Looking forward, five major firms are working with high street stalwart, the Kroger Co. on a new mobile shopping coupon scheme.

The firms, which include Procter & Gamble, The Clorox Co., Del Monte Corp. Kimberly-Clark, and General Mills Inc., plan a four month test later in the year to see if shoppers take to the idea of using their mobiles to hand over virtual discount coupons for their shopping.

Kroger Co. runs multiple US shops: convenience stores like Turkey Hill and Kwik Shop; department stores including Smith's Marketplace, Fred Meyer and Fry's; and locations such as Food 4 Less, City Market and PayLess.

Sure, we're not saying iPhone's going to be part of the trial - to be honest, we don't know, but we do recall Forbes mention of Apple patents to let iPhone (or iPod touch) users order goods using their iTunes account (conceivably) at high street shops such as Starbucks. But speculation isn't fact, just expression of what's possible.