News: MasterCard, Apple iBeacons, and an Amazon.com Competitor

Three points of news I found quite interesting.

First is news by MasterCard on the acquisition of a mobile wallet company:

http://www.mobilepaymentstoday.com/article/228433/MWC14-MasterCard-picks-up-m-wallet-developer-C-SAM-partners-with-German-telcos

Here is a snippet from that piece:

MasterCard chose the February 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to announce its acquisition of mobile wallet provider C-SAM. The global payments firm also said it is adding support for in-app payments to its MasterPass digital wallet, and announced a German m-payments partnership with Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica and Vodafone, and a geo-location service with Syniverse Technologies.

Next is a quick bit on Apple's iBeacons for BLE Technology:

http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/25/apple-releases-ibeacon-specifications-under-nda/

Here is a snippet from that one:

Apple has just released the iBeacon specifications for everyone who is a member of the MFi program, Apple’s program for hardware partners (“Made for iPhone program”, etc.). You’ll have to sign an NDA to read the specifications. BEEKn first spotted the news. The company also reiterates that you can’t use the iBeacon brand without prior consent. You have to register to the MFi program, submit a request and get approved by Apple. It’s free for now.

Finally is a bit of investment advice by Cramer from CNBC:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101443994

Is that what the future state of eCommerce looks like?  Will we see, rather than one giant eCommerce system, many competitors that all differentiate via excellence in one slice of retail?  That makes sense.  Here is a snippet from that piece:

CNBC's Jim Cramer says he's finally found a company that can beat Amazon at its own game: Zulily, the online shopping portal that offers daily deals for moms and children.

"This is the first company that has said 'we can beat Amazon,' and I believe them," Cramer said Tuesday on "Squawk on the Street." "I think they can beat Amazon. Why? Because they are a technology company in the women's apparel business. It's a revolutionary company. I urge everyone to take a look at ZU."

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant