Android emerging as mobile financial app platform of choice?

Card issuers seemed like winners in the mobile payment derby, as most systems depended at some point on charging a debit or a credit card. But an inchoate movement is promoting not credit or debit cards but rather a phone bill as the payment method of choice.

Convenience is everything when it comes to small, quick purchases. The thinking is that for small purchases, more people may be more willing to pay via a phone bill. The iPhone SDK really doesn't allow this, so more firms are apparently opting for Google's Android platform, notes Mobile Banker, which also notes that Android is emerging as the mobile platform "of choice for the consumers most likely to use their phones for banking and financial activities."

Javelin Strategy and Research has found that Android users are indeed more active mobile banking customers than users of the iPhone and BlackBerry. Two small firms--Zong and Boku--announced recently the launch of tools that allow software developers to add payments systems to Android phones applications. All that is required is a click. A payment provider takes care of the rest. A charge shows up on customers' phone bills.

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