[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by JasonCSU

I know having all those features integrated into your phone is kind of a holy grail for some people. The way I see it though, once all that functionality is controlled by your phone, it is susceptible to one point of failure. If you happen to drop and break your phone, lose it, or the battery dies, you then are not able to pay for things, get into your car or house, show your ID if requested, etc. Sure, you will probably have backups of these items in the form of cash, credit cards, physical keys and ID, but they will not do you much good if they are not on your person when needed.

It will be interesting to see how a digital ID would be implemented, and keeping it difficult for people to forge. When ordering a drink at a bar, would you have to hand your phone to the bartender to show your digital ID (hopefully they don't drop it), or would it simply be read by NFC? I'm definitely curious to see how some of this future tech will evolve, I just don't ever plan on being on the bleeding edge of it.

I agree with that for sure.

[Maestro]

Originally Posted by freddych

Coin works at CVS and at Walmart. I have one and have used it at both places.

That's because cvs and others have not turned on MXC yet. Their plan is in the future to either not accept CC or begin changing a fee for CC transaction unless you use their MXC system. It will be like some gas station who charge you more to us a CC.

Apple pay is the most secure option out there today. Considering I had my CC replace 3 times last year due to security breaches at stores like Target, I like Apple pay much better.

[freddych]

I have some form of car keys, house keys, credit cards, on my phone right now and it is wonderful.

I go to walgreens instead of CVS, and Whole Foods instead of Central Market because they accept Apple Pay.

I have my house wired up with Z wave components and as I walk to the door it geolocates me and unlocks the doors, locking the doors and arming my alarm when I walk out.

The Tesla can be started/locked/unlocked using the iPhone app, though I've only used it on a few occasions to start the a/c before I get in the car.

The only thing I'm missing is for a deeper integration of these items and my building ID/parking pass to be on the Phone. The transformation will be complete when my iPhone operates exactly like my "ComfortAccess" enabled car keys and everywhere accepts Apple Pay. Looking forward to that becoming a reality.

As far as "oh but you might break/lose your phone" goes, #1 get an otterbox if you are prone to breaking your phone and #2, if you can manage not to lose your wallet/keys, you should be able to not lose your phone either.

As far as Digital ID goes, I think that eventually all ID's will be stored server side and there will be some sort of rolling encrypted access scheme. If you've used RSA access tokens, this would be a similar scheme. The person "scanning" the ID would get brief access to the ID, including whatever data is needed to confirm whatever needs to be confirmed (in case of a plane ticket, just identity, in case of sale of alcohol, picture and age). Properly implemented, the systems should be super secure and fake IDs should be a thing of the past.

Smart watches could be interesting though their battery life kind of sucks but could solve the "losing it" or "dropping it" issue.

[NEFARIOUS]

I am having a raging brainer reading your post... I've always wanted to get my tech stuff ridiculously up-to-date.

Originally Posted by freddych

I have some form of car keys, house keys, credit cards, on my phone right now and it is wonderful.

I go to walgreens instead of CVS, and Whole Foods instead of Central Market because they accept Apple Pay.

I have my house wired up with Z wave components and as I walk to the door it geolocates me and unlocks the doors, locking the doors and arming my alarm when I walk out.

The Tesla can be started/locked/unlocked using the iPhone app, though I've only used it on a few occasions to start the a/c before I get in the car.

The only thing I'm missing is for a deeper integration of these items and my building ID/parking pass to be on the Phone. The transformation will be complete when my iPhone operates exactly like my "ComfortAccess" enabled car keys and everywhere accepts Apple Pay. Looking forward to that becoming a reality.

As far as "oh but you might break/lose your phone" goes, #1 get an otterbox if you are prone to breaking your phone and #2, if you can manage not to lose your wallet/keys, you should be able to not lose your phone either.

As far as Digital ID goes, I think that eventually all ID's will be stored server side and there will be some sort of rolling encrypted access scheme. If you've used RSA access tokens, this would be a similar scheme. The person "scanning" the ID would get brief access to the ID, including whatever data is needed to confirm whatever needs to be confirmed (in case of a plane ticket, just identity, in case of sale of alcohol, picture and age). Properly implemented, the systems should be super secure and fake IDs should be a thing of the past.

Smart watches could be interesting though their battery life kind of sucks but could solve the "losing it" or "dropping it" issue.

[JasonCSU]

Originally Posted by freddych

I have some form of car keys, house keys, credit cards, on my phone right now and it is wonderful.

I go to walgreens instead of CVS, and Whole Foods instead of Central Market because they accept Apple Pay.

I have my house wired up with Z wave components and as I walk to the door it geolocates me and unlocks the doors, locking the doors and arming my alarm when I walk out.

The Tesla can be started/locked/unlocked using the iPhone app, though I've only used it on a few occasions to start the a/c before I get in the car.

The only thing I'm missing is for a deeper integration of these items and my building ID/parking pass to be on the Phone. The transformation will be complete when my iPhone operates exactly like my "ComfortAccess" enabled car keys and everywhere accepts Apple Pay. Looking forward to that becoming a reality.

As far as "oh but you might break/lose your phone" goes, #1 get an otterbox if you are prone to breaking your phone and #2, if you can manage not to lose your wallet/keys, you should be able to not lose your phone either.

As far as Digital ID goes, I think that eventually all ID's will be stored server side and there will be some sort of rolling encrypted access scheme. If you've used RSA access tokens, this would be a similar scheme. The person "scanning" the ID would get brief access to the ID, including whatever data is needed to confirm whatever needs to be confirmed (in case of a plane ticket, just identity, in case of sale of alcohol, picture and age). Properly implemented, the systems should be super secure and fake IDs should be a thing of the past.

Smart watches could be interesting though their battery life kind of sucks but could solve the "losing it" or "dropping it" issue.

While the convenience factor certainly can't be denied for integrating all of that functionality into one's phone, I would still be reluctant to use some of it. The problem with all this technology is that it adds complexity, and it becomes prone to hacking.

I'd much rather use the low tech method of using a physical key to unlock the door to my house because it will always work. In the case of your smart locks, the lock will not unlock if your phone is dead or the lock is not receiving power. I imagine the smart lock can still accept a physical key as well, but that does not do much good if you stop carrying your keys with you. Then there is the security aspect or lack thereof with many of these Internet of Things devices like the smart locks. Security seems to be an afterthought with many of these smart devices allowing hackers to easily compromise them and gain access. One recent example with "ComfortAccess" type keys, hackers were able to remotely boost the radio signal the keys send out, unlocking a car from a much further distance. If your car was parked outside your house, this allowed them to steal whatever was in the car, or even start it up and drive off. Many of these security issues will be dealt with in time, but like I said before, I don't want to be on the bleeding edge of this technology.

Your example of a digital ID working like an RSA token makes sense, though it will probably be many years before something like this is in place. First, it would have to become standardized and accepted for businesses to start using it. Second, it would obviously require internet access which may be difficult in some rural areas where there may be limited or no access.

[freddych]

Originally Posted by JasonCSU

While the convenience factor certainly can't be denied for integrating all of that functionality into one's phone, I would still be reluctant to use some of it. The problem with all this technology is that it adds complexity, and it becomes prone to hacking.

I'd much rather use the low tech method of using a physical key to unlock the door to my house because it will always work. In the case of your smart locks, the lock will not unlock if your phone is dead or the lock is not receiving power. I imagine the smart lock can still accept a physical key as well, but that does not do much good if you stop carrying your keys with you. Then there is the security aspect or lack thereof with many of these Internet of Things devices like the smart locks. Security seems to be an afterthought with many of these smart devices allowing hackers to easily compromise them and gain access. One recent example with "ComfortAccess" type keys, hackers were able to remotely boost the radio signal the keys send out, unlocking a car from a much further distance. If your car was parked outside your house, this allowed them to steal whatever was in the car, or even start it up and drive off. Many of these security issues will be dealt with in time, but like I said before, I don't want to be on the bleeding edge of this technology.

Your example of a digital ID working like an RSA token makes sense, though it will probably be many years before something like this is in place. First, it would have to become standardized and accepted for businesses to start using it. Second, it would obviously require internet access which may be difficult in some rural areas where there may be limited or no access.

It's easier to pick a lock or kick a door down than to hack encryption.

Comfort access is certainly a big gaping hole any way you cut it but the benefit of putting the key on your phone is that you can turn it on or off and require authentication by fingerprint. In this way it would be much more secure than anything being offered now.

Imagine that to start your car you need to authenticate by verifying your fingerprint on the phone before the car will start. Not everyone will want this level of security as most of us have comprehensive insurance and value the convenience but the ability to make the system secure is there.

As always you typically sacrifice security for convenience but using technology can help minimize the amount of security you are giving up.