SHERLOCK HOLMES AND DR. WATSON WENT ON A CAMPING TRIP . . .

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip . . .

. . . After a good meal they lay down for the night, and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend awake. "Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."

Watson replied, "I see millions and millions of stars."

"What does that tell you?" Holmes questioned.

Watson pondered for a minute, Holmes' expectations ever-present in his mind. "Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three AM. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?"

Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke. "Watson, you idiot. Someone has stolen our tent.

Visa officially announces their case that turns your iPhone into a credit card (and we’ve got pics!)

by Greg Kumparak on May 17, 2010

Around two weeks ago, Visa announced that they’d partnered with a company called DeviceFidelity to build the iPhone case of our dreams: one that would allow us to use our iPhone as a credit card at any of the thousands of retailers who support no-swipe payments. As quickly as it was announced, however, it was gone; around an hour after the press release went up, it got pulled.

It has returned! This time around, it’s got a name — and better yet, we’ve got pictures.

Back in 2009, DeviceFidelity managed to stuff a near-field communications chip into a microSD card. Stuff said microSD card into a compatible phone, and bam – your phone can now act as a contactless credit card, with on-device software unlocking the card for use whenever the user punches in their password. The problem: none of the iPhones released thus far have a microSD slot.

Enter the new case, now dubbed the “In2Pay” (They should have called it the “payPhone”. Get it? Like a pay phone. Hah. Update: Crap. Someone already trademarked it.) Like a handful of third-party external battery cases, this new case plugs into the bottom of the iPhone via the dock connector. This connection provides power and an interface for the SD card. Pop on the case, plug in the microSD card, download the payment app from the App Store — and bam, you’re buying stuff at PetCo like someone from the future and/or Japan.

Check out the full release below:

DeviceFidelity Announces Mobile Contactless Payment Solution for iPhone

Protective case designed to host microSD based contactless apps turning iPhone into a Visa mobile payment device

Richardson, TX – May 17, 2010 – DeviceFidelity, Inc. today announced the availability of its In2Pay™ solution for iPhone, designed to enable iPhone users to make contactless transactions, such as Visa mobile payments, by simply waving the iPhone in front of a contactless payment terminal. The solution combines DeviceFidelity’s In2Pay microSD technology with a specially designed, patent-pending protective case that adds mobile contactless capability and works with iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

By placing a removable In2Pay microSD into the protective case, iPhone users can take advantage of In2Pay’s secure contactless capabilities where contactless transactions are offered. They range from buying goods in retail stores and at unattended kiosks, to transit ticketing, and even securely accessing buildings and computers networks. Trials are scheduled to start during the second quarter of 2010.

“The more than 200,000 apps on the App Store are an integral part of iPhone users’ lives.” said Amitaabh Malhotra, COO, DeviceFidelity. “With our In2Pay solution, we want to give both iPhone users and app developers the power to do even more, by putting the convenience of interactive secure mobile transactions, right at their fingertips, anywhere they are.”

DeviceFidelity and Visa collaborated to combine Visa’s contactless payment technology, Visa payWave, and In2Pay technology to transform a mobile phone with a microSD memory slot into a mobile contactless payment device. Today’s announcement extends this functionality to iPhone and has the potential to accelerate the adoption of mobile contactless payments globally, especially in geographies where merchants have already upgraded payment terminals to accept contactless transactions.

“Visa is working to bring the security and convenience of digital currency to mobile users around the world,” said Dave Wentker, Head of Mobile Contactless Payments at Visa Inc. “Our collaboration with DeviceFidelity can extend the reach of Visa mobile payments to millions of iPhone users.”

The In2Pay solution gives iPhone users the ability to add greater convenience, flexibility and functionality. The In2Pay solution is designed to stay attached to iPhone and provides a micro USB slot for users to sync and charge their devices. DeviceFidelity’s In2Pay microSD provides secure, convenient one-click access to contactless transactions. Compatible with smart card industry standards, the microSD can be issued and personalized like traditional smart cards or in the future through a secure download of the account information via a mobile network.

DeviceFidelity has multiple patents pending in the USA and several international countries for microSD and handset case based plug-and-play technology. DeviceFidelity has recently launched a partnership program allowing application and Trusted Service Manager system developers to upgrade their NFC solutions by adding support for the In2Pay microSD. The In2Pay microSD can be inserted securely and easily into the In2Pay Case for iPhone.

About DeviceFidelity, Inc.
DeviceFidelity, Inc. develops plug-and-play technologies that empower a variety of institutions to deploy their services and applications on millions of mobile phones worldwide. Its patent-pending In2Pay microSD solution, transforms any mobile phone with a memory card slot into an interactive contactless transaction device. Committed to bringing contactless innovation to the mobile phone, the company has numerous patents pending in both U.S. and international patent offices. DeviceFidelity is a private corporation with headquarters in Richardson, Texas and offices in Foster City, California. For more information, go to www.devicefidelity.com

About Visa
Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable digital currency. Underpinning digital currency is one of the world’s most advanced processing networks–VisaNet–that is capable of handling more than 10,000 transactions a second, with fraud protection for consumers and guaranteed payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank, and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: Pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/05/17/visa-officially-announces-their-case-that-turns-your-iphone-into-a-credit-card-and-weve-got-pics/

If Ramayana was on Facebook....

POLICE OFFICER TAKES ON WRONG CROUD

A rookie police officer was out for his first ride in a cruiser with an experienced partner.

A call came in telling them to disperse some people who were loitering. The officers drove to the street and observed a small crowd standing on a corner. The rookie rolled down his window and said, "Let's get off the corner, people."

A few glances, but no one moved, so he barked again, "Let's get off that corner...NOW!"

Intimidated, the group of people began to leave, casting puzzled stares in his direction. Proud of his first official act, the young policeman turned to his partner and asked, "Well, how did I do?"

"Pretty good," chuckled the veteran policemen, "especially since this is a bus stop!"

So Who’s On Facebook Because of You?

Facebook now displays detailed invite history to all their users.

1. If you would like to know who all have joined Facebook because of you, go here.

2. If you would like to see a list of all people whom you have invited to join Facebook but they are yet to accept your invitation, go here.

3. If you like to know who in your friends circle has brought the maximum number of people to Facebook so far, go to facebook.com/impact.

The Facebook Invites history page also gives an option to send email reminders to friends who are yet to join the social site incase your previous invites went unnoticed or if they landed in the junk folder.