Will Wallets Merge with Phones?

The list of items people need to have on their person at all times has changed in the last few decades. Watches used to be critical to keep time, but have been replaced by the always-correct cellphone clock (except for watches worn for style); a personal schedule and notepad were first replaced by the PDA, then the PDA merged with the phone. All that's left is the phone itself, wallet, and keys - and I think the wallet may be next! The photo is of the Case-Mate, which keeps your ID and bankcards piggybacking your iPhone; in my opinion, it needs room for another card and some cash to make a real bid for wallet replacement, but it's a start. Loyalty and membership cards have already been covered by apps like CardStar, which has made my wallet quite a bit thinner. It's only a matter of time before a phone will be used as a method of payment (as it already is in Asia), and receipts can be paperless in the form of emails (like the Apple store already does) or text messages. And if the wallet's last remaining use is for photos of family? Well, your phone can carry a few thousand of those, too. I think it's where we're headed, and I for one am looking forward to it!