MarketResearch.com has published an in-depth report and analysis on the mobile payments and technology sector entitled “Mobile Payment – Advanced Technologies (NFC), Strategies And Future Of Remote & Proximity Payment In The U.S.”

In it, the research firm details the technology associated with mobile payments — primarily NFC — which it says is in the nascent stage with an adoption rate of only 1.7%.  With the help of NFC technology, banks will be able to tap micro transactions made by cash, representing around 20% of the total transactions in the U.S., according to the research.  This will also help banks to capture the growing GEN Y population as well as the huge underbanked and unbanked population.

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While the mobile commerce segment burns red hot, consumer protection groups warn of the potential security risks associated with using your mobile device as a payment method.

Consumer’s Union, the nonprofit testing and information organization which publishes Consumer Reports, called on regulators Tuesday to implement protective standards on mobile payments, and to educate consumers of the liabilities in using mobile payments as opposed to highly regulated traditional credit and debit cards.

Federal law currently protects credit or debit card holders from many charges associated with lost, stolen or misused cards, for example, but without industry-wide rules for mobile commerce providers, consumers could risk losing money through fraud, merchant disputes or processing mistakes, the group said.

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Mobile payments and mobile commerce in general is a hot topic these days, with nearly every major player making a move in some form or fashion.  Consumers want a seamless experience, and while we’re not there yet, the reality is right around the corner.

Diving deep into the world of mobile payments, Portio Research has published a comprehensive 110-page research report covering all facets of the technology as well as current and future trends.  Mobile commerce is one of the fastest growing segments of the mobile industry these days, with Portio pegging the worldwide face value of purchases made using mobile phones at $68.7 billion in 2009, reaching $633.4 billion in 2014.

Meanwhile, over the same period, the number of mobile users who pay for goods and services using their mobile phones will increase a staggering 600% from 81.3 million to 490 million, according to the report.  With these kinds of numbers, it’s easy to see why nearly every operator and stakeholder in the mobile ecosystem is scrambling for a mobile commerce strategy.

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As the surge for smartphones continue, the vital parts necessary to produce them are running short according to new reports.

Chip makers rolled back production during the latter half of 2009 due to the recession and are now finding themselves playing catch up as hot new devices hit the market in droves.  Beyond smartphones, it’s also affecting wireless carriers — some of which are seeing delays in improving their networks — and could even raise computer prices.

Luckily, the problem isn’t an across-the-board shortage of chips, but rather problems with certain components here and there.  If just one of the 20 to 30 critical chips that go into smartphones is unavailable, the whole production line screeches to a halt.  The problem stems from the fact that chips that go into smartphones compete for production capacity with other chips at the gigantic factories run by contract manufacturers.

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For those wondering how Facebook’s recently announced Places functionality would effect other LBS apps, it was announced yesterday that Foursquare saw its most new-user signups ever — just one day after Facebook launched a similar concept.

Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley tweeted yesterday in reference to the milestone saying; “Just heard from @HarryH that today was @foursquare’s biggest day ever in terms of new user signups.”  HarryH refers to Foursquare’s engineering lead Harry Heymann.  While I assumed the launch of Places would have a positive effect on the likes of Foursquare, Gowalla and the rest, I didn’t think it would be so substantial so quickly.

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The mobile app market continues to grow by an incredible amount year after year, with new research estimating the entire market will reach $15 billion by 2013.

Mobile research firm Research2guidance recently published a comprehensive report entitled “Global Smartphone Application Market Report 2010,” which was an update for the smartphone app market for the first half of 2010.  In it, the firm indicates the market has already reached $2.2B in the first six month of this year, well on track to reach the $15B estimate for 2013.

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Microsoft has big plans for its upcoming Windows Phone 7, and it’s focusing much of that effort on mobile advertising.

The company has been putting key executives and mobile-ad sales teams in place to position themselves to best capitalize on a segment the company has lost years of progress to Apple and Google on.  Microsoft announced it will move Paul Lyonette, head of emerging platforms at Microsoft Advertising, to oversee the expansion of its mobile sales division and boost the headcount of its European mobile ad sales team.

More importantly, the company has put heavy emphasis on improving the quality of its mobile-ad display technology and platforms, including heavy emphasis on advanced geo-targeting.  It’s no secret that Microsoft has lost out big on both the Online and mobile advertising growth we’ve seen in the past several years, and this could be a last chance effort before they completely loose relevance in the market.

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