Commonwealth Bank Kaching App Now Available

Kaching is more than just a NFC chip. $50 is just for those who want to use their phone for PayPass payments.

(Disclosure: I’m a CBA employee, commenting in a personal capacity only.)

Per this quick blog post I threw online earlier this afternoon, I’ve been using the iCarte 420A case for the last few weeks. http://is.gd/KachingUnboxing

It’s a straightforward piece of hardware and does what it claims to do (ie allow the iPhone 4 to make NFC payments). Just thought I’d offer my 2.2c* worth on the hardware questions asked here, so far. (*)includes GST ;-)

Sturdy? In my experience, it’s very robust. Indeed, I don’t give my gadgets the proverbial kid-glove treatment. Normally *no* screen protector, *no* rubbery case etc. The iCarte case survived my day-to-day abuse including drops, bumps, backpack-to-desk-to-backpack action, sliding, coffee spills etc. With the exception of a ‘bruise’ to the top left-hand corner of the case plastic, it still looks like new.

Protect the screen face if dragged across a desk? Perhaps – but if trying to protect the screen is the *primary* purchasing driver then I’d recommend against it. The overhang is <0.5mm. Personally, I've never had any issues with scratching of the Gorilla Glass on my devices (including iPhone 4 and Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet) but your mileage may vary.

Affect on battery life? In my experience, negligible impact. Indeed, I'd say "no affect" except for the fact that I know that it does draw SOME current (5-90mA depending on what it's doing).

My only complaint with the iCarte 420A is that, with the case fitted, I can't use my external battery packs which use the proprietary Apple dock connector without removing it.