Fitness band-it Garmin adds mobe bank Starling to bonk-to-pay fold Nimble-footed Garmin has nipped ahead of industry's lumbering giants and expanded its own mobile payments offering in the UK to include "challenger bank" Starling. Garmin's bonk-to-pay system works with any NFC-capable terminal. Starling allows customers to set up accounts trivially on an iPhone, but Garmin hopes to have …
They really are on fire at the moment. I have the 935 watch for triathlon which really is superb when put next to it's nearest rival which is the Suunto Spartan. The crappy overpriced iWatch doesn't even come close to either of these in terms of sporting pedigree.
Take the 935 then and add a more rugged casing and you get the Fenix. Take the 935 + Fenix and add full dive management and pressure sensors and you have the Descent for scuba diving as well as almost every other conceivable activity you can think of (I did say almost!!)
So it's the Descent that I am now looking at trialling as my new single watch to do everything.
Same here... Have the vivoActive HR and it does most things I want. The Fenix was a bit too... expensive for me at the time and didn't quite have/do what the HR does. And yes, Apple Watch 2 or 3 didn't even get a look in (*looks at the Nike Apple Watch still in its box*). The 10-day recharge cycle on it (with daily use with a chest strap) is absolutely brilliant.
Yeah, the article didn't make mention of security measures such as entering a PIN, or requiring a PIN to be entered after the watch is removed from the owner's wrist.
Really, I think watches and phones are overthinking the problem... if cash/credit cards were roughly the width of their working parts ( let's say 12mm) they could be more easily carried ( i.e with a pocket in a belt, or contained in a watch strap or bracelet). I mean SIM cards were the size of credit cards, before mini, micro and now nano SIMs became standard.
They give incredible battery and great functionality, and definitely don't get the press space they deserve..
Say that, their latest models are far to too expensive these days. Which sucks as I was in the market for one a couple of weeks ago after my old VivoActive HR got damaged when skiing. I've now replaced it with one of these
https://us.amazfit.com/shop/stratos?variant=373265
Amazing bit of kit.. and all for the bargain sum of £130..
I would like to know the take up rate of these various payment technologies. Given every bank gives you a contactless card for free, how can any value be added? Although the banks have more to lose strategically in that they and the credit card companies could become obsolete for payments.
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