Coca Cola vending machines to support mobile payments

Soft drink behemoth Coca Cola is working with european payments specialist PingPing to incorporate NFC (Near Field Communication) into its vending machines, incorporating it into machines in Belgium and Luxembourg before the end of 2010.

NFC is a short-range wireless technology that allows the exchange of data between devices. By outfitting its vending machines with the technology, Coca Cola will enable consumers to simply hold their NFC tag (currently a sticker on a mobile phone) in front of the the reader on the vending machine to make payment for their beverage.

As Mobile Entertainment notes, the functionality could soon be built into the SIM card of a handset.

Coca Cola’s announcement comes shortly after US mobile operators announced they would be combining to offer a wireless payment system for their customers. NFC is gradually starting to be adopted as the next generation in mobile payments, coming away from internet based transactions and ushering in a new contactless way to purchase.

As Stijn Vander Plaetse, VP Innovation at Belgian operator Belgacom notes:

Want a Google TV? Just make a YouTube video.

Ever since Google TV came out , we’ve been pretty excited here around TNW. A few of us already have them, a few more of us can’t wait to have them. Now, hearing the cries (or perhaps in a rather expensive promotional stunt), Google is set to give away 100 of the devices…that just happen to be packaged inside of a Sony 46″ high-definition box.

According to an announcement on the YouTube blog :

So, will we see anybody renaming themselves to Google TV?

Oh, and if you do submit a video, drop us a link in the comments. We want to see your creative side.

Verizon’s first LTE phone? Motorola’s dual-core, 4.3-inch Droid Bionic.

While we’ve asked the question a few times here at TNW about the lack of LTE devices in Verizon ‘s lineup, CES has not disappointed. The first of Verizon’s LTE phones, according to Laptop Memo , will be handled by its partner in Android success, Motorola . Want the specs? Here you go:

Dual 1GHz Processors

4.3″ Display

Front and Rear Cameras

1080p Video Playback

HDMI Out

512 MB RAM

Of course, to top off all of these lovely features, you’ll also have the ability to run everything at blazing fast LTE speeds — if you’re in an area that is covered. Oh, and you’ll have to wait until at least April before getting your hands onto one. The closest that we have to a definitive date is “second quarter”. There’s also been no pricing set, but you can almost bet that the typical $199 on a 2-year contract will continue.

From the looks of things, the Bionic is a rework of the wildly-popular Droid X. With the gigantic screen and similar high-quality display, the Bionic looks more like a refresh than something entirely new. What remains to be seen is the true advantage that LTE will bring to a mobile phone experience.

Will the Bionic change our mind about the X being Verizon’s best phone ? We’ll have to wait until we get our hands on one, but we’ll let you know soon.