Mozilla is gearing up to show off something new in the world of Firefox.

Get ready for navigator.mozPay(), an API that makes possible secure payment capabilities inside Web-based applications designed for the HTML5-based Firefox OS mobile OS.

navigator.mozPay() is a JavaScript API inspired by google.payments.inapp.buy but modified for things like multiple payment providers and carrier billing.

In a nutshell, Kumar McMillan of Mozilla Hacks explains, when a web app invokes navigator.mozPay() in Firefox OS, the device shows a secure window with a concise UI.

Continue Reading

Apple’s iOS update this week officially disabled the most recent jailbreak, evasi0n, which upon release in February instantly became the most sought after jailbreak in iOS history.

In just over a month, the jailbreak reached 18 million devices on iOS 6, including iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads.

The latest 6.1.3 update to iOS released Tuesday includes a patch that prevents the use of evasi0n. Those who have updated to iOS 6.1.3 no longer possess the ability to jailbreak their updated iDevice.

Continue Reading

Nothing effectively ends a mobile browser rivalry like an acquisition of one competitor by the other.

On Friday, Opera Software confirmed it has acquired mobile browser rival Skyfire Labs, an emerging leader in mobile video optimization and cloud solutions for mobility.

Skyfire, however, is primarily known for its Rocket Optimizer software. Skyfire currently counts three large U.S. mobile operators as customers.

Continue Reading

Mobile technologies are not only making a killing financially today, their evolution is also killing off older forms of technology and dated ways of doing everything – even simple chores.

In much the same way that PCs and peripherals signaled the decline of music outlets, photo developers and copy suppliers, portable handhelds are swiftly outmoding numerous long-standing industries.

So which exactly are the most likely candidates for banishment to the waste bin of history in the near future?

Continue Reading

VeriFone Systems has effectively withdrawn from the race for supremacy in the mobile payments processing war. Yielding to the market dominance of Square and PayPal – the two top players in mobile payments – reports surfaced Friday that VeriFone Systems now considers the market “unprofitable.”

David Talach, VeriFone’s vice president of industry engagement, was cited in a Bloomberg report this morning indicating that his company “is moving away from competing directly” with the aforementioned titans of the mobile payment game.

Instead of promoting its SAIL attachment, which lets smartphones accept debit and credit card payments, to merchants, VeriFone will offer the tool to banks for them to resell to their business customers.

Continue Reading

Let’s face it. Most Apple fans will readily admit that the Cupertino, California-based tech giant bombed its foray into mapping services earlier this year. But Apple isn’t stepping away from the responsibility to fix its mess.

In a telling new interview with BusinessWeek published Thursday, Apple CEO Time Cook faced a harsh reality: “We screwed up.”

And he once again promised to “map” out a better solution for Apple’s mapping service.

Continue Reading

What could possibly make more sense for the modern vending machine than to integrate mobile commerce functionalities?

Apparently, the folks at USA Technologies agree. The makers of wireless, cashless payment and M2M telemetry solutions for small-ticket, self-serve retailing industries has announced that approximately 7,500 vending machines in Austin, Texas and Salt Lake City, Utah will be targeted for mobile payment acceptance.

The service will be powered by USAT’s NFC-enabled ePort technology and ePort Connect service.

Continue Reading