6 Mobile App Stories of the Week
December 13, 2012 11:39 AM
In functionality, mobile banking apps are movin' on up. Though recent research shows customers make little distinction between the leading financial services players' mobile apps and mobile browsers, new releases of the past week or so show that industry players are evolving their mobile offerings to go beyond basic features like checking account balances. (Image: Shutterstock )
Capture this. U.S. Bank (USB) in Minneapolis has committed to becoming the first large U.S. bank to offer mobile bill payment in the manner of mobile check deposit.
Mobile payment apps from banks are coming. Boston-based First Trade Union Bank (FTUB) is readying a standalone mobile payments app for iPhones and Android devices that will work with LevelUp devices.
Give a gift card. Square, an early and successful contender in mobile payment acceptance, has launched a gift card system that users can redeem using its Wallet and Apple's Passbook app.
PFM meets mobile banking. Mint.com this week expanded its tools to move deeper into mobile banking and commerce via a letter of intent to explore a strategic alliance between Intuit (INTU), which owns Mint, and Monitise (MONI), which recently acquired mobile banking tech provider Clairmail.
Learning languages. Birmingham-Ala. Based BBVA Compass's iPhone app is now bilingual. (Image: Shutterstock )
To watch out for: In mobile banking, Wells Fargo's Steve Ellis has high hopes for voice and speech recognition .
