O2 goes banking route

UK wireless telco O2 has set up a personal finance unit and unveiled two prepaid cards as it looks to tap into the burgeoning mobile banking market, according to Finextra.

The Telef'onica subsidiary has partnered high street bank NatWest on the free Visa cards; Cash Manager, for adults and Load & Go, targeted at teenagers.

Available next month, the cards can be topped up online and in stores, with customers receiving real-time balance updates sent to their mobile phone.

AirPatrol, a mobile and wireless threat management solutions company, has completed all compatibility tests to become a technology partner in the McAfee Security Innovation Alliance (SIA) programme, reports Billing and OSS World.

AirPatrol's wireless policy manager (WPM) product is now integrated with McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator software.

With AirPatrol WPM, organisations can secure their laptops against today's wide range of mobile and wireless threats.

Mobile BIS, a US technology provider, is now offering advance demonstrations of the new Verizon BlackBerry Tour, what it calls the most sophisticated multimedia cellphone system available, reports dBusinessNews.

Designed to provide instant international worldwide access to voice, work files, e-mail, editing of Microsoft files, video streaming, GPS, stereo Bluetooth, and much more, the BlackBerry Tour is redefining the workplace as a global location, says the company.

"There has been tremendous anticipation about this new product," Mobile BIS president Michael Macho says.