I don't understand this line of argument:
1. Phone payments are the future.
2. Hence, we should focus on doing that.
It WOULD make sense EXCEPT both android and IPhone clients have already been made so there's almost no work needed in that area.
Additionally BTC is already heavily entrenched in the first world so focus should be on the third/second.
While it is true they use mobiles a lot more than us their mobiles are often older and will not support a BTC client.
A smart card costs 2$ and the POS using my design would be 15$ and an Android phone.
Given rising metal, fuel, food prices and economic crises I do not see 1 billion Indians all getting a phone in the foreseeable future let alone a even near fancy one.
Yes, cards would be cheaper, the problem is that for the "1 billion Indians" that you speak of, there are no bank branches, no bank accounts, thus no cards in their hands. Why does this matter? It matters b/c most of the merchants they frequent do no have a POS device. The developing world is leap frogging over brick and mortar to mobile. Them's the facts. You are correct in pointing out that that smart phones are not the norm yet. SMS is. So if one were dedicated to developing a solution for the masses, it would be an SMS based system something that runs on something like "whispernet". Actually this would be easy, but it would require development of a middle office and some investment capital. When you free up a bit, I'd love to discuss further. And yes I have the facts and figures by country on a global basis....somewhere