NFC technology has made the possibility of making payments using your Smartphone a real possibility. Now PayPal has brought it even closer with the news they have introduced a mobile credit card reader for small firms.

Called “PayPal Here” it features a blue triangular reader that plugs into a Smartphone via the audio jack. An app comes with it to run the software. PayPal says it is designed to help retailers grow their businesses and make more sales but it’s also a logical step forward for the company that handles the online payments for eBay.

So far the reader only works on iPhones with work due to start on an Android version soon.

The app will allow small business to swipe cards to accept payments but also using the app to take pictures of cheques or a card in question to accept payment. The app can keep track of any cash payments and can be used as an invoice system, making it much easier for a small firm to manage their money on the go.

Smartphone payment is going to become increasingly more widespread over the coming year. New devices launched over the past three months like the Sony Xperia S, the HTC One range and the Nokia Lumia range all feature NFC which, if firms like Visa have their way, will make it possible for people to make a payment simply by swiping their Smartphone over  a chip. Of course there are some concerns over Cloud potential and whether information will be secure but that will be an on-going education process by those developing the technology. Some reports have suggested NFC payment units could be installed in the UK in time for the London Olympics.

This PayPal app offers something slightly different in that it uses the Smartphone to make life a little easier for the merchant rather than the consumer. Often small businesses are limited in terms of what kind of payment methods they can receive. PayPal has quickly made a named for itself over the past 14 years by offering small firms an easy alternative for accepting payment. Expanding that into the offline sphere via the Smartphone helps them take on both Square and Google Wallet that have already been making inroads into this arena in the US.

For the moment PayPal Here will only be available in America, the reader is free but as with its online version PayPal takes a cut of the payments to cover operating costs. After the US the system will be shipped to Hong Kong, Canada and Australia and is expected to come to Europe in the coming weeks and months.

Whether it takes off remains to be seen. The choice for vendors seems simple as it helps manage their business easily via their iPhone 4S, for example. However, whether it will make NFC more popular or welcomed by consumers any quicker remains to be seen. The main things consumers will worry about it security and safety and recent stories about Smartphone apps losing users’ data won’t make anyone feel it could be any more secure. Smartphone payments are coming and they will make things much easier, chances are the majority of users just want to be sure their details will stay safe.

One of the hottest new products which are going to make a mark in mobile world is Lumia 900, a Windows Phone-based Smartphone which has a flashy set of features that makes it competitive with the best alternatives offered by the Android camp. This hot product will be Nokia’s first step to reclaim its market share. Combined with Nokia’s efforts to drive the development of the Windows Phone ecosystem, the Lumia 900 and its successors will help Microsoft to reclaim its No. 2 ranking in Smartphone operating system market share in 2015.

The Lumia 900 will reportedly launch this March, running Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 .Nokia’s migration from its Symbian OS to Windows Phone will benefit not only Microsoft, but the Smartphone maker as well. The Lumia 900’s 4.3-inch touch screen display and 12-megapixel camera will make it a strong contender in consumer markets and its access to Microsoft will give it a boost in the corporate world.

The Lumia 900 also supports the Long Term Evolution (LTE) 4G standards, a feature that IHS iSuppli believes will stir up a particularly positive response within North America – a region the Finland-based Nokia doesn’t typically target.

A CLOSE COMPARISON WITH NOKIA LUMIA 800

Well, now one can put the Nokia Lumia 900 side-by-side with the Nokia Lumia 800 to get a good look at the subtle differences between these great Nokia Windows Phones. And there is certainly more to differentiate the two handsets than initially meets the eye.

To start with we can say that the top of the Nokia Lumia 900 is slightly different than the Nokia Lumia 800. While the Lumia 800 features its charging port beneath a small plastic cover, the Lumia 900 instead leaves its port exposed, making it quicker and easier to connect a cable and power up your phone on the move.

Next, when viewing the rear of the Nokia Lumia 900 compared to the Lumia 800, you can see that the LED flash is placed differently on each device. While the Lumia 800’s LED flash is located directly above the camera, when viewed vertically, the Lumia 900’s flash is instead set to the left of the lens.

And finally, while the Nokia Lumia 800 features a unique curved piece of Corning Gorilla Glass on its gorgeous 3.7-inch AMOLED panel, which seems to raise images from the screen, the Nokia Lumia 900 instead opts for a flat display. What effect this will have on image quality – if any – is yet to be seen.

All in all, however, both the Nokia Lumia 900 and Nokia Lumia 800 are very similar looking devices which both pack bags of style that make all other Windows Phones look truly dated and boring by comparison. We can’t wait to give the Lumia 900 a try and we’ll bring you full details on how it measures up as soon as we can.

Nokia’s Lumia 800 is one of the most significant Smartphone on the horizon. It may lack the absurdly high-end specs of current Android handsets, and it doesn’t have the hype of Apple’s iPhone, but for Nokia and Microsoft, the Lumia 800 represents the viability of their joint mobile future.

For one, the Lumia 800 looks and feels completely unlike any phone on the market — except of course Nokia’s own N9, an experimental MeeGo phone that served as the launching point for the Lumia’s design. Its curved glass display makes the imagery from its eye-bleedingly sharp 3.7-inch AMOLED display almost jump out at you. The Lumia’s screen is described as “ClearBlack” because of its uncanny ability to display truly dark, inky blacks, a sign of a high-quality display.

Eschewing the typical metal or plastic shells of its competitors, the Lumia 800 features a unibody polycarbonate case, available in black, cyan, and magenta. Since the colors run straight through the polycarbonate case — instead of just being painted on — nicks and scratches are virtually unnoticeable.

The phone features Windows Phone 7.5, also known as “Mango.” Unlike other manufacturers in Microsoft’s harem, Nokia was also able to include some of its own unique apps, like Nokia Drive, Maps, and Music. (Nokia’s less-expensive Lumia 710 Windows Phone also includes these apps.) The inclusion of Nokia Music is confusing, given that it’s completely separate from Microsoft’s Zune store and app.

As is typical for a high-end Nokia phone, the Lumia 800 features a killer 8-megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss lens. The phone can also shoot 720p high-definition video at 30 frames per second. Long before Apple’s iPhone 4 and 4S cameras wowed consumers, Nokia was shoving quality sensors into its phones. For many consumers, especially in America, the Lumia 800 will be the first taste of just how well Nokia can put together a phone shooter.

Nokia can focus on developing its killer hardware without worrying about managing an operating system of its own. And of course, Windows Phone once again gives Nokia a gateway to the US phone market. Nokia has been struggling to land phone deals with US carriers since before the iPhone was released, and the advent of Apple’s uber-popular smartphone certainly didn’t help things. As the premiere Windows Phone maker, carriers will be fighting tooth and nail for Nokia’s phones.

For Microsoft, the Lumia 800 proves that it chose wisely by teaming up with Nokia. Even though it’s already working with popular phone makers like Samsung and HTC, Microsoft’s partnership with Nokia is unprecedented, and it will open doors for Windows Phone internationally.

Samsung has well gripped the mobile and tab market with several new launches among which Samsung Galaxy Note and Samsung Galaxy Nexus are the clear hot selling. Both these smartphones are rock sellers of Samsung Galaxy stream. Samsung Galaxy Note is considered to be the future of smartphones as well as pocket tablets. Galaxy Nexus is a bit easier in handling and carry than Samsung Note due to its size but Samsung Note way ahead as compared to rest smartphones in terms of features and hardware.

In US mobile market the US carrier Verizon has launched its versions of Samsung Galaxy Note as well as Galaxy Nexus. Note is considered to be the king of hardware and Nexus is being termed as queen of the lab for features and software. If we talk about hardware then Galaxy Note phlegmatically kills Samsung Nexus.

Samsung Note features a dual core 1.4GHz Exynosprocessor which awards it with blitz fast speed, internal storage of 16 gigs and card slot for expandable memory. Whereas, Nexus features 1.2GHz dual core TI OMAP processor, internal memory of 16 gigs in GSM version and 32 gigs in Verizon version and no external card slot.

The display of both these handsets are closer as the Note features a 5.3 inch Super AMOLED HD display offering resolution of 1280 x 800 and Nexus offers Super AMOLED display offering resolution of 1280 x 720p. Obviously Note is clear choice if you wish to have a big screen and tabletlike experience. Watching movie or playing game is more fun on Samsung Note as compared to Samsung Nexus. Note also features first time a Wacom dual digitizer which offers both active pen input and capacitive multi-touch.

The Galaxy Nexus offers a 5 MP back camera in comparison the Note offers a 8 MP camera. Coming to shape and size, the Nexus is a bit bulky than the Note but smaller in size while the Note is thinner, taller and wider. Wisely saying Samsung galaxy Note is not a smartphone but it is in mid of a smartphone and tablet. All in all, the Note is a sketch book, a portable note pad and a touch screen handset.

Galaxy Nexus is far affordable on your pocket and cheaper than the Note. For US mobile users, the Galaxy Note can prove to be a costly affair as it is costly and no direct US carrier launched Galaxy Note till now. US carrier AT&T is in line to launch Galaxy Note but until that you have to spend over $650 to own this smartphone cum tablet. Whereas, Verizon has launched the Galaxy Nexus and you can have it on subsidy for $299 depending on data plan.

US mobile market is experiencing a flood of many new handset launches by prominent networks such as Verizon, T-Mobile, AT & T and Nextel. All these companies are competing hard to offer customers with attractive handsets as well as Tabs. Mobile users willing to acquire a Tab will have numerous nice options to choose from this Charismas and New Year festive season.

Verizon Wireless has introduced Motorola DROID XYBOARD 8.2 and 10.1 Tabs in this new festive season. The new handset will take over previous XOOM tablet of Motorola. Both variants of Motorola DROID XYBOARD offer superb data speeds 4G LTE and huge and crystal clear display. Stealth black finish of the tablets will appeal you and the comfort to handle will make you feel better. It’s a stylish tablet and handy to carry.

The operating system of the Motorola DROID XYBOARD is Android 3.x Honeycomb based as was used for the previous XOOM tablet. Both the Motorola tablets are very parallel in features, components and design. The tablets offer touchscreen display of 1280 x 800 pixels IPS, although being different in sizes.

It features dual-core 1.2GHz processor making it a swift machine and is well supported by application RAM of 1 GB. Multitasking is a pleasure on this machine and you will never run out of speed while gaming, using heavy applications or surfing. The tab with 8.2-inch screen is presented with internal storage of 16GB and 32GB. You may choose to grab 16GB, 32GB or even bigger 64GB if opting for 10.1-inch model.

5 megapixels of camera offers both these tablets to click or shoot clear pictures or video of your unforgettable moments. In both versions of Motorola DROID XYBOARD you will find bottom micro-USB and micro-HDMI ports and headphone and IR ports at the top. The 8.2 inch model features speakers located along the top and bottom ends that is well convenient to watch video in landscape mode, but not in 10.1 inch model.

When it comes to usability, both the handsets are well made for easy handling and use with slight edge over one another. The 8.2 inch variant is pretty easier to use and hold all because of its smaller size. On 8.2 model thumb typing is pretty easy particularly in portrait mode. In 10.1 model typing is difficult in portrait mode all because it’s bulky size. The tablets will be available with on-contract pricing for 8.2 model will range from $429.99 and for 10.1 model will be around $529.99 both for storage of 16GB.

This is a guest post written by Alok Vats who owns I News India, a dynamic platform which represents the power of people. I News India is a platform which has used the concept of the Citizen Journalism.

This is the same time of year when every one of us plans for the holidays, and creating shopping lists. I know it’s really tough to plan holidays and it is even tougher to prepare the shopping lists that too of the Christmas gifts.

As we all know the importance of the technology in our life. We all understands that we can not live a single day without gadgets which we use. Especially mobile phones have lately become one of the most important aspects of life.

I am sure that many of us will prefer to gift a mobile phone to our loved one. Last year I purchased six mobile phones, just to gift my near and dear ones, and I was surprised to see the reaction of the friends whom I gifted the same. I am sure you too will love to see the same expressions of your loved ones.

From last few weeks I was thinking about writing a guest post for Mobiles Scoop, but mobile phone was such a niche in which I was not getting idea about what should I write. Then finally the idea of the Christmas gift came into my mind and I decided to write on the same. I am sure that this article will help you to select the perfect gift for your loved ones.

With so many options available in the market, any one can become confused to purchase a mobile phone. If your budget is of less than $100 too then also you will find plenty of good phones in between the range of $50 to $100. Believe me you can get some good decent looking phone at this range, but yes if you are looking for a smartphone then it will start from $250 only. Although the rates can vary these days as many handset providers are providing discounts on the same.

You will become surprised to know that many of the retailer companies will provide you the smartphones for free too, or for such a small price which you won’t ever think about. If you are really planning to get something of this type then this is the perfect time when you can crack such a nice deal.

If you ask me, then I will say that finding a perfect device or handset is not that tough. You can easily get one of the finest looking devices with so many features installed in it and that too for a very reasonable budget too. The toughest part is to get the perfect carrier for the device which you are gifting to your loved ones.

Coverage is something which is always our prime concern while choosing the right carrier for your device. Especially when you are gifting it to your spouse then you must not humiliate him (or her) with the poor coverage of the carrier which you gifted. So while choosing a perfect carrier for the device which you are planning to gift, you must need to consider the coverage of the carriers first.

The second concerned point is the calling plan. Sometimes the company which is providing good coverage might not be providing good calling plans. Remember one thing that we can compromise a bit for calling plans, but not for the coverage part. So do a bit of research of all the service providers and then look for a calling plan which can best suit the budget of your loved ones.

One of the finest criteria which come in my mind while choosing a mobile phone for your loved ones is depending on the use which that person will do. Different people will have different needs, if you ask me, I will prefer a smartphone with Android and touch screen, as then I can use a bit of internet through it, and remain in touch with my friends with the help of Facebook and Twitter through that mobile. But if you ask me to purchase a cell phone for my mom, I am sure that she will only need a basic phone with good dial pad, so that she can be able to call me at times.

I am sure that these tips will surely help you to find out a good mobile phone to gift out your near and dear ones. Frankly speaking during this year almost none of the companies launched any model of the basic phones. Most of the phones available in the market at this time will fall into the range of the smartphone. Many of the low cost android phones are now available in the market and I am sure that depending on the needs of the user you can be able to pick the right carrier (carrier coverage and calling points) for the device which you are planning to gift.

If you are searching for a windows based handset at very attractive rate being light on your pocket then Samsung Omnia W is your pick. Its an jwel in mid-range windows based handset, being loaded with many latest features.

This handset from Samsung flashes several glittering hardware specifiations such as a Super AMOLED big display of 3.7-inch, processing of 1.4GHz single-core connectivity of 14.4Mbps HSPA and heavy storage of 8 Gb.

This slick hansdset can confuse you with its resemblance to recent launch of Samsung Focus Flash. But the Omnia W has its own impression of latest design superiority. When it comes to design this handset really scores well on all parameters. This compact mobile is very light with just 115 grams of weight.

Its metal element on the back cover makes its look pretty dazzling. This handset is pretty comfy to grip and hold. One can easily operate Samsung Omnia W with single hand; all credit goes to the reasonably-sized screen and the conical edges. All in all the look of Omnia W is entirely appealing and creates a decent appearance in your hand.

The big Super AMOLED (not Plus) display of 3.7-inch makes this mobile different from old Windows based handsets previously flooded in the market.

Samsung Omnia’s saturated colors are pretty tempting to eyes and its outside visibility is far better than pleasing. Its bright resolution of 480×800 pixels boast to deliver pixel density of 252ppi, which is fairly nice, except the PenTile matrix which takes a little toll on the sharpness of the handset. Over all Samsung has engineered the handset’s display well and the images, video and fine text look sharp enough. The display exercises the standard for AMOLEDs pitch blacks and rest features such as high contrast and nice viewing angles.

Design and specifications of Samsung Omnia W stick to the latest Windows Based Handset guidelines such as offering the mandatory 3 navigational keys right beneath the screen. The 3 keys include a physical Home button and a devoted key for camera plus LED flash to escort the back side five mega pixel shooter.

The processing is pretty swift with 1.4GHz single-cors well with the Windows operating. Running several applications at a time is quite easy and fast with this handset. Connectivity of 14.4Mbps HSPA enables you to connect with other devices with blazing fast rate. Wrapping it up, the Samsung Omnia W is an ultimate Windows based phone at mid range handsets.

Nokia 500 is among the 1GHz Symbian- powered new generation handsets. 1GHz Symbian- powered mobiles were searching a ground and the latest launch of Nokia 500 will well support the goal. A mere 1 GHz processor may sound you little but Nokia 500 has more to offer with Anna inside and the upcoming Belle. It may be considered as a nice pick after making notes of features of Nokia 500.

The 3.2 inch display with 16M color TFT capacitive touchscreen will surely lure you at first glance. The display has a resolution of 640 x 360 pixels. The handset supports Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE enabling you never be out of network. It operates on Symbian Anna OS with speed of 1 GHz ARM 11 CPU as well as internal RAM of 256 MB. It has a fixed focus camera of five megapixel offering option of VGA video recording. Rest multimedia options are well available as micro-SD slot, 3.5 mm jack for audio plug-in, Stereo Bluetooth 2.1 and micro-USB connector.

The additional attractive feature of Nokia 500 is its GPS facility. The handset has a GPS receiver free lifetime voice-guided navigation as well as with A-GPS support. It has also a digital compass enabling you to never lose your direction. It has a built-in proximity sensor and accelerometer. The Smart dialing will facilitate you with speed dialing as well as you can also use the voice commands to operate the calling.

Its multimedia and entertainment features will never let you bore and will keep you engaged while travelling or short trip. It has video support of all basic formats along with DivX and XviD, so that you can play your favorite movies on the go. Stereo FM Radio is also there to change your mood or keep you updated while any cricket match. Nokia 500 can prove a complete entertainer for you.

The web experience is also superior as it supports Flash and Java both for the browser. There are few backlogs in web browser but its best for general net use. Social networking integration is another engaging feature of Nokia 500 with smooth social media experience. Keep changing your style and phone color with its exchangeable rear covers.

If you ignore the little backlogs of Nokia 500 such as its fixed focus camera without any flash, poor image quality, VGA video recording and office document viewer not available, then this phone can be considered according to the price range and feature offerings. The brilliant touch screen, processing speed, connectivity and GPS package will be hard to beat for rest mobiles in same price range and really can be a nice pick.

We all enjoy a little bit of interaction with our technology and fortunately Apple has realised this and added the amazingly innovative Siri to the iOS 5’s list of ingenious offerings. Older iPhone models are able to update to iOS 5 and make use of many of the new features such as Find my Friends and iMessage, but Siri is the one feature that is restricted to the iPhone 4S only.

So, what is Siri and is it worth the cost of a new iPhone 4S contract?

Well Siri is a very advanced kind of voice recognition software, which allows users to do virtually anything they wish to do on the iPhone with the power of their voice. This technology is obviously a huge step forwards from the Google Voice technology that has been present on Android for some time now. Rather than having a few separate voice control apps to write messages or search the internet, Siri is present at all times ready to accept any command you give to it. Siri innovatively allows users to control virtually every part of their iPhone through the use of the software. You are not limited to having to change the way you call something due to pronunciation issues as Siri comes with the ability to learn how a person pronounces a word and then adapts for the next time. This is obviously a huge leap into the artificial intelligence area for iPhone and iOS 5 and will win many over.

The new technology can do everything from make voice calls to change currency over just through the power of voice. You can also check your stocks or arrange a meeting to be placed in your calendar. Siri will not just follow you commands but also offer you some helpful advice too. Perhaps a meeting you are trying to enter into the calendar clashes with a prior arrangement, Siri will inform you of this and suggest another date and time. This is a leap from the limited abilities of older voice controls and its inclusiveness could be its golden factor.

The technology is also programmed with a number of ingenious responses and saying certain things to the iPhone 4s will mean a retort of a smart alec variety in some cases. Telling Siri you love your iPhone is met with the response, ‘I hope you don’t say that to all the other phones.’

In response to you asking her to ‘open the pod doors’ a la Hal9000 from Space Odyssey, she responds with “That’s it…I’m reporting you to the Intelligent Agents’ Union for harassment.”

This is a nice touch and will have gadget geeks asking all sorts of sci-fi related questions in the hope of a smart answer.

We certainly see a place for Siri in the iPhone 4S and believe it to be a giant leap forward for Apple and phone technology and will be the main thing attracting people towards new iPhone mobile phone contracts. It may turn out to be another feature that many people do not really use on a day to day basis, as FaceTime was on the iPhone 4, but at the very least it provides an enjoyable new entertainment feature on the iPhone 4S. Should you get the iPhone 4S for its Siri feature? If you prefer using your voice more than your fingers then most definitely.