What is HCE?

  Host Card Emulation (HCE) is a technology that allows for the replication of a physical, contactless smart card using software. In the context of mobile payments, it is used to complete transactions via near field communication (NFC).   Anybody who has used a contactless credit card (Visa PayWave or Mastercard Paypass for example) has, […]

How To Drive Downloads With App Store Optimization (ASO)

  Looking for ways to drive more app downloads? It’s time to embrace the practice of App Store Optimization (ASO). According to a survey by Forrester Research, the majority of users discover apps by searching within the app stores (Apple App Store, Google Play, etc.). In fact, browsing accounts for 63% of all app discovery […]

Third Party vs. Branded Mobile Payment Apps

  Mobile payments have been ramping up in 2015. Android Pay, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay – merchants have a lot of choice, and customer demand for mobile payment options is rising. But are these mobile payment systems better than creating a branded mobile payments platform?   With the recent announcement that Apple Pay will support […]

Everything You Need to Know About AirPlay-Enabled Apps

  Apple has been a dominant force each and every year with their new products and innovative ideas. Their first quarter of 2015 is a testament to this – with $18 billion in net profit, they’re up 38% from 2013. They show no signs of slowing and with the recently released Apple Watch, Apple continues […]

How We Built A Touchless Payments Platform (Before Google Did)

  There’s been a lot of chatter about Google Hands-Free Payments since it was announced at Google I/O 2015. Truly touchless payments? Not having to even touch your device to pay? It’s a pretty exciting idea…   And we’ve already done it.   Clearbridge recently had the opportunity to partner with the largest gas retailer in Brazil […]

The Future of Retailing

  For those of you who had the chance to catch up with us at IRCE 2015, you’ve seen our take on the future of retailing. The concepts we came up with were prompted by a slew of “next big thing” articles that we found a bit boring. Our ideas are a little less conventional, […]

Open vs. Closed Loop Mobile Payments

  It seems that for any major tech development, both open systems and closed systems are in play and in opposition.   In the hotly contested mobile payments space, once again we are seeing this debate manifest. Except in this context, it is a matter of open vs. closed loop mobile payments solutions.   Before […]

Rethinking “Second Screen”: Social TV and The Active Audience

  Is the future of television social?   Broadcasters and content providers are quickly realizing that not only do they need functional media apps to stay connected with their audiences, they need to provide a platform that offers the ability to interact. People aren’t just passively watching content on the media apps they download – […]

What is Tokenization?

  What technologies will drive the evolution of mobile payments?   While by no means a new concept, tokenization has become a salient topic as of late due to the potential role it may play. As technologies like host card emulation become more prominent, tokenization is viewed by many as the solution to helping cloud-based […]

The Next Generation of Media Apps

  We are seeing the next generation of TV playing out.   Applications for Smart TVs and media streaming devices are the next big opportunity for broadcasters and content providers in the media space, and capitalizing on it will be the key to remaining competitive.   All signs point to native and cross-platform apps for […]