EMV in the U.S. won’t be chip and PIN but instead a new technology that takes advantage of the online infrastructure available in the U.S., according to Stephanie Ericksen, head of Authentication Product Integration at Visa USA.

In the U.S. payment transactions are authorized in real time. In other countries this connectivity doesn’t exist which brings up the need for a PIN for further authorization.

“At the time EMV was created, the cost and complexity of connecting a merchant POS device to some telecommunication networks was prohibitive. The way around that was to introduce ‘floor limits’ and create a magnetic stripe alternative – EMV chip-and-PIN – as a counter to potential fraud,” Ericksen states in a blog post. 

Inside Secure has launched a free, open-source NFC protocol stack for Google’s new Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” mobile operating system.

According to Inside, Open NFC 4.3.3 is compliant with the Ice Cream Sandwich release Compatibility Definition Document (CDD) for NFC, and supports all the latest Android NFC features, including Android Beam and WiFi Direct pairing connection. 

Sony has unveiled a new line of NFC Xperia SmartTags that can be used with NFC-enabled phones to perform a variety of functions, according to CNet.

Designed to streamline ordinary tasks on smart phones, Sony’s SmartTags can be programmed by the user to automatically launch a particular app or turn on/off WiFi or Bluetooth with a simple tap of the phone, for example. 

Japanese mobile operator KDDI has announced that it will launch NFC-based commercial services with Japan Airlines, credit card issuers, retailers and loyalty program providers, reports NFC World.

Set to launch as early as the end of January, KDDI’s NFC technology will enable users to make contactless mobile payments from credit or prepaid accounts, redeem coupons and tickets, use loyalty and membership cards, read NFC tags and make peer-to-peer transactions. 

One of the most exciting things that will happen in the next year or two is the confluence of a few major trends. It’s exciting because, together, they promise to make security and identity better and more manageable than it has been in the past.

Before I start, let me point out that these end-of-year articles, talking about the year ahead, often pretend that nothing happened the past 12 months. But these changes are happening now. They’ve been happening for a while. Furthermore, it’s not going to be complete in 2012. By the time 2015 rolls around, we’ll look back at 2012 and say that’s when it really took off.

The first of these changes is BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) computing. BYOD is a much better term than “consumerization” and really portrays the meaning that many of us are buying smart phones, tablets or laptops to use them on a work network. The tension this creates is predictable. 

Smart cards, both contact and contactless, have become standard technologies for applications such as identification, access control, loyalty programs, transportation and banking.

Cards are becoming more technically advanced and a single card now supports multiple applications. For instance, a single student ID card can serve not only as a visual ID, but also for applications such as meal program cards, access cards for controlled entry areas, library checkouts or student attendance tracking.

Over the past few years, the average price of card printers has been going down and at the same times, customers’ needs are more sophisticated as they are now aware of what a card printer is and are therefore demanding more than basic visual IDs. 

MTN Irancell, one of Iran’s mobile operators, has teamed up with Etick Pars Intelligent Technologies and Bank Pasargad to develop a mobile wallet solution for the Iranian Market.

According to Telecompaper, Etick and Irancell plan to test a system that will enable customers to make contactless mobile purchases from a prepaid account that can be reloaded through bank transfers or cash deposits at contactless point of sale terminal.