Could universal device operation be the next killer app?

If mobile devices could be used to pay for transit fares and buy lunch, it could happen. Transit fares could be what gets things started. There are big problems with this, however. No one actually has the motivation to get this started. The transit authorities already have fare collection that works well enough. Security would be a big worry. No phone manufacturers would want that headache, and there's no existing demand for such features.

Not going to happen with the iPhone, or anytime soon, sadly. We've had the ability for at least 5-6 years with PDAs, smartphones, etc, and still nothing. Bluetooth replacing IR as a control standard still has happened yet fer crying out loud -- it's still just the PS3 for everyday consumer electronic devices that supports it.