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Sybase Says: Smartphone Is Your Mobile Wallet

Here I've been on a kick the past year saying that the Smartphone Is Your Next Computer. Turns out, while that's true -- more people are leaving lapbricks at home in favor of Blackberrys and iPhones -- there's another trend brewing. Namely, your mobile device is about to become an unwired wallet.

We've missed the emergence of cellphones as mobile wallets, because the trend has emerged first in India and parts of Asia, and is only slowly taking shape in the United States. The reason is obvious -- less developed countries, where many people don't have bank accounts -- are crying out for quick-pay solutions. (Add to that the fact that, in Europe for example, many cellphones are pre-pay, not contract. So they need a method to reload users' mobile minutes.)

The upshot is, our provincialism is probably a reason we've (or, I've) missed this trend. I was put on the right track on Wednesday, when I sat down with the folks from Sybase. They've emerged as a leading provider of mobile development solutions and middleware, which enable partners like SAP to quickly roll out mobile clients. (See my recent podcast: "Sybase, SAP Talk Smartphone Apps.")

Sybase is also looking to be a leader in mobile payments, having recently acquired Paybox Solutions.

Marty Beard, president of Sybase 365 (Sybase's mobile messaging solutions arm), told me that buying stuff on your cellphone is still in its early phases. "Mobile commerce is like the Wild West right now," he said. You have a lot of venture capital-backed companies which support one piece of the pie -- like a mobile wallet. So it's a space that's ripe for competition."

I'll have much more on my talk with Sybase, including a podcast, in an upcoming post.

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What's your take? Let me know, by leaving a comment below or e-mailing me directly at alex@alexwolfe.net.

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Alex Wolfe is editor-in-chief of InformationWeek.com.

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