Here's a better way to pay for stuff. By just touching your fingertip to this Pay by Touch biometric system, you can pay for anything in the ten Chicago Shell stations that are now testing the tech. So this means there's no need to reach for that credit card or even your wallet; all you have to do is touch a certain spot on the pump or in the store, and your online credit or debit card account pays for your gas. Add this tech to Shell's multimedia pumps currently deployed in 300 gas stations across the U.S., showing NBC programming (and advertising) as well as news, weather and sports (also with ads) from Fuel Media International, and people might start hanging out at the high-tech gas pumps for the afternoon. But so far, uptake is slow.
Shell's not advertising this pilot program yet, so not many people are using the finger scanners thus far. Sunflower Market is another Chicago store testing out the Pay by Touch system. The company has installed the finger-scanning kiosks in its grocery store, and store manager Debbie Britton says only 2% of the customers have signed up. She says people are wary of the new technology. "I think it scares people. They're more confused about the whole system. Some of them say, 'Well, now the FBI can find me.'"
Fraidy cats. We're thinking people should rest easy with this tech, because unless criminals cut off your finger and take it to the biometric device, this system seems more secure than the current credit card system. We've been waiting for this stuff for years. It's similar to that MobilPass we used at gas stations for a long time, lubricating the entire payment routine with its RFID device stuck to the car's rear window. That's how we like our payment and toilets: touchless. [Yahoo News]