Zoosh, a new technology developed by Sunnyvale startup Naratte, aims to deliver all the benefits of NFC (near-field communication) with any device that has a speaker and microphone. Instead of relying on NFC chips, Zoosh uses ultrasound to perform secure mobile transactions.
The technology — which can be added to any app or device with a simple software update — drastically reduces the barriers to entry for NFC-related tasks like mobile payments and secure data transfer.
For all the hype NFC has been receiving over the past few years, it’s still limited by the need for new devices with NFC chips. Zoosh, on the other hand, can easily be deployed to existing devices — making it a simpler and more cost-effective choice for merchants and consumers.
In practice, Zoosh performs just like typical NFC technology: You wave two devices near each other and a transaction occurs almost instantly. But instead of waiting for a response from NFC chips, Zoosh instructs the devices to listen for ultrasonic communications.
In a conversation with Naratte co-founders Brett Paulson (CEO) and Byron Alsberg (Chief Development Officer) last week, the pair said that the company was able to pull off the groundbreaking technology thanks to the unique backgrounds of its 12-person team. That includes employees with seasoned experience in acoustics, digital signal processing (DSP), and wireless from companies like Apple, Google, Texas Instruments, and Qualcomm.
Naratte’s team was able to tap into existing mobile trends, like faster processors, better microphone sampling rates, and deeper access to mobile device hardware, to be the first company to deliver effective ultrasonic device-to-device communications.
Zoosh can work offline — since its transmissions move directly between devices — and it can even work in extremely loud environments. Naratte says that upgrading an existing point-of-sale terminal to use Zoosh can cost up to $30, while doing the same for traditional NFC technology can cost between $100 and $850. The company tells me that the amount of data Zoosh can transfer is comparable to NFC.
Paulson and Alsberg stressed that security is something they played close attention to for Zoosh. Every Zoosh transaction has a unique and perishable ID, so even if someone managed to record the transmission, it would effectively be useless. The pair also said that transmission distances are controlled, making it very difficult for someone to capture Zoosh transmissions without being right near you.
Naratte was founded in May 2009 and has been operating in heavy stealth mode since October 2010. Sparkbase, one of the company’s earliest partners, has already won a major technology innovation award for its Paycloud mobile wallet app, which relies on Zoosh technology. Naratte also says it’s working on using Zoosh to send virtual checks and cash from person to person. Further down the line, the company says Zoosh could be used for social networking (think of NFC-enabled contact exchanges and check-ins), vending machine payments, and painless Bluetooth device pairing.
It may sound like Zoosh is competing against Google Wallet and other NFC-based initiatives, but it could actually end up being something that Google licenses (or perhaps even purchases) down the line to bring Wallet to phones without NFC chips.
With eight patents filed already, Naratte seems poised to carve out an interesting niche in the mobile payments arena. The company is well aware of the potential for its technology, and it plans to license it out heavily. For now though, it’s hoping to make Zoosh an integral choice for mobile payments.
Naratte has raised $5 million in a first round of funding from an unnamed strategic investor.
Some of you may have heard, but consider this my official announcement. I am now the Digital Strategist for Snoball!
For years I have had a passion for social. If you know me this is no surprise to you, I'm sure. My involvement in social giving and all my hard work has paid off big time. I am still settling into my new role, but I didn't get here on my own and I am still going to need a lot of help along the way.
Here at Snoball we are still young and we have a lot to learn. I want to make sure that I keep an open line of communication and be as engaging as possible. This is where you come in. Take a look at the site at http://snoball.com and let me know what you think. Sign up for an account, put in your favorite charity and I'll share that with the team. If you work with, or for a nonprofit I especially want to hear from you.
Here is a short video describing the concept of Snoball:
Once again, thank you all for everything. Your love and support has carried me to the career of my dreams, and for that I am eternally grateful. I also want to thank my former manager David Huebel, director Frank Gorishek, and all my co-workers at AMD. I love and miss you all.
Today is the start of week two of Movember. That means it is time for another shave. Here is a updated picture of the Mo:
As you can see, my stache is starting to fill in. Now you see how I am doing on the hair side, let's take a look at how much money I have raised. Right now I have $54 in my bank, and before you point out that the total is exactly the same as last week, I would say you're right. I have not gotten one $1 in donations in over a week. I must be doing something wrong. If you are reading this right now, please just give me a dollar. One dollar is all I ask. Please and thank you.
This is my third year being on Team Austin, and every year they do an awesome job. I hope that this year I am able to do my small part to help the cause. If you are in Austin, there are a ton of events scheduled. Check out the Facebook page and the Twitter account to stay current on all the happenings. You can also track other members of the team by the hash tag #MovemberATX.
Once again, I would love your help. Please donate what you can and check out myprogress at: http://mobro.co/wesley83
If you would like to know more about the Movember Movement you can find out more here.
Yesterday marked the end of the first week of Movember.That means it is time for a shave. I know people shave everyday, but that's not me. My sensitive skin can't take the blade that often. Here is a picture of the before:
And here is a picture of the after:
I think that it's funny that all my donations are from women. I think it is out of pure pity. Please make a donation of any amount. Right now I have $54 in my bank and would love to double it before the end of the week.
This is my third year being on Team Austin, and every year they do an awesome job. I hope that this year I am able to do my small part to help the cause. If you are in Austin, there are a ton of events scheduled. Check out the Facebook page and the Twitter account to stay current on all the happenings. You can also track other members of the team by the hash tag #MovemberATX.
Once again, I would love your help. Please donate what you can and check out my progress at: http://mobro.co/wesley83
If you would like to know more about the Movember Movement you can find out more here.
*I know I wasn't even talking about donations earlier, but I couldn't think of a good transition.
Today is the first day of Movember. If you haven't heard of Movember, it is obviously a combination of the word Mo, which is short for mustache, and November. The goal is to raise awareness and funds for male health issues, such as prostate and testicular cancer.
How is this done you may ask? Well in my case, I scare you a little by shaving my face bald. No more goatee, no more beard. I will be slowly growing a mustache for the whole month and will be asking for your support. Please make a donation of any amount. Right now I have $1 in my bank and would love to double it before the end of the day.
Here is my before pic. I took it at 5am in my bathroom this morning. I hope that explains the sleepy/pissed look I am giving off.
I was up that early to catch a flight. Lucky me, I was invited to some secret Ford event in Dearborn, Michigan. So super secret that at right now as I sit in my hotel room I have no idea what the agenda is. Now that you have seen the before, brace yourself for the after.
Once again, I would love your help. Please donate what you can and check out my progress at: http://mobro.co/wesley83
If you would like to know more about the Movember Movement you can find out more here.
