Google's April Fool's Day pranks are legendary, but a new humorous concept device is actually a tantalizing look at what might be possible if cash is still king in 50 years.
Shopping with a credit card is the weapon of choice for many shopping fanatics, but despite tech advances, around the world cash remains king. To address this gap one company has come up with a novel solution for accessing cash with a smartphone.
Japan's Ogaki Kyoritsu bank is preparing to roll out biometric ATMs that will allow users to access their accounts by scanning their hand, and entering their birthdate and PIN number. They will be the first machines that do not require cards.
I know the banks have become pretty tightfisted in this lousy economy, but this is ridiculous. A man in the northern Swedish town of Umeå went to get about $100 in Swedish Krona from a supermarket ATM, but instead of bills, the machine spit out a dead mouse.
I tend to be pretty careful when I'm using an ATM, checking that nobody can see my fingers as I enter my PIN code. But now scientists have revealed a way to tell which buttons you pushed, even after you've left the machine cash in hand.
Your conventional ATM really isn't that concerned with who you are. It just wants a card and a PIN number, and if those two things line up it won't ask questions. Let the humans sort it out, right? Well, no longer — Russia, land of bomb-proof toilets, is looking to put out a smarter, somewhat scary auto-teller that really does grill you for answers.
Once in a while, while intoxicated, you might end up taking a couple hundred dollars out of the ATM that you really shouldn't have. It's not great, but it's also not the end of the world. But if that ATM...
The closest many people get to hearing Cockney rhyming slang is watching Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. However, take a trip to the East End of London and it's everywhere. And now a firm that operates ATMs in the...