This month in technology: Palm-based payments and China’s digital currency giveaway

Amazon debuts palm scanning payment device

Amazon has launched its latest retail payment solution whereby customers can purchase goods with the wave of a hand.

The Amazon One scanner registers an image of the customer’s palm that is linked to a payment option such as a bank card.

The contactless technology will be trialled in two of Amazon’s retail stores in Seattle, Washington.

In a statement, Amazon said: “In most retail environments, Amazon One could become an alternate payment or loyalty card option with a device at the checkout counter next to a traditional point of sale system.”

However, the launch has come under scrutiny from privacy advocacy group Big Brother Watch.

The group’s director Silkie Carlo said: “Amazon continues to fill the market with invasive, dystopian technologies that solve non-existent problems.”

O2 launches mobile phone donation initiative

O2 has partnered with charity Hubbub to donate 10,000 mobile phones to vulnerable residents in three south London boroughs.

The scheme will see residents in Lewisham, Lambeth and Southwark able to collect unused or unwanted smartphones from charitable donations from the public.

The mobile network provider has pledged to provide 12 months of free connectivity to the recipients of the scheme, including unlimited minutes and texts and 6GB of data per month.

A national rollout will follow in Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Swansea following the trial in London.

Mark Evans, O2 CEO, said: “Connectivity has been vital to keeping the country running during the pandemic, but if you’re unable to get online you’re likely to miss out on a lot of support.

“We’ve already seen the positive impact Community Calling has had on vulnerable people in Southwark, so we’re pleased to announce this expansion and tackle digital exclusion elsewhere across the country. We’re determined to support the people who need it most,” he added.

BT secures replacement for banned Huawei 5G infrastructure

BT has put pen to paper on an agreement to use Ericsson’s 5G infrastructure to replace the now-banned Huawei technology it had planned to use for its 5G network.

BT owns the EE mobile network and had originally planned to use a combination of Nokia and Huawei technology to power its 5G drive.

However, following the UK government’s ban on the Chinese company’s product, BT has reached out to the Swedish firm Ericsson to plug the gap.

BT is already in the process of replacing the Huawei products with the Ericsson alternatives in the core, essential parts of its 5G network.

Huawei released a report this month arguing that its UK ban could result in the loss of thousands of jobs and billions to the economy as the 5G rollout will take longer to complete without its presence.

Exciting announcement! We have been selected by @BTGroup to supply #5G RAN to multiple capital and major cities in the UK! Learn more here: https://t.co/8ShRskRiAn pic.twitter.com/v17j8DwSS7

— Ericsson (@ericsson) October 29, 2020

Virtual reality gaming belongs to the future

Sony PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has said that virtual reality (VR) will not represent a significant part of video gaming in the near future.

Ahead of the launch of the PlayStation 5 in November, Ryan indicated that VR capabilities will not be commonplace for home entertainment for years to come.

The PlayStation 4 did boast a compatible VR headset, but Sony has seen itself fall behind competitors such as Facebook’s Oculus Quest.

Speaking to the Washington Post, Ryan said: “PlayStation believes in VR. Sony believes in VR and, we definitely believe at some point in the future, VR will represent a meaningful component of interactive entertainment.

“Will it be this year? No. Will it be next year? No. But will it come at some stage? We believe that,” he added.

Chinese city rollouts digital currency trial

The Chinese city of Shenzhen has begun giving away more than $1.49m worth of yuan in the form of a new digital currency.

Almost two million people applied for one of the 50,000 ‘red packets’ containing $30 worth of the digital currency which could be spent at 3,800 stores in the city.

Participants must download the Renminbi to access the currency, which the local government hopes will stimulate the Shenzhen economy following the peak of the coronavirus outbreak.

The currency is backed by the state-run People’s Bank of China and marks part of the Asian nation’s push towards a cashless society.

Chinese citizens are already well-versed in digital payment apps with the likes of Tencent and Alipay commonplace throughout the country.