The last part is the really sad thing. We have the technology to do it right now, but because credit cards are everywhere and better stuff isn't, there's no mo

The last part is the really sad thing. We have the technology to do it right now, but because credit cards are everywhere and better stuff isn't, there's no motion toward improvement. The fundamental problem is that the credit card system works by requiring the customer to provide the merchant with all of the credentials necessary to make a transaction. We could have inexpensive devices that receive payment details, display them on cheap LCDs, and digitally sign them if the user confirms. Such a device would be about as complex as a pocket calculator, and as secure as any application of digital signatures. Nobody is moving on them because of the chicken/egg problem.