Well, no surprises that it’s happened, but maybe a few raised eyebrows about when. According to Reuters

NTT DoCoMo Inc, Japan’s largest mobile operator, on Saturday became the first operator to launch a wallet phone, equipped with Sony Corp.’s FeliCa smart chip, which can be quickly read by passing it over a scanner.

The other players (KDDI and Vodafone) are expected to follow in due course, but not until next year.

FeliCa itself isn’t new - “Suica” train passes with an embedded FeliCa chip has been around for nearly three years.

“FeliCa is going to be a basic requirement for me when I upgrade my phone,” said 31-year-old Norihiko Fujimori, who works for a Japanese Internet startup in Tokyo. “It’ll be extremely convenient if my phone can contain everything.”

The day is not that far off now that the mobile will contain everything you need when you leave the house - ID, digital money and even your electronic car and house keys.

I’m reading Cory Doctorow’s excellent Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom at the moment. One of the principles is that you back up your digital self, the same way as you’re emant to back up your PC.

So, if you’re killed, they simply upload your latest back up into a new clone. Obviously, this makes people a little paranoid about backing up as if they’re killed and haven’t backed up for a couple of months or years - well, anyone who’s ever has a PC crash will realise the potential nightmare.

However, with the real launch of digital wallets by players with enough marketing and political clout to make it happen, Cory’s scenario seems ever closer

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