Coin Replaces All Your Credit Cards with One Single Card

Much like a lot of startups that are focused on the finance industry, there’s a new one in town that aims to make your wallet a lot slimmer. The product is called the Coin, and in the simplest of words, it’s essentially a credit card that can store multiple credit cards (and debit cards and even gift/loyalty cards) with the idea being that you can carry just one credit card with you while still having all of your credit cards with you as well.

The Coin looks like a slate-colored piece of plastic that has a small display on it with a magnetic strip on the back for swiping purposes. The display shows you what credit card is active on the Coin, and there’s a small button that you can press to pick the card you want to use.

The Coin comes with an accompanying iOS app and a card reader that you plug into the headphone jack. To add credit cards to the Coin, you simply swipe the card using the reader and then take a picture of the card so you know which card is which when you’re managing them in the app. Then, using Bluetooth, you send all of that information to the Coin card.

What if you lose your Coin card? Well, the company says it’ll be nearly impossible to do that since your iPhone and Coin card communicate with each other over Bluetooth. So if you get up and walk away, leaving your Coin card behind, your iPhone will notify you that you left your Coin card at the store or restaurant. When that connection is broken, the card will automatically deactivate. Of course, this requires your phone being on your person for this to happen, but the card won’t work in the first place without your phone, so it’s good way to also remember to bring your phone with you so you don’t forget it at home.

All wireless communications between the card and your phone are protected with 128-bit encryption, so there’s no need to worry about some clever hacker intercepting the communication.

Sadly, the Coin card won’t ship until next summer, but you can pre-order yours now for $50, plus $5 for shipping. The company says that there are limited quantities for early adopters, and the price for a Coin card will jump up to $100 eventually, so if you’re wanting to get in on the ground floor, it’s best to do it now rather than later.

Microsoft talks up single app store at company meeting: Sources

Microsoft officials have been cagey about exactly when and whether the company would have a single app store for its Windows and Windows Phone devices.

But it sounds like that scenario is closer than many actually believed.

As Tom Warren is reporting on The Verge, Microsoft committed to a single app store for Windows and Windows Phone during its annual company meeting in Seattle on September 26. I've heard the same from my own sources.

I've heard a few additional details about what was supposedly discussed today from my sources.

The new unified store is supposedly going to be part of the next version of Windows, which I believe could be Windows 8.1 with the Spring 2014 GDR update, according to one of my contacts. (Another contact said no timing was shared as to when this will happen.) I'm not clear if Microsoft also demonstrated or outlined a plan to make that store the same one that is featured on Xbox One, some time post launch of that console this November.

I'm also hearing Windows Azure is likely playing a role in this scenario. I'm thinking that this might have to do with cloud compilation of applications. This would involve Microsoft compiling developers' applications for them, like they did with Windows Phone during the move from Windows Phone 7 to Windows Phone 8 to help with portability and performance.

The other Azure possibility: The back-end code for certain apps runs on Windows Azure and is streamed to phones and PCs. That would give users the impression that Halo 4 really is running natively on their Windows Phone or Windows RT tablet. 

None of this is too surprising -- beyond the possible timing. Microsoft execs have been hinting, if not outright claiming, that in the future there will be "One Windows" and one Windows API (meaning WinRT, I would assume). At the company's Financial Analyst Meeting last week, Executive Vice President Terry Myerson reiterated that vision, noting "“We should have one set of developer APIs on all of our devices.  And all of the apps we bring to end users should be available on all of our devices.”

In addition to making developers happy, a single store that included both Windows 8 Metro-Style and Windows Phone 8 apps would definitely help with the never-ending complaints about shortages of Windows 8 and Windows Phone apps.

I've asked Microsoft if the company has any comment on claims they've shown off the common store today. A spokesperson said the company had no comment.

Update: I erroneously noted Microsoft demonstrated a unified app store during the company meeting today. There was no demo; just more talk (yet again) about the fact this is the goal. I updated this post to reflect those facts on the evening of September 26.