toy "helps children learn money management as they maintain a savings account up to $999.99." Two points here: First, so far as we can tell, many kids think of ATMs only as machines that spit out money. Second, $999.99?? That says it all. Maybe the smarter ones will teach themselves how to break into one.
We're sticking with a piggy bank, digital or otherwise.
If there's a sudden surge in the number of iPods seen in ATM lines, this may explain it.
(Credit:
BeConnected)
A criminal gang in the U.K. was able to steal confidential banking data by bugging ATMs with an MP3 player, The Times of London reported in its online edition Thursday. The gang reportedly targeted freestanding cash dispensers and would tap the phone line between the ATM and a wall socket by placing a two-way adaptor on it and connecting an MP3 player.
The digital music device would record the data traffic, which sounds like the noise a traditional computer modem makes when connecting. The noise would be interpreted using a modem line tap or passed through a special computer software program. The Times said the gang was then able to create copies of credit cards and make purchases worth 200,000 pounds, nearly $380,000.
Wouldn't you think all this activity around a cash machine would arouse at least some suspicion?
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