BlackBerry Bold 9900 Gets the MasterCard Mobile Payment Nod

[Waqas 48]

Two BlackBerry models — the Bold 9900 and the Curve 9360 — have been approved for MasterCard near field communications payments.

The two devices join the Samsung Nexus S 4G as the only mobile phones that interact with the platform. However BlackBerry maker Research In Motion claims that the two phones are the world’s first SIM-based smartphones to receive such certification. If you have any of the phones and are approved by MasterCard, you can make a payment by merely waving it before a PayPass reader.

PayPass is now available in 350,000 locations including McDonald’s, CVS, Macy’s and Walgreens, but MasterCard hopes one day to integrate the technology into Microsoft’s Kinect so you can wave your smartphone in front of your TV to buy things.

SEE ALSO: Near Field Communication: A Quick Guide to the Future of Mobile

The major credit card companies have been eyeing NFC technology for some time. MasterCard, American Express and Visa joined the NFC Forum in 2004. In addition to PayPass, Visa has a competing technology called payWave that can be used for NFC payments.

More About: blackberry, mobile payments, nfc, RIM

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