You've heard about making purchases with cell phones, but I like the idea that PDAs may be included also! Would this help a comeback of traditional PDAs? Essentially discounts offered during purchases would be like a subsidy.

Check it out here...
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1738&e=6&u=/zd/20040825/tc_zd/133960

While I like the idea in general of being able to purchase with my PDA, the article lapses into absurdity by the end:The way it would work is a consumer would walk into a store and point his/her PDA to a kiosk. The palmtop would quickly identify the consumer and flash an alert that, for example, the customer's favorite shoe vendor is having a 40 percent off sale for select customers and that the consumer's particular shoe size and favorite color are in stock.

The next stage of the software will allow true ongoing two-way communication. When that happens, the customer will be able to message back, "Can you set aside one pair in black and one in red for me? I'll pick them up in two hours" or "Make that offer 50 percent and I'll buy four pair right now" and the cell phone or PDA would facilitate a real-time messaging conversation. I sure hope that my PDA doesn't go around telling every filrtacious little readout what my favorite shoe brand, color, and size are. I don't want the store to give me ads on my PDA and I don't want to give out that much information about myself. Now if they could come up with some good anonymous e-money, with some solid encryption protecting identity and all rooted in my PDA, then we could talk.

Yeah, you're right. It's a bit far-fetched the way he wrote it. But it's still interesting because it gives an idea of what technology can lead to. This is what I think they had in mind....

Your PDA picks up the "ad" or "special offer" info and tells you about it. (There had better be controls and robust preferences or no one will want one!)

Then you have the option of typing out a text message which goes automatically to the company trying to sell to you. Your instant message can be the start of a conversation with customer service, and can include things like the examples given.

Of course, like you said, those examples were a bit silly.... and, besides, I don't think a lot of brick and morter companies are even that flexible!

But you have to admit, even if it's not going to work quite that way, it's a technologically feasible interaction scenario that get's us closer to the 1-1 personal advertising companies dream of, and that leads directly to a sales contact to boot!

Great find. I really haven't heard that much about cashless transactions using personal electronic devices recently. I did read about it in Going Wireless (http://www.goingwirelessbook.com/) by Jaclyn Easton (highly recommended) where she details this technology (see this chapter (http://www.goingwirelessbook.com/chap_deathofcash.html)), RFID and location based services, to name a few ;).

Wireless electronic debit transactions and location based services are two technologies that could be used through partnerships with advertisers to subsidize hardware costs. As long as the advertisements are opt-in and highly individualized and targeted, not spam or pop-up mass marketing ads, IMO people would accept this technology and advertising, especially with the subsidized hardware costs passed on to the consumer.

Brian