19March 2010
Previous Posts
- http://tomnoyes.wordpress.com/2010/03/15/att-visa-prepaid/
- http://tomnoyes.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/obopay-and-firethorne/
What is this? In a nutshell it seems to be a software app that provides for consolidation and creation of pre-paid gift cards. Allowing gift card bar code to be displayed on a cell phone screen so it can be scanned by merchants.
From the SWAGG website we see:
GIVE
Plastic is lame. You’re not.
SWAGG lets you create a personal digital gift and send it to your friend’s mobile device.GET
Get hooked up. Way up.
SWAGG stays on tops of your favorite brands so you’ll always be the first to know what’s fresh.GO
Your wallet is full. Of crap.
SWAGG files all your membership and loyalty points neatly under one button.
QCOM CEO, Paul Jacobs comments at CES “”It lets us conduct all sort of transactions on the go…So we can purchase and personalize gift cards, share them with our friends, exchange them with stores we like better. We can use them to buy stuff wherever we are. We can receive personalized offers, We can get loyalty points, manage our rewards programs.”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgfn-_lXo0U]
SWAG stands for “stuff we all get.” … sounds much more interesting than Firethorn’s initial mobile balance checking application. I’m a little disappointed this isn’t more NFC focused given QCOM’s tremendous IP portfolio. In this “bar code” model, I can’t help but wonder about conflict w/ Apple’s broad payment patent here
http://www.forbes.com/2007/12/26/apple-patents-iphone-tech-wire-bc_1227appatent.html