This week, two players in the payment market are teaming up to provide a solution for businesses to securely accept and ‘tokenize’ transactions from mobile devices.

When the news crossed my desk, one point I found particularly interesting is the fact the technology can ensure the cardholder data never enters the merchant’s backend system or applications. Instead, the merchant only stores ‘tokens.’

If you own or operate a small or midsize business you may have heard this term before: tokenization. This is the process of replacing critical data with symbols or ‘tokens,’ minimizing the amount of information a business keeps in its databases.

Why is this valuable?  For consumers, the benefit is clear. Increased data security. For businesses this helps comply with PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry’s Data Security Standard), which is a set of policies created by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express to prevent misuse of personal cardholder information.

Today’s announcement joins together technology from Paymetric and Velocitor Solutions. Paymetric’s Data Intercept technology, which ‘tokenizes’ payment card data, now uses Velocitor’s V.Mobile solution to secure transactions from mobile devices.

This means the technology will allow businesses to accept payment from connected devices and tokenize the data directly from the solution.

For consumers, one of the big factors holding back widespread adoption of using connected devices for payments is the concern person information may not be secured. With solutions such as this, the industry is making strides to ensure data is safe.

For retailers, accepting payments via mobile devices will soon become a new channel of commerce—if it hasn’t already. But key factors such as complying with PCI DSS and heightening security of data could be critical to business.

Want to learn more about the future of mobile payments? Join the discussion at this year’s Connected World Conference. Check out the agenda or register today.

Sometimes the line between what you can consider B2B and what you can consider B2C begins to blur. With connected devices impacting both our personal and professional lives, this tends to happen more often than not.

Here at Connected World magazine we are all about reporting on all the ways in which this line is indeed blurring. So when you get a compelling story that touches both sides I think it is an important one to relay to the market. That is why I was particularly excited when Novatel Wireless approached us with a great customer story for our Connected World Conference, June 11-13 in St. Charles, Ill. The customer story is very compelling; the only caveat was that I could not say a word about it until it was officially announced.

Well, I am happy to say that day has finally come! A few days ago the official announcement came out that NexTraq has signed a supply agreement for mobile tracking devices with Novatel Wireless and will use the company’s devices for its GPS fleet-tracking solution.

At first glance it looks to be just another fleet-tracking story. But it’s quite the contrary, in fact. When I got on the phone with NexTraq’s CMO Mark Roberts regarding the company’s session at Connected World he detailed all the great ways in which they envision the fleet-tracking market evolving, empowering fleet operators across multiple markets with new ways to help customers. In fact, his vision around how technology can empower end users to make smarter and better decisions is very much in line with what we say at Connected World magazine. Big picture—he has some great ideas.

One such innovation centers on the idea of UBI (usage-based insurance) for fleets. Normally you associate such an idea with the consumer market, e.g, the Snapshot device from Progressive Insurance. Taking such an idea and applying it to the fleet arena opens up a wealth of opportunities for fleet operators to reduce costs with their vehicles, which in turn lowers insurance premiums. This is not even mentioning the idea of lowering the level of driver distraction by monitoring driver performance in realtime.

I think it is important to note the great role that technology from Novatel Wireless is playing in this vision. Its devices are plug-and-play with internal antennas, which greatly reduces vehicle installation costs and associated vehicle out-of-service time, thereby lowering total up-front costs. This is quite the divergence from hard-wired systems that can typically be employed on the fleet level.

Needless to say we are thrilled that NexTraq will be presenting with Novatel Wireless at our conference. Looking at the big picture, I am excited about what such a topic means to M2M and connected devices overall, and how such a presentation might get others to start thinking about how that blurring of the line might be beneficial to their vertical markets as well. You won’t want to miss this one.

I applaud Taylor Morrison’s initiative to include technology in every home at no additional cost to the homebuyer. For an industry that is sluggish, to say the least, it can be difficult to pony up the extra dollars and bring connected devices and technology to the home as a standard feature. But, for Taylor Morrison, it appears to have been a ‘smart’ move.

The market for connected technologies in the home is heating up. Just this week, AT&T announced a portfolio of all-digital, IP-based home security monitoring and automation services called AT&T Digital Life. Others such as Verizon Wireless have already entered this market.

The fact of the matter is the connected home is here—and not just for affluent custom homeowners. With younger generations looking to buy, smart homes are no longer just for the elite. Mass markets want technology in the home, and the systems are advancing to the point where they can have it.

After roughly two months of selling the Interactive Home, as Taylor Morrison calls it, sales are up. In fact, the homebuilder says the technology has helped sell more than 200 homes in the Houston area. Buyers are particularly interested in the audio functionality, adding extra intercoms and audio locations.

Certainly, Taylor Morrison is not the only homebuilder to recognize this trend—it just seems to me it is one of the first to do it on such a grand scale.

What is the key takeaway for consumers, tech providers, and builders? Connected devices for the home are here. However, as automation technologies take off, the housing market remains tight, creating an impasse of sorts. Homeowners are hesitant to move or even renovate with home prices still on shaky ground, but the technologies are advancing at a very rapid rate.

It will be interesting to watch this trend unfold. Will more builders include technology in homes? Will homeowners integrate systems on their own? Time will tell, but for now the smart home of the future is still up for debate.

What should be connected, why, and how soon? Join the discussion at this year’s Connected World Conference, as our panel of experts take the stage. Check out the agenda or register today.

Did you buy a personal computer soon after the first green-screened Apple II hit the market? Were you in line for your Droid the morning it went on sale? If so, you might qualify as an early adopter. You like to be at the forefront of technology and you’re willing to pay the price to do so.

There has always been a curve for adoption of a new technology. Traditionally, there are different categories of adopters, as defined by sociologist Everett Rogers. The categories include innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. While some people—the innovators—snap up new technology right away, some people wait a long time to accept changes.

But evidence suggests the time it takes for a technology to move through the various stages of adopters may be speeding up. An article in MIT’s “Technology Review” indicates smartphones may be the fastest spreading technology ever. Though of course, there’s no way to know how quickly knowledge of the wheel got around after the first guy shaved the edges off a rock and said, “Hey, this can roll!”

The “Technology Review” article states: “It took almost a century for landline phones to reach saturation, or the point at which new demand falls off. Mobile phones, by contrast, achieved saturation in just 20 years. Smart phones are on track to halve that rate yet again, and tablets could move still faster.”

Part of the reason for the blazing-fast penetration rates for smartphones and tablets is they don’t require any wires to be installed. You just buy it, activate it, and off you go.

I think there may be another reason for the rapid growth of smartphones and tablets, which also explains why they are moving faster than traditional cellphones. Both smartphones and tablets are multipurpose devices. You can make check email, watch movies, listen to music, video chat, and smartphones allow for voice calls as well. The radio, TV, landline phone, and early cellphones each did one specific task. But the multiplicity of uses for the latest connected devices make them so useful people feel they can’t afford not to have one.

Of course, this also turns these new products into replacement devices for a number of old products. A smartphone can replace a landline, a portable music player, a camera, a gaming system, and for some people even a laptop. That’s a pretty powerful device. It’s no wonder they’re spreading fast.

It’s difficult to imagine a new category of device coming along and moving even faster, but no doubt it’s possible. We often can’t imagine how a new technology will affect our lives until it’s already on its way to mass adoption. But when a new multipurpose device comes along, expect it to move fast.

Driverless cars. Are they safe? More importantly, will you be safe? Now this might just lead to some serious distracted driving. I mean don’t get freaked out if you look over and you see the car next to you driving itself in Nevada. This might be a bit of an exaggeration right now, but we are perhaps only a few years away from this concept becoming reality.

Earlier this week, the state’s Dept of Motor Vehicles issued Google the nation’s first license to test self-driving vehicles on public roads. Successful demonstrations on the Las Vegas Strip and in Carson City, Nev., have led the charge in enacting legislation to permit autonomous vehicles on the state’s roads. Legislation to regulate self-driving cars went into effect on March 1, 2012 and was the first such law in the United States. The driverless vehicle law is also being considered in other states, including Google’s home state of California.

According to Nevada officials, the modified Toyota Prius, which demonstrated the self-driving technology, performed much like an auto-pilot to guide a car, with little to no human intervention. The thought here is that human error is the cause of the majority of vehicle accidents and that these new computerized cars have the ability to analyze a situation and determine the course of action, perhaps quicker and better than a human could.

Through the use of visual indicators, AI software, GPS tools, and a host of sensors mounted on the roof and in the grill of these self-driving cars, a buffer zone is created to detect pedestrians, cyclists, and other vehicles and help the car navigate around unnecessary obstacles, thus preventing an accident.

Despite their name, these driverless cars still require two people in the test vehicle at all times. One person must be in the cockpit or behind the wheel, while the other person must monitor the computer screen that demonstrates the car’s planned route while tracking all the roadway hazards and traffic lights. The self-driving car does allow for human intervention in case of an emergency. Thus, if there’s a problem the human driver still has the ability to override the autonomous auto with a tap on the brake or a hand on the steering wheel.

Other car manufacturers are also seeking self-driven car licenses in Nevada. But don’t get too excited just yet. Self-driving cars aren’t ready for prime time. I would suspect we are still a few years out, but we are beginning to see more and more of these types of cars being tested. The big question on everyone’s mind is just how safe are they? Well, if there is one thing for sure that we might all agree on, they are probably safer than the thousands of people who are texting while driving down our highways each and every day.

What will we connect next?

This Mother’s Day, show mom that she’s special. After all, she’s not just “mom,” she’s a woman with unique interests and hobbies, and a bouquet of carnations (while lovely) doesn’t always drive that message home. Luckily, there are plenty of gadgets that will not only make mom smile this Sunday, they’ll show you really know her as a person. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Buying for a busy, occasionally absent-minded mom? Consider the ZOMM Wireless Leash, a small keychain device that will pair with any Bluetooth-enabled phone to alert mom when she’s walked off without her cellphone.

For moms with young children at home, the Withings Wi-Fi-connected Smart Baby Monitor is a perfect solution for keeping tabs on baby from a smartphone. Be sure to keep a look out for up-and-coming products such as connected baby pajamas and sensor solutions that teach kids how long to brush their teeth, such as the Toothbrush Kit from GreenGoose.

For the stylishly connected mom, consider accessories such as a Swarovski Crystal iPhone case from Concord Keystone, or a solar-powered SolarKindle lighted cover from Solarfocus Technologies. You may also want to look at the iWatchz nano clip system, which turns an iPod nano into a wristwatch for tracking time, fitness goals via the device’s accelerometer and Nike+ app, and of course, for keeping tunes close at hand (pun intended).

A connected photo frame would be great for photo-loving moms, who may not have time or energy to keep the photo albums updated. There are plenty of Wi-Fi-enabled options from companies like Ceiva, and Kodak, and some devices like chumby8 and Sony Dash act as photo frames plus so much more.

No matter what you decide on this Mother’s Day, considering 80% of women are interested in consumer electronics, a connected device may be the brilliant idea you’ve been waiting for. For more ideas, browse through the pages of Connected World or search through our Web archives.

Also, don’t forget to register for this year’s Connected World Conference (and bring mom!). You might just walk away with a free gadget, courtesy of our Gadget Giveaway. Come to our exhibit hall and you’ll like what you see (connected Porsche, anyone?). Exhibit-hall passes for Tuesday, June 12 and Wednesday, June 13 are free!

I’ve been saying it for a while now, that the smart home market seems ripe for the picking due mainly to the fact that no one has seemed to crack the code just yet. Apparently AT&T agrees with me, as evidenced by its entrance into this market this week.

The carrier announced plans for a portfolio of all-digital, IP-based home security monitoring and automation services called AT&T Digital Life. The carrier says homeowners can control the system using any Web-enabled device, regardless of carrier. Trials will begin in Atlanta and Dallas this summer, and pricing has yet to be established.

I can get into all the bells and whistles of the offering, but I think the really intriguing part is the fact AT&T saw an opportunity in what it clearly considers to be an underserved market. And the argument can be made that this market is indeed underserved. But it’s not for lack of “star power” if you will, with the likes of Verizon, ADT, Comcast, Google, and even Lowe’s all taking aim at automating the home in some way, shape, or form.

Now that AT&T has entered the game, everyone will be racing to get their two thoughts out on the topic of who will ultimately “win” the race to connect the home. But I think that discussion becomes moot if we don’t first solve the real issue, which is homeowner appeal.

Tell me why a homeowner would want their home to be automated. I mean, really. Sure, it all sounds great to have these sensors installed all over the home that control everything from the point of entry to the major appliances, but the majority of homeowners are still asking the market to prove why this is necessary. Naturally you have the discussions around peace of mind, security, and comfort—but let’s get real; the ultimate “prove it” factor comes down to cost.

The reason that more drivers aren’t riding around in a fancy connected car is the fact the average consumer keeps their vehicles for about six years. The average age of a car on the road in the United States today is 10.8 years. Why I am telling you this? Because people don’t just up and spend money on a tech-enabled car no matter how compelling the argument is around safety, comfort, and convenience. They are watching every dollar they have these days. For that very same reason, the connected home has been a hard sell to the average consumer too.

We throw around terms like ‘usability’ and ‘reliability’ all the time, but does it really exist at a cost that becomes compelling enough for the average homeowner to get off the dime? The fact AT&T is talking about connections over a range of networks, like wired, Wi-Fi, and Z-Wave makes for a very compelling argument.

Now I am going to throw a really doozy out there to the market: “Does the average home owner care?” Because that average Joe Homeowner is who AT&T, Verizon, ADT, Comcast, Google, and everyone else needs to sell in order to “win” the connected home.

I will get off my high horse on this one to say that, yes the average homeowner wants to care. Just like we all want to be “green” and be considered “charitable” we all want to care about things that keep our families safe and secure … but at the right price.

Which new technologies will be the enablers? And why? Great questions, and ones that I think we can all find answers to. It might sound like I am beating up on the tech providers here, but let’s be fair: there are some great offerings out there. But let’s hear the real solutions to the big issues that will get the average homeowner over the hump and off the dime, if you will. Then perhaps we can get some clarity on who will “win” the race.

We’ve lined up the likes of ADT, Motorola Mobility, Craftsman, and other great speakers to talk on the connected home at our Connected World Conference, June 11-13. Sit in on the ‘Welcome Home’ panel on June 12 and pick the brains of those out there trying to automate your home. I know I certainly will be.

As the world of M2M descends upon the ‘Big Easy’ this week for the annual CTIA show, I cannot help but think back to last year’s show and all the hoopla surrounding the proposed acquisition of T-Mobile by AT&T. The news broke on the eve before the show (which was in March, not May), and on the show floor it was all that everyone was talking about—despite the fact no one was “talking.”

I take that back, one man was talking: John Horn. At the time Horn was still heading up the M2M business for T-Mobile so of course he was the man everyone wanted an opinion from on the proposed acquisition. This is a man that built up T-Mobile’s M2M business to a point that it was a major contender on the B2B side when it came to machine-to-machine connections. A carrier that many regarded as being a distant number-four among the U.S. majors, was actually fact a force in the world of M2M. This, alongside the spectrum appeal, was no doubt an attractive piece for AT&T to look to acquire at the time.

Of course we all know how this all played out since. But at the time Horn was steadfast in his comments to Peggy and I at the time that it was status quo for he and his team at T-Mobile, continuing to deliver on his mantra of “easiest to do business with.” It was there that he first unveiled the idea of the multi-mode international subscriber identity with the company Everything Everywhere.

I bring that up because today’s announcement from RACO Wireless in association with OnAsset Intelligence sort of brings the conversation we had with John that last March day full circle. Now the man in charge of taking the M2M world by storm is with RACO Wireless and is announcing the successful deployment of RACO’s multi-mode international subscriber identity, developed in conjunction with mobile security solution provider Giesecke & Devrient, Everything Everywhere Ltd., and of course T-Mobile. In a prebriefing about the news to Connected World last week on the news, Horn boastfully made the announcement, while hinting that the best is still yet to come.

In a way, that is just the way Horn does business: with confidence. Whether it’s T-Mobile or the work he is doing to secure RACO’s place on the M2M map, you have to respect a man that has a plan and knows how to execute it well.
You cannot ignore the momentum he and his team have given to RACO since they came aboard last spring. So much so that T-Mobile comes right out and calls RACO its “preferred partner.”

To me it seems as if the competition is trying to play catch-up to what Horn and his team are doing in the market. Take for example the news of Wyless acquiring a majority stake in ClearConnex. The news was “official” last week, but it was leaked to another news outlet a few days prior. Perhaps trying to create some buzz in an attempt to keep up with the intense M2M competition that Horn and Co., has created? Or was it just leaked too soon? Maybe?

In any case, this market is never without its drama. Just like with the big announcement prior to the 2011 show. So now I have to wonder how we will view the big buzz of this year’s show in New Orleans a year from now. It’s anyone’s guess, but I can say with certainty that the real newsmakers in M2M will continue to deliver year-after-year—above the noise, if you will.

As I look down at my desk at my iPhone, I cannot help but wonder what I would do without it. Not only does this device keep me connected to the world around me at all times, but it’s been a godsend for being out of the office when I need to get work done.

I guess that means I officially fall under the BYOD trend that is sweeping through businesses. Short for ‘bring your own device,’ the term at first seemed more kitschy than mainstream to me. A clever play on a more well known acronym that when you think about it actually does fit, knowing how intoxicating some of these devices, like tablets and smartphones, can be at times.

But as more and more business gets done on the road—and the budgets for issuing companywide devices remains non-existent—it seems this acronym must become part of our business vernacular.

I hope you caught segment four on this week’s edition of The Peggy Smedley Show, when Peggy and I bantered on this very topic. To me, it truly brought to light some interesting numbers that put this whole BYOD thing into perspective: in particular, the security aspect.

To some, I guess BYOD means,” ‘How cool, I will check my email on my iPhone or iPad, then cruise on over to Facebook or check out the score of the game.” But have we thought about how vulnerable our company data is when it is brought up on such a device?

Research seems to suggest no … and that employees really don’t seem to care. During this week’s show we discussed a survey from Bradford Networks that revealed 60% of organizations allow employees to bring their own devices, but only 9% said they were fully aware of which devices were accessing corporate data.

So you know what that means, right? BYOD suddenly turns into BYOV—bring your own virus—into the corporate network. Yikes! This had never been a concern in the past because company-issued devices would have the proper security controls in place before they were issued. But in the era of BYOD, companies need to consider a software solution that can work across multiple kinds of devices.

Here is an interesting fact from a recent Cisco report: More than 40% of college students and young employees said they would accept a lower-paying job with more flexibility regarding device choice than a higher-paying job with less flexibility. Oh, how nice of them. But then when I hear seven of ten employees admitted to knowingly breaking IT policies on a regular basis, and that three of five believe they are not responsible for protecting corporate information and devices, it makes me shake my head.

Okay, so let’s talk about what to do about this security concern. Too often, discussions relating to the promise and benefits that connected devices can invariably turn into a darker discussion of security threats and privacy concerns. But let’s separate fact from fiction.

At this year’s Connected World Conference, we have a session related to device security. Our panel of experts will help you prioritize threats and concerns. In the end, the intent is to give you the confidence to adopt and experience the benefits of connected devices.

My husband is a ‘car guy.’ And because of this I spend quite a bit of time at car shows in the summer. But this year instead of peeking under the hood, as my husband will do, I am going to be looking inside the vehicle to scope out the connected features.

What will I find? In the newer vehicles, I am sure I will uncover a combination of connected infotainment, safety and security, and convenience functionality.

A new report from ABI Research predicts OEM connected car system shipments will increase from 8.22 million in 2012 to 39.5 million in 2016. The organization even goes as far as to say the connected capabilities—that were once a nice add-on—are essential for today’s consumers. In particular, connected car solutions have already become a ‘must-have’ in the United States.

As one example, Nissan Motor Co., unveiled just last month a series of major initiatives aimed at improving its connected car content and services: NissanConnect will provide Altima drivers access to Google local search and navigation as well as Pandora; the dual-display concept will be available on Infiniti production models starting in 2013; and Nissan’s CARWINGS will have algorithms that use on-board and Internet-based information to improve accuracy of predicted driving.

Nissan says by 2020, with the use of wireless and cloud-based technologies, it will offer new conveniences like accident-avoiding driving intervention technologies, electric vehicle charging reservations, and a music player that adapts to the listener’s moods.

What primarily captures consumers’ attention in connected cars? ABI says infotainment. But safety and security features gain a big portion of interest as well, and usage-based insurance is making a comeback. With the United States and Western Europe already leading the way, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, and Mercedes Benz have their eye set on China as the next major market.

Want to take a peek ‘under the hood’ of connected cars? Join me at this year’s Connected World Conference where connected cars will roll onto the showroom floor. Also, don’t miss the panel discussion where top automakers discuss the role of in-vehicle systems, focused on safety, convenience, and infotainment. Check out the agenda or register today.

I, for one, want to have in-depth knowledge direct from the automakers about what connected cars have to offer—even if only to show up my husband this summer.