************************************************************** * * * CYBERSPACE * * A biweekly column on net culture appearing * * in the Toronto Sunday Sun * * * * Copyright 2000 Karl Mamer * * Free for online distribution * * All Rights Reserved * * Direct comments and questions to: * * * * * ************************************************************** M-commerce is M-marvelous Back in my mid-'20s I was proud to be one of the few single, employed males in Toronto that didn't subscribe to cable TV. When the first Mike Harris tax cut came through I made the conscious decision to reinvest that money in the local economy by subscribing to cable. I should have plowed that money into Nasdaq tech stocks. I'd be richer than that Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire lamer. Today, I think I'm the only single, 30-something male employed in high tech that doesn't own a cell phone. I'm making a conscious decision not to own such a device. That I could ring up anyone, anywhere, anytime is dangerous. I'd be calling friends at all hours asking questions that pop into my mind like "Terry, was Erasmus pro- or anti-reformation?", "Cheryl, who was that guy in that movie about those people?", or "Igor, what's Russian for 'You dented my car'?" Even my very best friends would get tired of me. The day is coming when a cell phone will be for all intents and purposes necessary for engaging in commerce. A cell phone will be like a credit card. You can get by without a credit card but grrrrr the alternatives are unthinkable! In fact, your cell phone will likely become your credit card. The world of e-commerce is soon to be eclipsed by the world of m-commerce. The "m" stands for mobile. Business is moving quickly on m-commerce for a number of reasons. Unlike the free-for-all Internet, where users resent paying fees other than a monthly sum to an ISP, cell phone users are used to paying for everything. Business sees an instant revenue stream. M-commerce presents a pro-business, top-down model. There's greater control over the hardware and software. People can't easily drop in new home-brewed chips. Any cell phone call is ultimately backed by a known person with a valid credit card. The same can't be said of an anonymous user at an anonymous computer. While this kind of control and tracking would give the average netizen fits, cell phone users are used to trading off chucks of anonymity for convenience. And what conveniences are coming to a cell phone LCD display near you? You'll be able to get sports scores and trade stocks while sitting in traffic. You'll be able to plug your phone into your car's stereo and turn it into an MP3 player. But that's not what excites me. Saving money excites me. Picture this. You're in a big-box electronic store and you see a VCR you like. The VCR you want is out of stock. Normally, you'd be compelled to buy the more expensive unit with 18 additional features that you don't want because you can actually program a VCR. Instead, you punch the product's UPC code into your cell phone. Your phone shoots that information and your location to a service that then spits back to your LCD screen a list of nearby stores that have the VCR in stock for a cheaper price. Using (future buzz word alert!) one-click buy technology, you instantly buy the VCR by automatically billing it to the credit card that backs your mobile service. Why it's a bargain hunter's dream! But the dream doesn't stop there. Invisible coupon technology is another innovation that's being developed. Say for example, you register at a online magazine site about food and wine. Because you've provided them all sorts of interesting information about your buying habits that no one, including the site's publisher, is sure what to actually do with, you get a 15% discount at local restaurants. An "invisible coupon" is registered with your cell phone. You take your sweetie to Centro for dinner. You ask her for her hand in marriage. She tries to find the words that say yes and convey her unbounded joy. Suddenly, the bill comes (the bill comes in the form of a 3com Palm XXIII attached to a waiter). While she's searching for words, you zap the waiter's Palm with your cell phone. Before your future fiancé's tear-filled eyes, you pay the bill in full. Unbeknownst to her, invisible coupon technology kicks in and your credit card is billed 15% less. You don't appear cheap on this most memorable of occasions and she accepts your proposal. Welcome to the Brave New World.