Friday, January 20, 2017

Commuters can now pay fares with new EZ-Link wearables

Source Website: http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/commuters-can-now-pay-fares-new-ez-link-wearables
By Irene Tham, Tech Editor, The Straits Times, 20 January 2017 at 06:00 am


The Garmin vívosmart HR with EZ-Link
PHOTO: The Garmin vívosmart HR with EZ-Link
PHOTO: GARMIN
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5t_dRNDD33yJI7GdHMuNXT331G-Bs1Yxc9HWXg0WJ8SvReT73_V6YwLiliEWvCQdUL7t-TUH6RP4B5mmgxvcWQcADi2WM7TG_xNrl2dtxAIuv2BcdRYxBXLUpYzwemMoZmVdNXxnzht2L/s1600/np_20170120_itpay20_1486886.jpg
http://www.tnp.sg/sites/default/files/styles/rl680/public/articles/2017/01/20/np_20170120_itpay20_1486886.jpg?itok=o8q7KrnG
http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/commuters-can-now-pay-fares-new-ez-link-wearables


With a tap of the wrist, you can soon pay for bus and train rides if you have ez-link compatible fitness trackers. China-based Watchdata Technologies and US-based Garmin have incorporated a smart chip in their trackers to allow them to work like an ez-link card.

This was done in partnership with EZ-Link, which issues the cards here, and could signal a new era for wearable technology and a cashless society.

The ez-link wallet is also accepted at 30,000 retail points here, including Giant and Cold Storage supermarkets, as well as Guardian and 7-Eleven.

For starters, only two devices - the Watchdata Batman v Superman Fitness Tracker X EZ-Link, and the Garmin vivosmart HR with EZ-Link - can be used to pay for public transport rides.

The Watchdata band will be available for $42.80 on EZ-Link's online store from next Tuesday, while the Garmin band will go for $259 at major retailers in Singapore from end-March.


The Watchdata Batman v Superman Fitness Tracker X EZ-Link
PHOTO: The Watchdata Batman v Superman Fitness Tracker X EZ-Link
Picture posted by onlinecitizen on 19 January 2017
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http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/batman-650x253.png
http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2017/01/19/commuters-can-now-tap-for-fares-with-fitness-bands-from-garmin/


"This milestone marks the beginning of a new era for smart wearable technology," said Mr Huang Wenwei, Watchdata's general manager of payment & ID.

He said it will add the ez-link function in more products later.

Mr Cris Duy Tran, a consulting analyst of digital transformation at market research firm Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific, said: "The ez-link function is a bonus for existing fitness fans."

Such contactless payments use the wireless Near Field Communication technology to transmit data between the wearable device and a contactless payment reader.

By Irene Tham, Tech Editor, The Straits Times, 20 January 2017 at 06:00 am


The Future of Mobile Payments - 'Wearable Payments'
PHOTO: The Future of Mobile Payments - 'Wearable Payments'
1st Sept. 2015, Commuters in Singapore tested a contactless wristband to pay for public transport services and for goods at retailers equipped with contactless readers. The trial which will run until 2016, involves 200 customers using a Sony SG50 SmartBand.
Posted by Patrick Mutabazi, SmartCards and Government Solutions Consultant on 28 August 2015
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7p7-v3WPfjusOi5ottr3sPanOy4Zm4dziwwKi_ZI5AEMBDhutCUUKIzpS27d7Ii-XLYoHWj120-oyoa6Eycv-KJDzmtVc-qDBKIWdszTBgzK4AR_Cn_UCwlSQlIOrp8MoSoTQqMjRe1SF/s1600/AAEAAQAAAAAAAAbvAAAAJDY5NTE1ZGJkLWFkY2MtNDk1Mi04MTQwLTBiYjkyZDhhNTFkYQ.jpg
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https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/wearable-payments-next-technological-revolution-patric-mutabazi



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