Ever notice what is missing from your cell phone? You can call, text, take photos and even surf the web — but does your mobile device carry money?
New Twitter applications may change that. Third-party services such as Tipjoy allow you to send real money via Twitter, by loading up an account that taps your credit card. Since Twitter works great on cell phones, it soon could be a backdoor for mobile phones to finally replace your wallet. Tipjoy has cleverly launched with a carrot that could attract big marketers to further promote the micropayment service: it touts charitable giving as one use, the perfect platform for cause-marketers trying to buy their way into social media buzz by raising money for charity.
Twitter itself is down with that, even promoting Tipjoy on its home page just below your follower count. If you like the ironic thought of Twitter, so often criticized for failing to monetize, eventually becoming a vast, speedy, mobile backbone of the global currency system, please tweet us $100.