Facebook wants to kill off SMS texting as our primary way of communicating and replace it with its own Messenger service, revealing that it reached 800 million users for the first time in 2015.

In an official blog post, Facebook's VP of messaging products, David Marcus, pointed to SMS and texting as increasingly outdated methods in the age of smartphones and internet-connected devices.

"SMS texting came to the fore in the time of flip phones," he said. "Now, many of us can do so much more on our phones; we went from just making phone calls and sending basic text-only messages to having computers in our pockets. And just like the flip phone is disappearing, old communication styles are disappearing too."

Messenger, Marcus argued, offers the same instant communication but with added features such as stickers, photos, videos, voice clips and GIFs that make it popular, also tying into the 'cross-platform' experience between desktop computers, tablets and phones that people demand.

It's also true that to use Messenger, you do not require a Facebook profile - but you do have to sign up with a mobile phone number in that case.

Alongside this ambition, Facebook wants to add money transfers to its app, specifically for those using Messenger in a business context. Putting these kinds of interactions within an existing thread of social activity, Marcus posited, adds to context and ease of use.

Last August, the company announced its own personal assistant for Messenger, dubbed 'M', which would be partially powered by humans as well as artificial intelligence. In 2016, the blog post added, Facebook also wants to add functionality to this feature despite it still being in its "very, very early days".

Marcus said: "2015 was a year when we made significant improvements to how we enable people to communicate. We created all these experiences with a mindset of helping hundreds of millions of people manage their daily interactions with people, businesses, and services more seamlessly than ever."

Masabi and First Capital Connect (FCC) have joined forces to launch an instant mobile ticketing app for train travel.

The app, available for both iPhone and Android, will allow a customer to purchase a ticket and instantly use it for travel, rather than having to print it out at a ticket machine.

The tickets will initially only be available for use at London King's Cross, Cambridge and King's Lynn, where the machinery has been installed to read an encrypted barcode on the mobile ticket (mTicket).

Guest editor's thoughts

I love the idea of this and hope it can deliver a seamless experience. As an infrequent train traveller, a single app that could simplify the whole ticketing process and make it easier for me to buy the right (and cheapest) ticket is something I would definitely use. The only question is what happens when I drop my phone in the station car park and break the screen (yes, i did do that recently)? Will I be able to go and print out the ticket I just bought? Liam Quinn, IT director, Richmond Events

The machines will soon be rolled out at stations between the main hubs, including Ely, Royston, Hitchin, Stevenage and Letchworth Garden City.

The technology will also be implemented on trains between London and Gatwick Airport.

FCC has been trialling the technology for the last few months and is now looking to expand the technology to the whole of its network.

Customer Service Director Keith Jipps said, "We are delighted to be launching our mTicket range as part of our commitment to make the ticket purchasing process for passengers as easy as possible."

Ben Whitaker, CEO of Masabi said, "This service will mean that passengers, for the first time, will be able to buy their tickets as they stroll to the station rather than having to queue for a ticket. We look forward to extending this passenger liberating service to other First Capital Connect routes in the future."

The app will also allow commuters to view real-time train information including departure times. It will save customers' journey information too, so frequently used routes can be stored and tickets purchased faster.

Heathrow Express launched its mobile ticketing solution in 2008, while Virgin trains also offers a similar mobile ticketing solution.

Following the launch of the Heathrow Exress mobile ticketing platform, the train industry agreed on standards for mTickets, stating all train companies must use the same barcode system to issue mTickets.

Researchers in the US have invented an invisible quick response (QR) code made from nanoparticles in an attempt to add more security to existing techniques to combat counterfeit goods, such as fake bank notes.

Publishing their research in the journal Nanotechnology, the researchers from the University of South Dakota and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology said the new style of QR code could also be used to authenticate virtually any solid object.

The QR code is made of tiny nanoparticles that have been combined with blue and green fluorescence ink, which is invisible until illuminated with laser light. It is generated using computer-aided design (CAD) and printed onto a surface using an aerosol jet printer.

The researchers said the QR code would add an increased level of security over other counterfeiting methods as the complexity of production makes it very difficult to duplicate.

Combining blue and green inks also allowed researchers to try out a variety of characters and symbols in different colours and sizes, varying from microscopic to macroscopic. Embedding these into the QR code further increases the level of security.

Under normal lighting conditions the QR code is invisible but becomes visible when near infra-red light is passed over it. Once illuminated by the near infra-red light, the QR code can be read by a smartphone.

The nanoparticles used in printing the QR code are both chemically and mechanically stable. This meant they could withstand stresses and strains. To prove this, the researchers printed the QR code onto a piece of paper and then randomly folded it fifty times; the code was still readable.

The QR code has also been printed on glass and flexible plastic film to demonstrate its usage on a wide variety of commercial goods. The researchers said that as the QR code is invisible it is also beneficial as it would not interfere with the appearance of goods using the technique.

"The QR code is tough to counterfeit. We can also change our parameters to make it even more difficult to counterfeit, such as controlling the intensity of the upconverting light or using inks with a higher weight percentage of nanoparticles," said Lead author of the study, Jeevan Meruga.

"We can take the level of security from covert to forensic by simply adding a microscopic message in the QR code, in a different coloured upconverting ink, which then requires a microscope to read the upconverted QR code."

It's that time of year again... The mobile industry has descended on Barcelona for Mobile World Congress (MWC). Check this page to keep up to speed with the latest announcements.

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Google has disabled the use of prepaid cards in its Wallet service after security researchers claimed a flaw in the technology could allow a hacker to acquire the user's PIN number.

The company temporarily disabled provisioning of prepaid cards for Google Wallet as a precaution until a permanent fix was found.

Despite the action and the research that inspired it, Google claimed its Wallet was perfectly safe to use. It said security issues were more likely to arise if users rooted their phones.

We were able to uncover the contents of the binary data and were shocked at what we found.

"People are asking if Google Wallet is safe enough for mobile phone payments. The simple answer to this question is yes. In fact, Google Wallet offers advantages over the plastic cards and folded wallets in use today," said Osama Bedier, vice president of Google Wallet and Payments, in a blog post.

"But sometimes users choose to disable important security mechanisms in order to gain system-level root' access to their phone; we strongly discourage doing so if you plan to use Google Wallet because the product is not supported on rooted phones. That's why in most cases, rooting your phone will cause your Google Wallet data to be automatically wiped from the device."

The flaw itself did require root privileges to succeed.

Finding the flaw

Joshua Rubin, a senior engineer with zvelo, claimed to have found the vulnerability in Wallet after looking through a "metadata" table in the database used by Google Wallet.

After cracking open the "deviceInfo" row within that table, he uncovered plenty of valuable information.

"We were able to uncover the contents of the binary data and were shocked at what we found," he explained in a blog post.

"Unique User IDs (UUID), Google (GAIA) account information, Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM, also known as "push notification") account information, Google Wallet Setup status, "TSA" (this is probably related to "Trusted Services" not the "Transportation Security Administration") status, SE status and most notably "Card Production Lifecycle" (CPLC) data and PIN information."

Subsequently, Rubin discovered in the PIN information section a long integer "salt" and a SHA256 hex encoded string "hash." All he had to do then was run a brute force attack to determine the PIN itself.

"It dawned on us that a brute-force attack would only require calculating, at most, 10,000 SHA256 hashes. This is trivial even on a platform as limited as a smartphone. Proving this hypothesis took little time," he added.

"Google Wallet allows only five invalid PIN entry attempts before locking the user out. With this attack, the PIN can be revealed without even a single invalid attempt. This completely negates all of the security of this mobile phone payment system."

Rubin said he had been in contact with Google and the company said it was working quickly to resolve the issue.

The researcher suggested Google may have some trouble in releasing a proper fix as it needed to move the PIN hash and salt details into the Wallet's Secure Element (SE), used to store and encrypt sensitive data like credit card information. This would take time and mean additional financial costs for banks allowing customers to use the service.

"At present, the decision is in the banks' hands. They may actually choose to accept the risk imposed by this vulnerability rather than incur the financial and administrative overhead of allowing Google to release a proper fix (and thereby potentially put the banks on the hook for the PIN security)," Rubin added.

"zvelo feels that this would be a grave mistake and would expose users to undue risk."

It appears Google has been given time to resolve the issue.

Google's flagship smartphone, the Nexus One, has been responsible for rather a lot of column inches since its US launch back in January. Reviews have been plentiful and by now we're all rather au fait with what the powerful little device purports to offer.

But what does the device offer when it's taken out of the review environment? How does it perform in the real world? We set about answering these questions.

Day one

At first glance we were struck by the svelte design of the Nexus One. It's reassuringly heavy and well built. Within minutes we had almost dropped the blighter though. The smooth, modern design was kryptonite to our clumsy grasp but after a moment or two of adjustment we felt confident enough to move away from a padded surface.

The key placement on the device is familiar and we had no major problems using the phone straight out of the box. (After a charge, naturally). The slim form factor certainly put us on our guard though - some users have apparently reported screen shattering so we vowed then and there not to risk the expensive super Android in a hip or back pocket. With that in mind, it does feel comfortable in the (inside) pocket and we found it didn't ruin the line of a well-cut suit like some bulkier, heavier or less smooth-edged devices can so easily do.

As has been mentioned at great length, the Nexus One runs the latest version of the Android OS 2.1 which includes plenty of tweaks and improvements over its predecessors.

Day two

After a day of light usage the device needed a charge. The reported battery life is one thing but the real world is altogether another. Bells and whistles such as eye-candy had been the order of the day yesterday (you've got to show off, haven't you?) but today it would be down to business and this, above all else, meant email.

Thankfully, setting up email on the Nexus One was a pleasure. Gmail support was, as you'd expect, effortless, but other accounts proved no more labour intensive. The one omission, which we were kind of expecting having used Android-based handsets before, was lack of Exchange calendar synching. This was and is still something of a bug-bear. Sure you can remedy the situation with Touchdown but should a user or their company's accounts department - have to put their hand back in their pocket so soon after purchase just for what is, to all intents and purposes, basic functionality? We're not convinced.

Day three

Thankfully, frugality won the day. Battery performance is showing notable improvement without the strain of constant Wi-Fi and the vivid, live wallpapers that come with the device. Improvements aside, straying too far from a charger and mains outlet appears to be off the agenda for this device. Unlike a certain competitor who will remain nameless though, you can slap another battery in the Nexus One and this is something we'd greatly recommend investing in. Particularly if you're a road warrior or frequently travel for business and/or pleasure.

Web browsing on the phone is delightful. Both Wi-Fi and 3G coupled with the more than ample processing power renders pages at speeds previously only seen on desktops. It's a nice, clean, slick and more importantly familiar experience. We're impressed. The lack of Flash isn't an issue either. Frankly and some may disagree it's somewhat refreshing to just not have it, rather than have it locking up and slowing the device down every couple of minutes like it did with the Hero. The YouTube client is a welcome addition for the commute or to kill time between meetings - too.

Day four

Signal performance has started waning. The reported problem of signal drop-off when you hold the handset at the bottom is definitely present in the handset we're using. Wi-Fi is also seemingly unreliable; the device has stopped reconnecting automatically and has started needing a restart to remedy this problem. It's somewhat frustrating but hasn't made us fall out of love with the device just yet.

Getting help from Google is proving to be a laborious task. We sent an email to the support department the one that the public uses rather than any special press assistance department yesterday evening and have still heard nothing back from Mountain View. Typing the call for help on the virtual keyboard was a pleasure though. Using the keyboard in portrait view is a different kettle of fish. The speech input often pops up uninvited if you fail to lift your finger up properly or the keyboard simply disappears back whence it came if you try and catch the letter A' right-thumbed. After a day of emailing this left us needing a stiff drink.

It would be entirely more manageable if the speech input could be trusted but we wouldn't run the risk of sending emails to colleagues or superiors with its questionable accuracy. We're confident this is a glitch that will be ironed out soon enough if it hasn't already.

Day five

There's still no word from Google technical support. Other emails and messages are coming through thick and fast though (if you have a data connection). It's not that surprising that so many people are making the hop from competing devices over to more full-featured smartphones with this sort of performance.

Productivity's great too, with Documents to go' and Think Free' you can get work done on the hoof; the price points of both apps are pretty competitive too. With the lag-free, speedy interface of the Nexus One you can realistically view the device as an ultra-mobile and we had no trouble at all editing our blog,

FTP'ing files and managing file archives.

Day six

Relaxing with the Nexus One is a pleasure. The camera is decent but the flash is likely to startle people and leave them looking alabaster in your prints. The basic music player's adequate too. There has been some criticism that it hasn't been updated to include the bells and whistles of its competitors but we've found it to be perfectly functional. This is open source, after all.

On the video side of things there is unfortunately still no support for DivX or XviD. That said, the videos that we've played in H.264 and MPEG4 have been fine. If you're planning a trip somewhere, a handy open source app called Handbrake' can convert your files to a format the Nexus One can read. Don't forget that spare battery though, as playing video gobbles it up like nobody's business. If you're a gamer in your downtime there's plenty of potential with this device, so you could soon find yourself wasting precious working hours on full 3D offerings with motion control support. Of course, we're not encouraging nor condoning such behaviour.

Alas, still no contact from Google technical support.

Day seven

We've become quite accustomed to the Nexus One. Whether we've been out shopping, using the barcode scanner to get a bargain, doing some research using the included Google Goggles' app (which utilises image recognition to search Google) or browsing through our photos on the beautiful AMOLED screen, the device has slipped into our daily to-ing and fro-ing both at work and play almost without a hitch.

On the downside there is still no word from Google tech-support.

UPDATE:We received a reply from Google six days after we initially made contact with it regarding the Wi-Fi and signal problems. The response time itself does give some cause for concern but what the technical department had to say regarding the signal drop-off when the device is in the hand left us feeling far from comforted:

"concerning signal and data connection fluctuations when you hold the device, please note that the Nexus One's antenna is near the bottom of the device, and it's natural for signal quality to be affected if the antenna is directly blocked. Further, there are a variety of factors, which feed into the quality of 3G connectivity on mobile phones, a number of which are dependent on the environment rather than the phone itself. For instance, a software update cannot address the experience of users on the edge or outside of 3G coverage areas."

Potential 3G issues aside (there weren't any with other devices we tested in the same area) this could be a serious design flaw. Many users hold their device at the bottom and what Google seems to be saying here is that if you hold your Nexus One where a vast number of users tend to, you can expect to have no signal. We contacted Google's press office with this concern and their reply was as follows:

"As we reported in early February, the Nexus One over-the-air software update provides a specific fix that will improve 3G connectivity for many Nexus One users. However, there are a variety of factors, which feed into the quality of 3G connectivity on mobile phones, a number of which are dependent on the environment rather than the phone itself. For instance, a software update cannot address the experience of users on the edge or outside of 3G coverage areas. We continue to track 3G performance closely with HTC and T-Mobile and will post any updates to the user forum."

Whilst Google's diligence is evident we didn't feel that this was a satisfactory response to what is potentially a serious issue. Our device was updated to the latest software revision but still suffered from the problem on a regular basis, so much so that we had to return the unit. What we would like to see from Google and HTC is a solution, so that we and others - can enjoy our Nexus One experience without limitation.

Verdict

At the time of writing, the Nexus One sits firmly at the cutting edge of mobile technology. Its build quality, specifications and performance are streets ahead of even its nearest competitor and there are very few things that it can’t do.

As a tool for business we have no doubt that it will increase productivity and will afford the user opportunity to carry their working world with them without the need for a netbook or laptop for all but the longest of periods.

Its email and messaging features are top notch but those of you who can’t get by with only a touch screen (regardless of how good it is) might be best served waiting for the Nexus Two, which is rumoured to feature a hardware keyboard.

We would also like to see more care paid to Exchange users if Google is truly serious about overtaking Microsoft Windows Mobile devices and Blackberry as the business users’ choice. Also there’s the issue of support. Or lack thereof. Google cannot hope to succeed in the business market if it doesn’t think its end-user support strategy through before the device hits the UK proper, reportedly in April.

All things considered, the Nexus One is a fair upgrade from anything on the market. Although the Nexus One’s ludicrously named but similarly spec’d cousin, the HTC Desire is due to make an appearance in April, which should give the Google device a run for its money with the flashy Sense UI overlay and Flash 10.1 support.

The real clincher for users will be price and support. If HTC, together with the networks, can bring the Desire in at a lower price point and fix some of the issues found in the Nexus One it will be a simple choice as they already have a support infrastructure in place. Watch this space, as it truly is shaping up to be the year of the Android.

It’s just a real shame our intense love affair with the Nexus One ended somewhat abruptly when we couldn’t put up with the signal issues anymore. We’d certainly be keen to get our hands on one come the official UK launch to see if the situation is any better.

Microsoft has released its first ever app on mobile rival Google's Android platform.

Microsoft Tag acts as a mobile barcode scanner. The phone's camera scans a unique pattern of coloured triangles the Tag and the user is then able to navigate to a web page related to the graphic.

The app, which is already available on Windows Mobile, the Apple iPhone, Blackberry, J2ME and Symbian S60, is a free download from Android Market and works on any handset with a built-in camera.

Microsoft and Google have become direct competitors in a number of technology markets, with Google's Chrome browser and operating system going head to head with Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Windows 7, and Android joining Windows Mobile on the mobile front over the last 18 months.

However, Microsoft says making apps like Tag available across multiple platforms made more sense than restricting it to just Microsoft's own Windows Mobile.

"It's important to give more people access to Tag because there's huge demand for mobile barcoding," Microsoft digital marketing manager Benjamin Gauthey wrote on the Microsoft Tag blog.

However, the Tag app itself whether on Android or another mobile OS is arguably less significant than the ecosystem behind it.

There are already a fair number of free barcode and QR code scanners on the market, but what makes Microsoft's system stand out is that users can create their own Tags codes for free.

They can be set to carry a text message, trigger a web browser link or dial a phone number, and can be rendered in various image formats in sizes ranging from 0.75in up to 120in.

Every tag created is treated as a campaign, and users can track all kinds of information, including the type of content it links to and how many times it has been scanned.

Potential applications for the technology go far beyond simply linking to a retail site to buy a product online. Tags can be used as a springboard to all kinds of online content, such as videos, reviews, exclusive content or promotions and much more.

The Tag app is compatible with all current versions of Android.

There's been anticipation surrounding Google's entry into the smartphone race for quite some time and now the Nexus One is here. This has led to some Apple-hating critics claiming (or rather hoping) it'll beat the seemingly unbeatable.

Although Google's Android OS has seen a boom in the past year, the iPhone has still stormed ahead, grasping as much of the market as it possibly can. But as we all know, it takes more than just a good platform to make or break a phone's success. We pit the Google Nexus One and Apple iPhone 3GS against each other in this head to head comparison. Read on to find out which handset giant wins.

Opering system

Apple's Mac OS has always been like marmite; people love it or hate it. We love it.

When it first appeared, the squeezed down version of Mac OS was the most impressive anyone had ever seen on a smartphone. Now in its third iteration this continues to be the case.

Multi-touch support, an almost-full HTML Safari browser, push notifications and a fantastic push email system all stunned those used to alternative smartphone platforms such as Windows Mobile and BlackBerry.

The introduction of Google Android also amazed those used to the dodgy touch interface of Windows pre-6.5, and BlackBerry's antiquated interface. Symbian didn't have a chance.

The Google Nexus One integrates the latest version of Android, 2.1. It adds a load more functionality, including voice-to-text, better-integrated email and an improved weather application.

Winner: Apple iPhone 3GS

Screen

Touch screens have always been a point of debate and contention since they first became mainstream on a sub-500 phone.

OK, so you'll struggle to pick the iPhone up for less than 500, but its screen is probably its best feature, apart from its body, applications offering and well, you get the picture.

It is the most amazing touch screen yet colours are vibrant, crisp and hugely clear, despite its resolution being lower and physical size smaller than on the Google Nexus One (320 x 480 pixels, 3.5in vs. 480 x 800 pixels, 3.7in), but it's super-sensitive to our every touch.

Don't get us wrong though; it's not as if we hate the Nexus One's keyboard after all, it's AMOLED and we like AMOLED screens but it doesn't have the same level of wow factor as the iPhone.

Winner: Apple iPhone 3GS

Speed

As we observed in our Google Nexus One review, "the Nexus One's Snapdragon processor is 66 per cent faster than the processor in the iPhone 3GS (1GHz vs. 600MHz)".

Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor has always been the cream of the crop, and it certainly doesn't fail in its Nexus One implementation. This bad boy is fast.

Although the iPhone 3GS is noticeably faster than earlier versions of Apple's super phone, playing games still isn't as smooth as it could be.

Even without multitasking, you will notice stutters in the iPhone's performance when loading apps, made even worse when you're playing music at the same time.

The Nexus One steams along, whether you have one, two, three or four apps open simultaneously.

Why doesn't every smartphone ramp their processors up to 1GHz? It even worked on the Toshia TG01, which would be, quite frankly, a hideous phone if it weren't for the processor.

Winner: Google Nexus One

Camera

The most contentious feature of the iPhone 3GS is that the camera is not even close to the standard of other smartphones. It's just three megapixels, there's no flash, and photos come out slightly grainy even in bright conditions.

The Google Nexus One's snapper however, is a little more in line with what you'd expect on a flagship device. Resolution is better at five megapixels and it has a much better go at metering light, so photos are less grainy and much easier on the eye.

Winner: Google Nexus One

Multitasking

The iPhone has never have the functionality for multitasking, which is a shame as far as we're - and most people - are concerned. You can't seamlessly switch between applications as you can with any true smartphone.

Smartphones, as they were defined a couple of years ago, included the ability to have multiple applications open at any one time. Only recently, the Palm Pre Plus was demonstrated with 50 apps open. The fact that you can't do this with the iPhone is a great disappointment.

The Google Nexus One does have greater multitasking abilities. Simply hold down the home button and you can skip between apps seamlessly. It's another advantage of packing in a 1GHz Snapdragon processor.

Winner: Google Nexus One

Applications

There's no denying that Apple has started a revolution with the App Store. Before it came to be, apps were software, cost a bomb and there was little choice.

Now the App Store has arrived, there's a choice of more than 100,000 applications and they cover every single gap in the market. You can make your iPhone into a fully-fledged word processor, barcode scanner, even a fart machine if that's your kind of thing.

Android's Market is coming up the ranks though, and the Nexus One makes a perfect host for apps thanks to a fast processor.

Although there are notably fewer apps in Android's Market, it's growing fast and the approval process isn't as stringent as Apple's. By the end of the year, Google is predicting there will be 200,000 applications available for Google users to download.

Winner: Apple iPhone 3GS

Storage

The iPhone may seem like the best option, with storage up to 32GB, but there's no external card slot. This means you can't hot swap content and when you've finished filling up that 32GB, you can't add any more.

Considering the iPhone has probably the best music player on a smartphone today, this is disappointing. You'll find yourself trimming down your music collection when you start downloading apps just to fit everything in.

The Nexus One may have an external card slot that takes m microSD cards up to 32GB, but there's nothing to get you started, unless you count the 4GB microSD card slot included in the box.

Swapping memory cards is a huge plus point, but we want more from a phone a microSD card slot and capacious internal memory is the route all smartphone manufacturers should go down if they want to please users. Only the Nokia N900 excels here with 32GB of storage onboard and a microSD card slot with support for an extra 16GB.

Winner: Neither

Network Support

It's no surprise that the Google Nexus One will initially be available only on Vodafone. It worked so well for O2 with the iPhone, but the popularity started to wane after putting so much pressure on the network it all but imploded in some areas.

Now the iPhone's available on Vodafone, Tesco Mobile and Orange too, its fan base has tripled. Vodafone has already reported 100,000 sales of the iPhone in its first week, proving that operator exclusivity is not the best way to shift the maximum number of products.

Until Google Nexus One branches out onto other networks, there's a real possibility its full sales potential will be somewhat limited.

Winner: iPhone 3GS

Verdict

The iPhone has been revolutionary since it first burst onto the smartphone scene two years ago. It offers the full suite of services in one device, although is let down by its lack of multitasking and its ability to operate as a call-making mobile phone. The Nexus One on the other hand, ticks all the boxes a smartphone should, but the application and network support could limit its success. If the two devices were converged, it would truly be a super phone, but until that happens, the iPhone wins by a millimetre, until the adoption of Android becomes even more impressive.

Walking into your local retailer or even surfing online, it's sometimes easy to forget about the technology that you're using.

It's a constantly changing bit of the IT world, and interesting to follow as consumers can often see the newest bits of tech when they hit the checkout.

Here are some of the most interesting retail technologies out there now - and what to expect in the future.

1. E-Commerce

People are spending more and more time online instead of on the high street, and this pattern isn't likely to reverse. This means that having a website is absolutely vital for the success of any retailer.

Retailers face big challenges in persuading users to come to their sites, stay for a while, and eventually spend money. Any one of a multitude of things could make a customer leave, such as poor website security, downtime, or slow connectivity - which could all cost sales.

2. Mobile retail

As the number of people with internet-enabled smartphones continues to increase, it could be that people will be much more willing to spend money online - if browsing experiences improve.

Like e-commerce, it's going to be the user experience that really marks the difference between the retailers that offer a good mobile shopping experience and those that don't.

Social networks such as Facebook have been successfully moved onto mobile devices, but it may be a while yet before we see a much bigger range of retail websites that can be browsed easily using a phone.

3. Contactless cards

The technology needed to successfully implement contactless cards in retail chains is already available, but questions remain whether they will be taken up at the speed some are expecting.

Barclaycard has been trying to push contactless card technology for years. The Barclaycard OnePulse card - with Oyster, credit card and contactless tech - has been around since 2007, and all of its new debit cards now feature contactless tech.

Surely it will become more popular, but will it be soon?

4. CRM software

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software can be used for retailers who need to understand their customers, know what they have bought and how to use the information to market to specific targets.

Many software companies offer CRM solutions, including Oracle, SAP, Salesforce.com and Microsoft. Typically, the software aims to improve customer service and market effectively.

However, unless employees can understand the systems and take advantage of them and information they offer, then having a CRM solution is rather pointless.

Also, some analysts claim that Customer Experience Management (CEM) is much more important to the retail sector.

5. Wireless tech

Wireless technology can help save money in the office, by cutting back on wiring and maintenance, but it can also help on the shop floor and in the warehouse.

There are a number of devices - usually handheld, such as barcode scanners - that can effectively make areas such as inventory and aisle management much more efficient.

Websites such as Facebook and Twitter have an online community ripe for targeting.

Many retailers have already promoted their brands on social networks, and you can actively encourage an audience to show some loyalty.

There is no definite answer about whether creating an audience like this has a direct impact on sales, but whether or not it does, direct communication with the audience can certainly help.

7. Biometrics

Even though biometric technology has been associated with security for a long time, it hasn't really taken hold in retail, possibly because of the wariness that the public has for anything that could record their personal information.

But the possibilities are there, with some companies keeping track of consumer access through fingerprint scanning.

However, it might have more of an impact internally. For security, the technology could be used for activities such as verifying employees at the POS or making sure that only certain employees could access restricted areas.

8. POS technology

This is where the most important part of retail occurs the transaction where money changes hands. Good point of sale (POS) technology is vital for any retailer.

This can involve software or hardware. EPOS software is vital to enable the efficient recording or a sale or goods, and is provided by many computer vendors.

The hardware is also key. In restaurants, wireless technology is already in wide use with mobile chip and PIN terminals enabling waiters to move around and let customers pay at the table.

9. Virtual shopping

The hype has died down over retail in virtual environments like Second Life, but the potential is still there to make online shopping more interesting, especially with computers getting more powerful by the day.

We recently covered how Lenovo used a 3D gaming engine to combine virtual world principles and retailing to create an interactive shopping experience.

Shoppers were allowed to create their own avatars, walk around a 3D virtual store, browse products and interact with sales staff around the world.

It's exciting and unconventional, but it remains to be seen if it ever takes hold like it does other in areas, such as online gaming.

10. Self-checkout technology

This POS tech is becoming more common as an alternative to the traditional cashier-staff checkout, especially in places that sell groceries such as Tesco.

Customers scan their own barcodes at an un-manned checkout. To prevent theft, the weight seen in the bagging area is compared to what is stored in the system about the products.

This reduces checkout time because stores can now effectively put in place several checkout units in the space where there would usually have one cashier.

It's also great for the retailer. Instead of needing several staff to operate the checkouts, they can instead spend money on other areas where the shop might need help.

Click here to return to the main Focus On... Retail page, or reading on to find out about Tesco's security, New Look's SOA and the basics of CRM.

There's a lot of legacy software out there old applications that still run your businesses. That's a problem if you're planning any major system upgrades, especially if you're rolling out a new OS release or deploying new hardware. Old software may not be compatible with your new systems, and the compatibility tools built into a new OS may not be suitable for your older software.It's not such a big problem with server software. All you need to do is fire up a virtual machine manager, install the appropriate server OS, and then install the applications you need. Things get more complicated when it's desktop applications that need to be kept running. Desktop virtualisation tools are less common these days, though VMware's Workstation soldiers on, along with Microsoft's free Virtual PC. There's plenty of innovation on Apple's Macintosh, where tools like VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop blend Windows applications with the OS X desktop hiding the virtual machine from the user.Microsoft's MEDV (Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualisation), uses similar techniques to deliver managed applications to Vista users with centrally managed desktops run on local virtual machines. It's that same approach that drives Windows 7's XP Mode, though here there's no central management server, just a licensed XP client running on a Windows 7 PC in a version of Virtual PC sharing resources with your PC via Terminal Services. This is probably the last generation of Virtual PC, with Microsoft's Hyper-V hypervisor now getting the lion's share of Redmond's resources. There are some restrictions, and XP Mode will only run on Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate, as Microsoft is treating it as a business tool, and delivering only to the business SKUs. You'll also need to have PCs that have hardware virtualisation support XP Mode won't run on hardware that doesn't have CPUs with it built in, or with BIOSes that don't have it enabled (as some Sony laptop users discovered recently). Many laptops use low power Core Duo processors that don't have the requisite features, and you certainly won't find it on a netbook with an Atom processor. However, if you can jump over the hurdles, then XP Mode is an important piece of the Windows 7 jigsaw puzzle, and one that will make it a lot easier to manage upgrades from Windows XP especially if you're not planning on deploying and managing the full MEDV platform.

London has come in at the bottom of the pile when it comes to wireless security protection used by retailers, according to the second annual survey of 4,000 stores in some of the world's busiest shopping cities.

The research also found 44 per cent of the wireless devices used by retailers such as laptops, mobile computers and barcode scanners could be compromised.

This was still significantly lower than the 85 per cent of wireless devices that had security vulnerabilities in the same survey last year, around the same time as details of the Wi-Fi hack at US retailer TJX, causing one of the biggest known theft of credit card details in the world.

Motorola scanned the airwaves at major shopping centres across the US and in London, Paris, Seoul and Sydney for the presence of wireless networks using systems from the wireless local area network (WLAN) network security provider, AirDefense it acquired in September last year.

The Motorola AirDefense survey monitored 7,940 access points (APs) and found 32 per cent were unencrypted, compared to 26 per cent in last year's survey.

London was ranked the lowest in terms of retail wireless security, where only 51 per cent of APs scanned using some form of encryption. Retailers in Los Angeles and New York came out top, deploying some form of encryption on 77 per cent of their wireless APs and Paris ranked second with 76 per cent.

Overall, a quarter (25 per cent) were still using Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), the weakest protocol for wireless data encryption.

But new WEP deployments are prohibited by version 1.2 of the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) in any part of the cardholder data environment (CDE) beyond 31 March 2009 and must eliminated from the CDE by 30 June 2010.

The research pointed out that, by using the same technology, configuration, security and naming conventions at every retail location, merchants can essentially repeat vulnerabilities across the store chain, rendering them non-PCI compliant and susceptible to attack.

Richard Rushing, Motorola Mobile Devices senior director of information security said that, despite an improvement on the numbers of vulnerable wireless devices found, "a significant majority of retailers are still susceptible to a network intrusion".

"[It's] a sign that wireless security remains an afterthought for many," he added.

A further 12 per cent of all APs monitored were using Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security protocol protection, while 27 per cent were using WPA-PSK (pre-shared key), which can only be as strong as the shared password used to protect them. Overall, only seven per cent of retailers were using WPA2, the strongest Wi-Fi security protocol available today.

Primeur, the UK's biggest manufacturer, importer and distributor of soft furnishings is in the final stages of implementing a wireless data communication system that will facilitate integration of a newly acquired company.

Glynn Robinson, Primeur systems manager, told IT PRO that the company is in the midst of completing a recent acquisition that will boost turnover from 25 million per annum to 35 million and the company will look to capitalise on its recent wireless supply chain work by extending it to the newly merged operations.

"It's imperative our warehouse systems are efficient as we take on more stock through this acquisition and the RF network will definitely help with that," he said.

The Wi-Fi barcode warehouse system has been rolled out in a phased, five-year project across the company's three warehouses, with the last warehouse going live late last year.

The project has boosted efficiency and accuracy, enabling the company to handle a product line of over 1,126 stock keeping units (SKUs), with about five million individual items per year being imported from suppliers in India and Europe to serve retailers like Argos, B&Q and Wilkinsons.

Robinson added: "We have also looked at the systems that were originally rolled out to our main warehouse, recently updating our hardware and access points in that warehouse. The last bit of work we want in place by this March is software based, modifying the screens of new scanners to be compatible with our systems."

The entire Bingley-based Primeur site is equipped with 20 Proxim Wi-Fi access points, comprising an appropriate mix of AP700 and AP500 devices, which enable real-time data collection and communication using handheld computers equipped with barcode scanners over a radio frequency (RF) network designed and installed by specialist provider, Barcoding.co.uk.

The devices run terminal emulation and talk directly to Primeur's Strategix enterprise resource planning (ERP) system so operators place the correct item in the correct stock bin. Robinson said the use of portable terminals to assist with picking, has increased productivity four-fold.

"This is the right approach for us and has eliminated vast amounts of paper, which reduces operational and environmental costs and significantly boosts accuracy," said Robinson.

Barcoding.co.uk

Motorola has announced a unique voice-enabled wireless scanner, a device that could significantly improve productivity as it combines a barcode scanner with voice and data communication.

The CA50 is the first device of its kind, allowing users to scan barcodes as well as have access to voice telephony and walkie-talkie style Push To Talk (PTT) communications. The devices link to a central web server within a particular environment.

"We don't believe that anybody has anything like this device and we think that it is something which is lacking from many business environments" said David Barnes, product manager at Motorola Enterprise Mobility. "In order to increase productivity, businesses need a device which costs enough to give to every associate but is also small enough for every one of them to wear and use."

Motorola acquired Symbol Technologies for $3.9 billion (1.95 billion) in 2006, giving the company a larger footing in the industrial device market, as well as giving the Symbol business access to Motorola's voice and data communications technologies.

"Motorola's expertise is with the voice and communication side of things, and Symbol as a real time mobility business is bringing the real time data capture perspective, so the logical step was to put those two core expertises together and launch a product which is low cost and with converged voice and data capabilities," added Barnes.

The product has already been announced for the US market and Motorola is preparing to start production in the UK around March. In the US the price has been confirmed at $540, and the UK price is predicted to be approximately 270. Motorola defended the price for a device which would be intended to be in the hand of every store associate by claiming it would reduce operational costs by eliminating the need for enterprises to carry purchase, carry and maintain multiple devices.

UK law firm Taylor Wessing has implemented new records management IT to transform the way it handles its heavily regulated paperwork storage procedures.

Law firms are heavily regulated in the way paper-based client and business records must be retained, managed and destroyed. But at the same time, they must be able to quickly and easily retrieve stored records as needed for research or in response to a legal challenge.

Prior to implementing new records management systems, Taylor Wessing managed wills, deeds, client correspondence, patents and other records through manually intensive processes. Unable to apply records policies in a granular manner according to the requirements of specific types of records, the firm retained all physical records for a uniform 21 years, greatly increasing storage costs.

"This system is a key implementation for us as the introduction of a unified matter and records management system enables us to push forward with our electronic filing strategy, which will ultimately streamline the way we practice enabling improved knowledge sharing, better protection for client information and considerable space related cost savings," said Tim Hyman, Taylor Wessing IT director.

The firm has adopted WorkSite and Records Manager systems from information management systems provider Interwoven, integrated with barcode functionality, to fully modernise the firm's management practices and technologies in this key area of its business.

Barry Macdonald, IT project manager at Taylor Wessing added: "For work in progress, WorkSite provides simple, reliable access to complete matter content within a unified environment. For records management, Records Manager makes the application of records policies efficient and accurate, and will ultimately allow our staff to manage and access paper records in the same way as electronic records."

The Records Manager system has been configured to support Taylor Wessing's specific business process and records management policies in collaboration with Interwoven partners Tikit, the legal IT specialist and Oyster IMS, an information management consultancy.

"For the first time, we have the ability to manage records in a granular manner based on the type of law they relate to and the corresponding guidelines and requirements," said Macdonald. "The entire process has made it possible to greatly reduce our offsite storage costs."

By replacing manual data entry with a highly accurate, automated system based on barcodes and scanners, Records Manager is allowing the firm's records management team to focus on overseeing the application of records policies for more granular compliance practices.

Macdonald added: "Interwoven gives us a high level of control over the application of records management policies to records of all kinds and makes it simple for us to ensure that each record is being managed, retained and destroyed appropriately."

A leading whisky producer is improving visibility of its stock to better track the millions of casks it uses and stores for as long as twenty five years.

Glasgow-based John Dewar and Sons, part of the Bacardi Group, has developed it new cask management system to produce premium blends effectively and increase the productivity of its warehouse staff, whose job it is to find specific casks in a warehouse that may hold as many as 72,000 at any one time.

Up until last year Dewar's had relied on a paper-based system to identify the location of each brand of whisky and its age, with the added challenge that whisky is held as bonded stock, and therefore Customs and Excise require details of all its movements.

John McKee, John Dewar and Sons IT manager told IT PRO the company used a new warehouse building programme as an opportunity to deploy new mobile warehouse tracking technology.

"Our previous paper-based system didn't tell you where casks were in the warehouse," he said. "And, stacked in columns that are seven casks high and rows of columns that are eight-deep, it wasn't very effective."

Dewar's worked with distributor RealTime DC, to identify a solution that would meet allow it to track casks effectively in its warehouse, speed the process for warehouse operatives and comply with exacting health and safety, as well as customs regulations.

RealTime was already working with Dewar's on its main enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, so the company was keen to work with the provider in the implementation of the cask tracking system.

The system deployed needed to operate within European regulations governing ATmosphere EXplosives (ATEX) and therefore comprises wireless access points installed in ATEX1 approved enclosures and a wireless switch containing security measures that includes smart intrusion detection and protection against denial-of-service attacks, so the IT team at Dewar's can be sure that the network is always safe from intruders.

The team at Dewar's chose the ATEX-compliant Motorola mobile computers for use in the warehouses because of its wireless capabilities, built-in barcode scanner and rugged form.

A wireless device would enable a cable-free environment in the warehouses and therefore ensure that Dewar's was compliant with regulations concerning fireproofing. The MC9000 allows employees to have the freedom to move around the warehouse for example to check cask information, while still having access to the same information that would be available if they were sitting in the office.

"Now it's in place, we are so impressed with the way it is working and the time it is saving us, we are looking to roll it out to another five newly-built warehouses," said McKee. "In addition, we are also looking into using the system to control all of our stock, including bottles and labels, as well as the casks."