Ondrej Holzman However, according to Apple, contactless payments - according to many the future - are still relatively far away. At least if we are talking about NFC technology. Unlike most other players, Apple has refused to implement in the latest iPhone 5, so users have to help themselves differently. For example, with iKarta from Komerční banka.
Even before Apple introduced the iPhone 5 itself, there were traditional speculations about what functions the new Apple phone would have. One of the most common inflected then there was Near Field Communication technology, NFC for short - a set of standards used for wireless communication between different devices over a short distance. The uses of NFC can be different, but currently it is mainly contactless payments and the replacement of current physical payment cards.
Speculation about NFC in the iPhone 5 was well-founded, as most competing smartphones either already had this technology or were about to implement it. Not Apple though. He again decided to go his own way, preferring to invent his own Passbook and NFC completely released. Thus, users of any iPhone will not "natively" try contactless payments in Czech stores, the number of which accept such payments is constantly growing.
The solution is iKarta from Komerční banka
However, domestic users are lucky that at least others see the potential in contactless payments and NFC in general - Komerční banka came up with its own solution, the so-called iCard. It's a Visa-certified iPhone case from Wireless Dynamics that features a built-in antenna and an integrated security feature that holds a debit card. Unfortunately, iKarta is only available for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Komerční banka told us that it does not yet plan to issue a frame for the new iPhone 5.
But that didn't stop us from trying iKart. After all, it has been on the market since August, when the iPhone 5 wasn't even on sale yet, so we put iKart to the test. how did you do To begin with, I can say only one thing - if the iPhone had NFC in it, everything would be much easier.
In order to use iKarta, you need to have an account with Komerční banka. The easiest way is, if you already have an account here, to have the iKarta paired with it. Your iPhone will then, with a special frame for the idea, function as another payment card, although it will be much more expensive. For the issuance of an iKarta, it is necessary to pay a one-time fee of 1 crowns, the validity of the iKarta is three years. However, once you've done all of this – buy an iKart, set up an account and pair it – you're good to go.
Unfortunately, the protective frame is not a design gem, so the iKarta on your iPhone 4/4S will be more of a necessary evil than a fashion accessory. However, it must be accepted that at least as part of the protection of the phone, the iKarta, although made of plastic, will serve its purpose in a way. The frame is connected to the phone via a 30-pin connector, so as part of the package from Komerční banka you will also receive a charging cable (Micro-USB–USB) so that you can charge the iPhone even if the iKarta is on it.
The last step before active use is to download the application KB iKarta from the App Store. Thanks to it, the protective frame can be put into motion. In the application, you set how you want the integrated contactless debit card to behave. You choose a PIN and also whether you want to enter it with every payment, or pay for items up to 500 crowns without the need to enter passwords. For amounts over 500 crowns, the iKarta always requires a PIN to be entered.
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Then all you have to do is find a store that supports contactless payments, launch the KB iKarta application on an iPhone with an iKarta attached, place the device near the terminal and press Pay. Everything is lightning fast and you don't even have time to put your iPhone in your pocket and the payment receipt is already coming out of the terminal. This is the real power of NFC and contactless payments. It surpasses the lengthy payment with credit cards by tens of seconds, and paying in cash is understandably not faster either.
Regarding the payment details, the payment will take place almost immediately after placing the iPhone to the terminal, that is, if it is not necessary to enter a PIN. However, it is possible to enter it even before accessing the terminal itself (the application will keep it in memory for 120 seconds). The iKarta application offers only the most basic functions necessary for making payments. For example, if you want to get more information about your account, you will need Mobile bank 2.
When I picked up the iKarta, I was understandably wondering where I could use contactless payments, but unfortunately, Komerční banka does not have a list of merchants, so you have to look for them yourself. He can be a helper Kartavmobilu.cz server map.
Having tried out contactless payments in recent weeks, I definitely see a future in this technology. Whatever Apple says, I don't believe it can avoid NFC. It's too late for him to come up with his own technology and a new standard, as is his wont, so it's only a matter of time before he has to admit that NFC is hot. Passbook is a nice concept, but it's a little different…
I have never seen anything so terrible. It's like putting a poop scooper on a Ferrari and going to the fields to fertilize...
The NFC chip apparently takes up some space, hence the thickness.
What will it take? =D The NFC chip (depends on the manufacturer and required properties) has dimensions calculated in millimeters, height in the order of tenths of a millimeter... So this plastic abomination is just KB's ingenuity.
with NFC technology, only the antenna requires space, not the chip, but the antenna also fits in the payment card, so no extra thickness is needed... I can already buy a snapcase and put the payment card in it from the back and I also have NFC :D
That's right - I don't have a cover for IP5 myself - so far so good. I don't understand how anyone can put this horror on their cell phone these days!!! For God's sake!
I mean, I'm never mistaken that NFC was, is, and WILL NOT be in the future.
The case is absolutely insane. People buy an iPhone for the style and design (among other things) and then splurge on a piece of plastic for it. Horror.
Otherwise, I've been paying with NFC for over two months now and I'm completely satisfied, including availability in all the markets where I shop. Of course I don't have an iPhone. Let's believe that Apple will reconsider the opinion on NFC and people will start using this technology more and more often. It's really simple.
What is the advantage over an ordinary contactless payment card? That it is not possible to pay if I do not enter a PIN, so in case of theft there is less danger of misuse?
I must add that Česká spořitelna also provides the same card for iPhone 4/4S (currently in test mode). It works exactly the same. Technologically, NFC is a great thing, but unfortunately when it comes to security, I don't see it so rosy. In a smaller shop, where a dubious existence stands behind me at the cash register, I'd rather pay with a regular card and PIN than give him a reason to chase me outside and take the "smart box that allows him to pay anywhere" from me.
I carry the longer part in my pocket and only put it on in front of the cash register and then take it off again.
If you have a car, you also put a cover on it. For example, can you put a cover in the shape of a Skoda on a Mercedes?
You must be kidding us, just like KB
I have to say that for me this is an incredible FAIL for KB. I don't understand how they can walk out with something like that!
That sounds like a very good thing. I've never looked into what NFS is, but what if I didn't have to remove the card and just pay with my iPhone? Ha, good moss, I'd take that...but without that hideous cover. Also, it's not made for the 5. Btw, if Apple came up with it, it would work right away, or would I have to wait for the bank to implement it somehow and send me some settings or something? Because it seems to me that there are many places where you can pay just by showing your card. So where is the problem? Like people who have S3 will come to Billy and pay with that pancake?
That's right, those people who have s3, like me, will come to Billy, Albert, Spar, Žabka, Tesco, C&A and about 1000 other companies and pay with that pancake. The advantage is that when you pay by phone, you immediately see all transactions in the payment application, so it is not a problem to immediately find out exactly how much you paid and where. And it saves you exactly where you paid using GPS. Mainly, the transaction, including receipt trips, takes about 1 second. :)
It's no wonder KB is fumbling... that case is a terrible brick-and-mortar... who can put this on an iPhone ;) there is no need to mention that even some external batteries in the form of a case are smaller and prettier than this one...
I just made a better, lighter, design-neutral variant and it's free and I can be a client of any bank that offers contactless cards.
I put my visa paywave payment card from mBank under the "bumper", which also has a covered back. and wow… I have an iPhone with NFC…. :D
It's true, where you can't pay with NFC, I'll have to take out the card again... that's a bit pointless. :-(
When you're already writing a review. I would like to compare it with a similar application from Ceske sporitelna. The one with this case and application even came with a drive as part of the test shipment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuwQQ1T5wrY není is this also NFC? Just a sticker and what a stupid cover
it is the same case that is also provided by Tatra banka in Slovakia, I have it and it works without problems :)
In Slovakia, Tatrabanka is an offer of more than a year :) for €20 you have a great case and the possibility to pay contactless and without a limit of €20 per payment :))
By the way, you have to hold it in your hands rather than 20 people spinning just on the basis of a photo!! And even though I'm an apple fan, like most of you who have at most an iPhone, I have to say that my hat is off to those who are trying to find a way to offer us functions that Apple doesn't know why it's denying us! But of course, because then when I put it in the iPhone6 section, I'll hiccup like a mare in heat, although now I'm pining on the sections that already have it :(((