We Accept Cash, Check, Credit Card, or Smartphone

     As smartphones have grown in popularity mobile payments have become such big business that the largest banks and credit card firms are partnering with wireless carriers, phone makers, and software developers to push the smartphone further into the center of global commerce.  More than a dozen merchants, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp., Best Buy Co., and Sears Holdings Corp., say they are teaming up to develop their own walletless platform, including an app, that will enable tech-savvy customers to quickly pay for goods with their smartphones.  Electronic money is easier and quicker to process than cash or plastic, possibly making long lines a thing of the past.  See also, www.nytimes.com.