Contactless, paperless, wireless: less is more, in the world of apps

We are supposed to remember that less can sometimes be more so that we take as considered and restrained approach to life as possible. But when it comes to applications and technology, the “less” suffix is now more commonly used as a signal for extra techie functionality these days.

Contactless, paperless, wireless and the as-yet-unclaimed term “keyboardless” (that is speech and touchscreen enabled and so without keyboard) are the expressions we now use to denote those apps and devices that are at the most cutting edge of tech society.

Firstly to contactless, digital security company Gemalto recently completed a survey amongst Dubai residents suggesting that the region harbours an “overwhelming appetite” for using contactless technologies not only on banking ATM cards, but also directly on devices such as mobile phones.

“This enthusiasm extends beyond the replacement of cash and encompasses a host of other applications such as public transport access, loyalty schemes and e-tickets for major music and sports events. Moreover, the survey suggests the younger generation is most likely to kick-start this new era in speed and convenience — transforming the UAE’s deep-rooted attachment to notes and coins,” said the company, in a press statement.

To give readers a bit of international post-deployment perspective, contactless bankcards are just about being rolled out in the UK by many banks and we users are in the throws of getting used to them. The first point to note is that the limit is set at £20 so about Dh110 for any single purchase. They work fine, but not all terminals (even in big supermarkets) seem to like them, that is, it is early days for sure. Also, there have been instances where users swipe their travel cards over transport terminals that also take a payment from the bankcard, so concerns over double payments have arisen.

Online payments

Supporting app store applications featuring some level of contactless support or leverage point are also starting to emerge. Apple’s App Store and Google Play for Android all feature contactless apps, the Windows 8 Store less so at this stage. Apps in this category are typically branded bank and/or mobile network applications that serve as e-wallets for online payments. In fact Apple’s store mostly directs the user to “wireless online payments” apps rather than anything natively contactless right now, but you can expect that to change.

Onward to paperless then, of particular interest is DocuSign with its simply named Ink application. Ink promises to allow the user to sign any document for free and in fact no pen or paper is required at all once you have used the app to save your signature. Available across pretty much every platform, DocuSign Ink has been used in serious business scenarios such as by insurance companies that rely on processing documents and claims quickly and paperlessly. The e-signatures produced by Ink are legally binding and DocuSign says it has more than 40 million users who have securely eSigned more than 330 million documents in 188 countries on the DocuSign Global Network.

DocuSign boldly asserts that electronic signature technology streamlines and automates business processes; the firm says that businesses using eSignatures close deals faster and increase revenue by cutting weeks off orders and contracts sent for signature.

Internet connectivity

So logically we come to wireless. Now of course you know what wireless is and you know what Wi-Fi powered internet connectivity means for us today whether in the office, airport of even the shopping mall. Where you will now see supporting applications (we’d like to label them “ancillary apps” if you will) in this space is a new breed of dedicated connection-helpers.

To explain and clarify, if you use a Windows Phone 8 and perhaps you also have a iPad or other tablet, you will know that some devices find (and stay connected to) some “known networks” faster than others. New apps like FastConnect for iPad (not for the UAE, but expect similar to be developed) work to find, connect and “hang on” to wireless Wi-Fi networks so that the user can surf at ease, as they say.

So we have contactless, paperless and wireless technologies swirling around us now. Applications in this field developing from a sort of still-nascent emerging chrysalis where even the software application developers themselves appear to be testing the waters in terms of what users want, or even what users need. So this is the point then, that is, contactless, paperless and wireless is all very well, just beware the penniless, reckless, feckless and useless factor too.

Adrian Bridgwater is a freelance journalist who specialises in software applications, gadgets and games.