Friday, January 6, 2012

3G and 4G Handsets Will Capture More than 50% of Handset Sales in 2012, Says ABI Research


SINGAPORE--()--“As the festive cheer of the holiday season dies away, the mood among handset vendors remains quietly confident regarding 2012,” observes Jake Saunders, vice president of forecasting. “The outlook will yield growth in the order of 8%, netting 1.67 billion handsets shipped worldwide by the end of 2012. Particularly notable is for the first time, 3G and 4G handset shipments will capture more than 50% of total handsets shipped.”

“As the festive cheer of the holiday season dies away, the mood among handset vendors remains quietly confident regarding 2012”
In the second half of 2011, tier one smartphone vendors began redoubling efforts to promote their smartphone line-up to upwardly mobile, aspirational smartphone owners in emerging markets. Samsung, with its varied smartphone segmentation strategy, has been making substantial inroads into the emerging country smartphone market. Apple is expanding sales channels in emerging markets, with greater success in China than it’s having in India, but is also targeting South American markets such as Brazil. HTC is gaining traction in China, but developed markets such as North America and Europe continue to be the mainstay of its “ship into” markets. RIM, despite its weakness in apps-capable smartphone markets, continues to do well in messaging-centric emerging markets such as Indonesia. Nokia hopes to benefit from Windows Phone 7 Lumia series launches in India (Dec-2011) and China (in 1Q-2012).
The North American handset market, driven primarily by smartphones, is proving oblivious to the Euroland debt crisis. North America is estimated to have closed 2011 with 228 million handsets shipped, for a year-on-year (YoY) growth of 14%, the region’s highest YoY growth in more than five years.
“North America may only represent 15% of feature and smartphone units shipped globally, but due to the high proportion of high-end smartphone sales, it constitutes 40% of total smartphones sold by value. It underscores what is at stake in the patent battles between Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Google, HTC, Microsoft, and even British Telecom,” says Kevin Burden, vice president and practice director, mobile devices.
ABI Research’s new study, “Mobile Device Shipment Market Data,” (http://www.abiresearch.com/research/1003877provides critical data on vendor market share, vendor ASPs, and handset shipments.

Smartphones Turn Millions More Americans into Mobile Shoppers



A new eMarketer report examines the landscape of mobile shopping and purchasing, including how mobile users are turning to their devices as a research aid anytime, anywhere. 

eMarketer expects the number of mobile buyers in the US to nearly triple by 2015. 

Near Field Communication News 1/6/12


  1. News in-depth: Competition announced to find world's best NFC...


    sQuidcard - 22 hours ago
    A competition has been launched that is designed to showcase the world's best examples of near field communication (NFC) technology. ...
    NFC Forum and WIMA Call for Groundbreaking Entries for "Tap Into ...EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)
    all 10 news articles »

  2. Nokia Play 360 Bluetooth Wireless Speaker MD-50W review


    NokNok.tv - 6 hours ago
    By Mike Browne on January 6, So, you own a Nokia 700 or Nokia C7 (or Nokia N9) and are looking to make the most of the NFC (Near Field Communication) inside ...
  3. Casio To Release Handheld Printer Terminal Offering Data


    Field Technologies Online (press release) - 1 minute ago
    The IT-9000E-MC25E is an all-in-one handheld printer terminal equipped with a thermal printer, near field communication (NFC) reader/writer designated for ...
  4. NFC In 2012: Time For The Training Wheels


    ReadWriteWeb - 21 hours ago
    That brings us to the most important question regarding mobile payments in 2012: does Near Field Communications (NFC) have a legitimate future? ...
  5. Top 10 Mobile Trends: 2012 Predictions


    Phones Review - 4 hours ago
    Taking the number 1 slot is all about NFC (Near Field Communication), this year will see increased investment into this technology and many new trials to ...

  6. 9 hot technology startups to watch in 2012


    PC Advisor - 8 hours ago
    "Any new mobile solution that's going to transform your business process has to include near-field communications, sensors and all these things that didn't ...
  7. RFID News Roundup


    RFID Journal - 17 hours ago
    La Poste, France's postal service, has added Near Field Communication(NFC) RFID stickers to mailboxes throughout Paris' 4th arrondissement, ...
  8. Near Field Communication — the Next Mobile Boost?


    CNBC.com - 21 hours ago
    Interested in digital wallets, gaming, or social media? You'll soon be acquainted with NFC — which could transform the way we shop, pay, save, and interact ...

  9. Google Wallet Constrained by Secure Element, Limited Availability


    eWeek - 18 hours ago
    For the uninitiated, Wallet includes a mobile application that communicates with smartphones equipped with near field communications (NFC) technology to let ...
  10. Ten Technologies That Pave New Routes for the Travel Industry in 2012


    PR Web (press release) - 7 hours ago
    ... location based services, personalized marketing and near field communications - to enrich the customer experience of travelers on the front end. ...
  11. The Year Ahead in IT, 2012


    Inside Higher Ed - 7 hours ago
    ... resources enabled through information and communication technology. ....place for early near field communication platform technology development in the ...
  12. Is 2012 the Year for Voice Control?


    CE Pro Magazine (blog) - 1 hour ago
    There are other promising “alternative input technologies” as well, including biometrics, gesture control, near field communication (NFC) and RFID. ...
  13. Will HTC Amaze 4G Outclass Apple iPhone 4S?


    International Business Times - 1 hour ago
    The smartphone missed some prominent specs like edge-to-edge design, a larger display, 4G LTE and Near Field Communication (NFC) technology....

  14. DoD approves first Android devices


    FederalNewsRadio.com - 15 hours ago
    ... and hopefully we'll go in that direction with near-field communicationtechnology or something else in the near future," Roberts said. ...
  15. Credit card technology: 2012 and beyond


    Fox Business - 6 hours ago
    When you come to pay for something, you approach a near-field communications terminal, such as a MasterCard PayPass one, tap your PIN onto your device's ...

Card Activation Files Its Opening Appeal Brief on Invalidated Patent

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CHICAGO--()--Card Activation Technologies Inc. (Pink Sheets: CDVT)—Card Activation Technologies, Inc. (“Card”) filed its opening brief of appellant in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Thursday, December 29, 2011. Card is appealing from a July 2011 adverse ruling by the Federal District Court for the District of Delaware that invalidated its Patent.
About Card Activation Technologies Inc.
Card Activation Technologies, Inc. is a Chicago-based company that owns the patent rights to a proprietary payment transaction method used for processing gift cards and other debit purchase transactions. The company is actively seeking to license its patent to the thousands of current users and believes that many retailers, gas stations, phone companies and others that utilize those stored value cards, such as gift and debit cards, infringe its patent. As a result, the company is aggressively pursuing litigation against these infringers.


Fiserv Serves FIS/Metavante with Patent Infringement Lawsuit


Fiserv Announces Patent Infringement Lawsuit

BROOKFIELD, Wis.--()--Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), a leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, today reported that its wholly owned subsidiaries, CheckFree Corporation and CashEdge, Inc., have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (“FIS”) (NYSE: FIS), and Metavante Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of FIS, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
The Lawsuit alleges that FIS infringes on Fiserv’s patents when it provides customers with certain financial and payment solutions, including FIS’s Payment Manager products, which process inter-bank account-to-account fund transfers, process payment instructions, and provide electronic biller notifications as an integral part of its electronic bill payment processes.
The Company stated, “Fiserv is a leader in providing innovative and complex technology solutions and has devoted significant resources developing and maintaining an extensive intellectual property portfolio. These valuable assets, and the patent protection Fiserv has been granted, enable Fiserv to create and deliver cutting-edge technologies that meet evolving market needs. We have a responsibility to protect our intellectual property from further infringement and exploitation.”
About Fiserv
Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV) is a leading global provider of information management and electronic commerce systems for the financial services industry, driving innovation that transforms experiences for financial institutions and their customers. For six of the past eight years, Fiserv ranked No. 1 on the FinTech 100, an annual international listing of the top technology providers to the financial services industry. For more information, visit www.fiserv.com.

Global Payments Reports Q2 Earnings

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ATLANTAJan. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN) today announced results for its fiscal second quarter ended November 30, 2011.  For the second quarter, revenues grew 20% to $530.5 million compared to $443.5 million in the prior fiscal year.  Cash earnings per share grew 13% to $0.86 compared to $0.76 in the prior year (See Schedule 2 for Cash Earnings).  On a GAAP basis, the company reported fiscal 2012 second quarter diluted earnings per share of$0.78 compared to $0.67 in the prior year (See Schedule 1 for GAAP Consolidated Statements of Income).
GAAP and cash earnings per share results include approximately $15 million of revenue and nearly $0.02 of earnings per share related to debit interchange legislation with corresponding unfavorable impact on operating margin.
Chairman and CEO Paul R. Garcia stated, "We delivered solid second quarter results driven by continued steady performances in all of our businesses and the December 2010 addition of Spain.  I am also pleased to announce three targeted merchant portfolio acquisitions which will expand our international footprint and U.S. ecommerce presence.  First, we increased our distribution inRussia by acquiring a merchant business with more than 6,000 merchants from Alfa-Bank.  Secondly, we have agreed to acquire HSBC's merchant business in Malta consisting of nearly 4,000 merchants, which is pending regulatory approval, and thirdly we have signed an agreement to acquire CyberSource's U.S. merchant acquiring portfolio from Visa.  
"I am pleased to note that we continue to expect overall total company cash margin expansion of as much as 50 basis points in fiscal 2012 excluding the effect of recent debit legislation and the acquisitions," continued Mr. Garcia.  
David E. Mangum, Senior Executive Vice President and CFO, stated, "Including the effect of the debit legislation as well as the three recent acquisitions, we are increasing our annual revenue expectations for fiscal 2012 to $2,150 million to $2,200 million, or 16% to 18% growth over fiscal 2011.  We are also increasing fiscal 2012 diluted earnings per share expectations on a cash basis to a range of $3.50 to $3.58, reflecting 14% to 16% growth over fiscal 2011 and annual fiscal 2012 GAAP diluted earnings per share to $3.14 to $3.22, reflecting 20% to 23% growth over the prior year."  (See Schedule 9 for Outlook Summary.)
Cash earnings exclude normalized adjustments and acquisition intangible amortization expense from continuing operations.  (See Schedule 6 and 7 for Reconciliations of Cash Earnings to GAAP, Schedule 2 for Cash Earnings and Schedule 3 for Segment Information on GAAP and Cash Earnings).
Conference Call
Global Payments will hold a conference call today, January 5, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. EST to discuss financial results and business highlights.  Callers may access the conference call via the investor relations page of the Company's Web site atwww.globalpaymentsinc.com by clicking the "Webcast" button; or callers in North America may dial 1-888-895-3550 and callers outside North America may dial 1-706-758-8809.  The pass code is "GPN."  A replay of the call may be accessed through the Global Payments Web site through January 19, 2012.  

US Dataworks Announces $120 Billion Dollars Processed Through the Clearingworks Payments Processing Cloud in 2011


SUGAR LAND, TexasJan. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- US Dataworks, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: UDWK), a leader in payment processing solutions, today announced that more than $120 billion dollars in payments were processed through a cloud deployment of the Clearingworks® payment processing platform.  This defining statistic puts Clearingworks in the forefront of cloud payment processors in terms of dollars processed, as well as the variety of payments processed.  The Clearingworks payments platform processes all checks, electronic checks, Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments and credit/debit cards.
Chuck Ramey, CEO of US Dataworks stated, "As part of our white-glove service, we regularly monitor key volumes and trends in our cloud solution.  In December, we saw our volumes for the calendar year climb over 145 million payments totaling more than$120 billion.  Now we have clear evidence that our strategy to move Clearingworks to a cloud delivery model is being accepted in the marketplace."
At a time when start-up payment platforms are touting payment processing dollar volumes in the millions, Clearingworks' hundred billion dollar statistic is a remarkable milestone.  It is particularly striking that these volumes come from businesses processing a few thousand payments each month all the way to businesses processing millions of payments each month.  The Clearingworks payment platform, combined with the newly released apps, makes Clearingworks the right solution for all businesses, utilities, financial institutions and government agencies. 
Wade Shaw, Vice President and Product Manager for Clearingworks added, "We are able to use ClearInsights,™ our business intelligence pillar of Clearingworks, to easily monitor key statistics, volumes and trends. This is how we are able to report 2011 volumes immediately following year-end.  ClearInsights provides real-time and historical information in a graphically rich presentation, including charts, graphs, dashboards and alerts.  Our clients rely on ClearInsights for actionable payment information, business intelligence and predictive analysis."
Cloud services was cited again by Gartner Group as one of 2012 Information Technology Predictions and Trends.  Gartner predicts that by 2015 low-cost cloud services will replace 15 percent of the projected $1 trillion IT services market.  Clearingworks' early success in moving traditional payment processing to the cloud is a prime example of this transition.
Clearingworks is offered in a cloud-delivery model, as well as a traditional on-premise solution. A key benefit of Clearingworks is the ease and cost-efficiency in processing all types of payments on a single, enterprise-class platform.  In today's world, customers expect greater degrees of integration, as well as real time posting to accounts. Clearingworks enables businesses of all sizes to achieve a new level of service in payment processing.
About US Dataworks
US Dataworks offers cloud computing on-demand payment processing services with proven enterprise-class payment, deposit, returns processing, and powerful payment analytic tools.  US Dataworks is a trusted payments provider to utilities, telecommunications providers, content providers, financial institutions and government agencies. Additional information about US Dataworks is available at www.usdataworks.com and at www.clearingworks.com.

Sequent Hires Alain DeSouza as Vice President of Market Development


Industry Veteran to Drive NFC Solutions for Sequent in Canada


SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Jan 5, 2012) - Sequent Software, a leading provider of Near Field Communication (NFC) software and services, is pleased to announce it has hired Alain DeSouza as the vice president of market development for Canada. Mr. DeSouza will lead Sequent's business initiatives in Canada, working with wireless operators, card issuers, and application developers in this fast-growing market.
Mr. DeSouza joins Sequent from Research in Motion, where he served as Senior Market Development Manager, leading the mobile financial commercialization strategy globally. He has developed a wide range of NFC programs, including payments, access control, loyalty programs, and location-based services.
"Alain's extensive experience in mobile innovation and depth of expertise working in the NFC ecosystem is a major win for our customers and Sequent. Under Alain's stewardship, we expect that market leaders in Canada will quickly enjoy the benefits of our technology solution," said Drew Weinstein, CEO of Sequent.
Mr. DeSouza brings 16 years of experience in market development and marketing roles with a variety of enterprise and consumer technology companies including Symantec, Amdocs, and the British Trade and Investment Office.
About Sequent Software
Sequent provides a neutral platform that unlocks the potential of NFC for consumers and the mobile and issuing industries. Sequent's solution consists of on-device middleware and services, allowing participants to focus on their core business while providing value-added, mobile-centric capabilities that result in rich consumer experiences. The company has one of the highest concentrations of mobile and payment experts within a single firm dedicated to enabling NFC services. Sequent executives have led the deployment of many of the world's most significant NFC trials, and have worked on mobile and payment strategy for brands like AT&T, VISA, and ViVOtech. Sequent's investors include Opus Capital and SK Telecom Ventures. For more information, please visit www.sequent.com.

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