Something interesting happened to me since the last article I wrote for Transaction World Magazine. I entered a contest and was consequently selected to be one of the first people in America to get Google Glass, the smartphone-esque headset that you wear on your face. The @ProjectGlass #GlassExplorers were selected from those contest entrants who submitted their response that responded to a hashtag #Ifihadglass. Mine was fairly simple and straightforward, I posted a picture of a foggy causeway upon which I commute to work every day along with the phrase, “I’d see everything differently.” Apparently this captured someone’s imagination and I was selected. To be quite honest, I completely forgot about the contest until I much later received a direct message from the @projectglass Twitter presence stating I had won. As of this writing Google has started fulfilling the orders of the 8,000 winners, but I’ve yet to receive my invitation to make an appointment to be fitted. While I “won” the contest, there is a $1,500.00 price tag, so I guess you could actually say that I won the opportunity to purchase this headset before it is available to the general public. So let’s talk about this groundbreaking new technology. Basically the units are similar to an Android mobile phone using a different form factor. Glass headsets connect to an Android or iOS model phone and utilize the phone’s data connection to send and receive information. Mounted on the front of the headset armature, above the user’s right eye, is a forward-facing digital camera that can record video and still images that can be shared in real-time to your contacts and social networks. Glass also sports a prism that faces the user and a small screen is projected onto its surface. Early users report that the viewing experience is similar to looking at a 25” screen about eight feet away. Bone-conducting transducers transfer the sound to the inside of the user’s head and there is a touch-sensitive arm that is used to navigate the user interface. A minute microphone inside the headset allows for voice commands. I’ll be able to initiate directions, searches, image capture and more by saying “OK Glass …” But wait a minute you say; this is a payments magazine – what’s all this talk about prisms and bone-conducting transducers? Well, dear reader, hold on to your hat – because this headset or something like it is the stepping-stone to the next wave of payments. Now read closely I don’t want you to think I’m not a fan of mobile payments, I’m a big advocate. But the problem with mobile payments is the mobile part. Other than storing account information and displaying transactions and current status, there’s no real reason to pull out your phone rather than your wallet. Yes NFC is cool and can initiate some wonderful transactions. But in a market that’s already saturated with payment terminals at every point-of-sale, there ha

1. TECHNOLOGY | Transaction
World Magazine | August 2013
Wearable Payment Devices
in Generation-M! by Bruce Burke
Something
interesting
happened
to
me
since
the
last
article
I
wrote
for
Transaction
World
Magazine.
I
entered
a
contest
and
was
consequently
selected
to
be
one
of
the
first
people
in
America
to
get
Google
Glass,
the
smartphone-­‐esque
headset
that
you
wear
on
your
face.
The
@ProjectGlass
#GlassExplorers
were
selected
from
those
contest
entrants
who
submitted
their
response
that
responded
to
a
hashtag
#ifihadglass.
Mine
was
fairly
simple
and
straightforward,
I
posted
a
picture
of
a
foggy
causeway
upon
which
I
commute
to
work
every
day
along
with
the
phrase,
“I’d
see
everything
differently.”
Apparently
this
captured
someone’s
imagination
and
I
was
selected.
To
be
quite
honest,
I
completely
forgot
about
the
contest
until
I
much
later
received
a
direct
message
from
the
@ProjectGlass
Twitter
presence
stating
I
had
won.
As
of
this
writing
Google
has
started
fulfilling
the
orders
of
the
8,000
winners,
but
I’ve
yet
to
receive
my
invitation
to
make
an
appointment
to
be
fitted.
While
I
“won”
the
contest,
there
is
a
$1,500.00
price
tag,
so
I
guess
you
could
actually
say
that
I
won
the
opportunity
to
purchase
this
headset
before
it
is
available
to
the
general
public.
So
let’s
talk
about
this
groundbreaking
new
technology.
Basically
the
units
are
similar
to
an
Android
mobile
phone
using
a
different
form
factor.
Glass
headsets
connect
to
an
Android
or
iOS
model
phone
and
utilize
the
phone’s
data
connection
to
send
and
receive
information.
Mounted
on
the
front
of
the
headset
armature,
above
the
user’s
right
eye,
is
a
forward-­‐facing
digital
camera
that
can
record
video
and
still
images
that
can
be
shared
in
real-­‐
time
to
your
contacts
and
social
networks.
Glass
also
sports
a
prism
that
faces
the
user
and
a
small
screen
is
projected
onto
its
surface.
Early
users
report
that
the
viewing
experience
is
similar
to
looking
at
a
25”
screen
about
eight
feet
away.
Bone-­‐conducting
transducers
transfer
the
sound
to
the
inside
of
the
user’s
head
and
there
is
a
touch-­‐
sensitive
arm
that
is
used
to
navigate
the
user
interface.
A
minute
microphone
inside
the
headset
allows
for
voice
commands.
I’ll
be
able
to
initiate
directions,
searches,
image
capture
and
more
by
saying
“OK
Glass
…”
But
wait
a
minute
you
say;
this
is
a
payments
magazine
–
what’s
all
this
talk
about
prisms
and
bone-­‐conducting
transducers?
Well,
dear
reader,
hold
on
to
your
hat
–
because
this
headset
or
something
like
it
is
the
stepping-­‐stone
to
the
next
wave
of
payments.
Now
read
closely
I
don’t
want
you
to
think
I’m
not
a
fan
of
mobile
payments,
I’m
a
big
advocate.
But
the
problem
with
mobile
payments
is
the
mobile
part.
Other
than
storing
account
information
and
displaying
transactions
and
current
status,
there’s
no
real
reason
to
pull
out
your
phone
rather
than
your
wallet.
Yes
NFC
is
cool
and
can
initiate
some
wonderful
transactions.
But
in
a
market
that’s
already
saturated
with
payment
terminals
at
every
point-­‐of-­‐sale,
there
has
yet
to
be
a
pervasive
use
case.
Yes
it
makes
complete
sense
in
an
emerging
market
where
mobile
networks
are
the
only
available
networks.
When
touch
points
aren’t
plentiful
and
communities
can
grow
and
flourish
from
the
introduction
of
mobile
financial
services
and
from
their
implementation
and
use,
mobile
payments
make
complete
sense.
But
in
metropolitan
communities
in
the
U.S.
many
feel
we
are
ready
for
mobile
applications
beyond
just
payments.
Enter
the
realm
of
innovative,
hands-­‐free,
seamless
technology
solutions
like
Google
Glass.
I
don’t
know
about
you
but
when
I
look
at
Glass
all
I
see
is
dollar
signs.
I
see
real-­‐time,
in-­‐aisle
checkout
by
simply
scanning
a
shelf
tag
or
taking
a
picture
of
an
object.
I
see
purchases
completed
with
gestures
to
indicate
which
payment
vehicle
to
use
and
a
wink
to
signify
that
it’s
ok
to
process
the
transaction.
I
see
the
ability
to
say
‘buy
what
I’m
looking
at
right
now
from
Amazon
and
ship
it
to
my
house.’
Both
shipping
and
payment
information
is
stored
in
the
cloud
so
it’s
a
simplified
transaction.
I
could
go
on
and
on
for
quite
awhile
about
the
many
different
use
cases
for
such
a
device.
It
could
be
used
as
a
payment
reminder
and
fulfillment
service.
It
could
include
loyalty
and
reward
capabilities
by
incorporating
a
quick
scan
of
a
QR
code.
It
can
be
and
will
be
many
different
things
in
the
years
to
come.
We
are
living
in
the
midst
of
great
change
and
we
are
perched
on
the
precipice
of
a
whole
new
era
of
computing,
interfacing
and
of
electronic
transactions.
What’s
next?
Sometimes
it’s
hard
to
tell
but
I’m
almost
certain
our
future
will
include
wearable
technology
that
merit
mass
adoption
and
uptake
–
especially
in
relation
to
mobile
financial
services.