Barclaycard Payband - A Cool Idea

I'm a gadget lover. I confess it. Equally, I'm also a lover of banking products. That bit is slightly more difficult to own up to, but still.

So you can imagine my delight when I saw a press release for Barclaycard's new "Payband" - the 21st century version of those gummy bracelets that started off with the "Livestrong" trend.

The idea is simple. You get a free bracelet, you load up to £500 onto it, and use it to pay for stuff at places that accept the Mastercard tap-and-pay system.

Despite bearing the Barclaycard name, it's not linked to any credit card you may have with them - instead it's a completely separate prepaid debit card system (without the card). Also, it's being touted at attendees to this year's Wireless Festival - the bands will only actually function for the week of the festival, and then be permanently deactivated and any money on them returned.

It seems like a medium-scale trial of alternative NFC payment methods - they've already launched the Paytag, a sticker that goes on your phone (or anything else) and turns it into a credit card, and Pingit, the mobile-to-mobile personal payments app.

I've applied for one of these Paybands, just to see what it's like, and to see if it'll work at my local McDonalds aswell as the festival.

If you feel like playing around with one, stocks are limited, so apply for one at the Payband website.

Greggs Free Wi-Fi... WHY-Fi??

I've just seen this poster outside a local branch of cheapo-bakery Greggs, who are jumping on the bandwagon of offering free wireless internet to punters.

Only one thing. Greggs doesn't have any seats. It's a little bakery and purveyor of take-away sausage rolls.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is the idea to buy a steak bake, then sit on the floor infront of the drinks cabinet, unplug said fridge from the wall, and plug your laptop in its' place?

It almost feels like someone needs to set up a "Greggs flashmob", getting 20 or so people to all buy something, then fill up the floor with bodies and iPads, in a scene you'd expect to see at an airport, or on a crowded train.

Just saying.

People Watching

People watching is so interesting. Not the kind of people watching that you idly do to kill a few minutes, but more as a sport. Extreme People Watching, if you will.

Take, for example, subject number one. I'm sat on a train as I write this, spying a guy in his early 20's. He's got the tray table down, covered with a Kindle, an iPhone, and a pair of Apple headphones. Yet he's not used a single one of them. He even took his Kindle to the toilet with him. He is what is known in the trade as a "Grade A Douchebag".

Or subject number two. She's got an iPod Classic, but has paired them with a pair of £9.99 headphones from Sports Direct - purely because they're pink. The superficialness (if that's a word) is practically oozing all over the seat.

All in all, if there's a lesson to be learnt here, it's... Well, I don't know if there is a lesson to learn here. Except to treat technology with respect - if you're going to buy it, use it. And if you're going to use it, don't torture it with cheap-ass accessories.

BT Infinity Speeds

Time for a bit of praise for BT and their Infinity 2 service, I think.

I'll let the speed test do the talking...

Yes... 63.1Mbps down and 16.2Mbps up in rural Somerset. Not bad.