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*                         CYBERSPACE                         * 
*         A biweekly column on net culture appearing         * 
*                in the Toronto Sunday Sun                   * 
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* Copyright 2000 Karl Mamer                                  * 
* Free for online distribution                               * 
* All Rights Reserved                                        * 
* Direct comments and questions to:                          * 
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M-commerce is M-marvelous

Back in my mid-'20s I was proud to be one of the few single, 
employed males in Toronto that didn't subscribe to cable TV. 
When the first Mike Harris tax cut came through I made the 
conscious decision to reinvest that money in the local economy 
by subscribing to cable. I should have plowed that money into 
Nasdaq tech stocks. I'd be richer than that Who Wants to Marry 
a Millionaire lamer.

Today, I think I'm the only single, 30-something male employed 
in high tech that doesn't own a cell phone. I'm making a 
conscious decision not to own such a device. That I could ring 
up anyone, anywhere, anytime is dangerous. I'd be calling 
friends at all hours asking questions that pop into my mind 
like "Terry, was Erasmus pro- or anti-reformation?", "Cheryl, 
who was that guy in that movie about those people?", or "Igor, 
what's Russian for 'You dented my car'?"

Even my very best friends would get tired of me.

The day is coming when a cell phone will be for all intents and 
purposes necessary for engaging in commerce. A cell phone will 
be like a credit card. You can get by without a credit card but 
grrrrr the alternatives are unthinkable! In fact, your cell 
phone will likely become your credit card.

The world of e-commerce is soon to be eclipsed by the world of 
m-commerce. The "m" stands for mobile.

Business is moving quickly on m-commerce for a number of 
reasons. Unlike the free-for-all Internet, where users resent 
paying fees other than a monthly sum to an ISP, cell phone 
users are used to paying for everything. Business sees an 
instant revenue stream.

M-commerce presents a pro-business, top-down model. There's 
greater control over the hardware and software. People can't 
easily drop in new home-brewed chips.

Any cell phone call is ultimately backed by a known person with 
a valid credit card. The same can't be said of an anonymous 
user at an anonymous computer.

While this kind of control and tracking would give the average 
netizen fits, cell phone users are used to trading off chucks 
of anonymity for convenience.

And what conveniences are coming to a cell phone LCD display 
near you?

You'll be able to get sports scores and trade stocks while 
sitting in traffic. You'll be able to plug your phone into your 
car's stereo and turn it into an MP3 player.

But that's not what excites me. Saving money excites me.

Picture this. You're in a big-box electronic store and you see 
a VCR you like. The VCR you want is out of stock. Normally, 
you'd be compelled to buy the more expensive unit with 18 
additional features that you don't want because you can 
actually program a VCR. Instead, you punch the product's UPC 
code into your cell phone. Your phone shoots that information 
and your location to a service that then spits back to your LCD 
screen a list of nearby stores that have the VCR in stock for a  
cheaper price. Using (future buzz word alert!) one-click buy 
technology, you instantly buy the VCR by automatically billing 
it to the credit card that backs your mobile service.

Why it's a bargain hunter's dream! But the dream doesn't stop 
there.

Invisible coupon technology is another innovation that's being 
developed. Say for example, you register at a online magazine 
site about food and wine. Because you've provided them all 
sorts of interesting information about your buying habits that 
no one, including the site's publisher, is sure what to 
actually do with, you get a 15% discount at local restaurants. 
An "invisible coupon" is registered with your cell phone. 

You take your sweetie to Centro for dinner. You ask her for her 
hand in marriage. She tries to find the words that say yes and 
convey her unbounded joy. Suddenly, the bill comes (the bill 
comes in the form of a 3com Palm XXIII attached to a waiter). 
While she's searching for words, you zap the waiter's Palm with 
your cell phone. Before your future fiancé's tear-filled eyes, 
you pay the bill in full. Unbeknownst to her, invisible coupon 
technology kicks in and your credit card is billed 15% less. 
You don't appear cheap on this most memorable of occasions and 
she accepts your proposal.

Welcome to the Brave New World.

    Source: geocities.com/lapetitelesson/cs/text

               ( geocities.com/lapetitelesson/cs)                   ( geocities.com/lapetitelesson)