Burning money

The popular idea of charging your cellphone with airtime credits has been
turned on its head: 1000 people in Leeds, Yorkshire, can now charge up a smart
card with money from their bank or credit card accounts by inserting it into
their phones. As they spend the money, the amount on the card burns down. The
one-year trial is launched this month by BT-owned cellphone network, Cellnet,
and will allow customers to use the card like cash to pay for a variety of goods
such as food, parking spaces or newspapers.