Mobiles to replace Oyster cards?

Orange, O2 and Nokia are liasing with Transport for London (TfL) about using phones instead of the pre-pay Oyster Cards to pay for tube tickets. The new handsets will allow you to 'touch in and touch out' at the barriers of your tube journey. The handsets will activate a short-wave radio technology when touched against a screen or reader.

The new phones will be available to buy in shops next year and are already compatible with the London underground ticket machines. It will allow people to buy tickets without cards or cash. As well as tubes, Orange is in talks with Reading Borough Council to use phones to pay for bus journeys. (Natasha Liedl)

Verdict: Phones are a bit clunky. Seems a lot simpler to flash an Oyster card at the swipe readers. And do you want TfL to have your mobile phone number as well as everything else?