In other words, the PIN-pad switch seems to require an extra dose of hacker chutzpah.

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This PIN-pad scheme is in some ways just a variation on fairly common ATM skimming hardware techniques, which attach to the machines and invisibly siphon off credit card data.

FORBES: Hancock Fabrics Hackers Switch Stores' PIN Pads

Tim Hortons' new all-in-one PIN pad technology supports all methods of payment on one device, including chip and pin, tap and swipe payments for acceptance of Tim Card, debit cards, credit cards and now mobile payments.

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Rather than visiting a kiosk to rent a bike, you'll be able to use a smartphone app to locate some available wheels, with position information broadcast by a built-in GPS. Once you find a bike you want to rent, the system will send an unlock code to your handset, which you'll enter into a handlebar-mounted PIN pad.

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Activated by pulling out a grenade-like pin and palming an embedded finger pad, the Armstar BodyGuard 9XI-HD01 sparks a loud and visible arc of electricity between its wrist-mounted taser spikes, a sight that inventor David Brown hopes will encourage would-be crooks to surrender.

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