Oct 16
Friend buy you a coffee when you had no cash? Now you can pay her back on the spot with Square’s new mobile payment system, Square Cash.
     |
Oct 07
Google is demoting commercial mug shot websites in search results, the New York Times reports, and MasterCard, PayPal, American Express, Discover and Visa have all stated they are in the process of terminating payment services to the owners of such sites. This mass revolt started when influential reporter David Segal called the search engine and […]
Sep 19
Google Wallet has finally launched for iOS, though since Apple’s iPhone and iPad lack NFC the app focuses on sending mobile payments rather than in-store use. While on Android the focus of Google Wallet has been to turn smartphones into tap-to-pay credit cards, Apple’s continued avoidance of NFC has forced a less revolutionary approach on […]
Sep 09
PayPal has launched Beacon, a new mobile payment dongle using Bluetooth LE for hands-free transactions, and with installation as easy as plugging in a wall-wart. PayPal Beacon hooks up via Bluetooth Low Energy to the PayPal app on their smartphone, automatically letting them check-in – with a quick vibration to show that it’s happened – […]
Aug 15
This week the folks at Facebook have revealed – in short – plans to unleash their own form of mobile payments for real-world products. Though on the surface it would seem that Facebook’s creation of a so-called “mobile payment system” would interfere directly with what PayPal already has in place – including inside Facebook – […]
Jul 30
Isis Mobile Wallet brings NFC to the payment counter, will roll out nationwide
Posted in: Today's ChiliIsis, the joint venture between T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T, allows for NFC-based tap-to-pay (and redeem) transactions at the counter. The service was initially rolled out in two locations: Salt Lake City, Utah, and Austin, Texas. Both initial locations were stamped as successful, and now plans have been announced to roll out the service nationwide sometime
Jul 30
You just finished a delicious meal. You’re itching to move on to the next spot to get more drinks. Or you’re hoping to wrap up your meal so you can pay the sitter. Or maybe you just want to get the hell out of the restaurant just because. Whatever it is, you spend a snail’s lifetime trying to flag down the waitress to get your bill. Another half life waiting for her to take your credit card. And a century and half for you to get it back so you can sign the damn thing. Taking care of the bill is the most annoying thing about eating out. OpenTable wants to change that.
| |
Jul 18
Imagine a world where your debit card stays in your pocket at all times, and you never have to touch cash. This is a place where you don’t have to remember your wallet, or even phone, when you run down to the corner store. It’s a future well off in the distance, to be sure, but dozens of companies are taking the first steps to get there.
| |
Jul 03
EE DoubleSpeed LTE goes live July 4; 802.11ac router, Mobile Payments, more
Posted in: Today's ChiliUK 4G carrier EE has revealed its latest devices, including an 802.11ac router for EE’s fiber, as well as detailing its shared 4G plans and double-speed roll-out. EE DoubleSpeed will go live on July 4th, the carrier has confirmed today, and offer up to 150Mbps theoretically, though in practice more like 24-40 Mbps; it’ll be available to new and existing subscribers (at no extra cost) in twelve cities, rather than the originally announced ten. There’s also a new mobile payments service in association with MasterCard.
Meanwhile, there’s also a summer promotion on the way: new sign-ups before September 30th will get more data for their money. EE also has a new data-only option for pay-as-you-go connections, initially offering three months of service for the price of a single month.
As for the mobile payments service, dubbed Cash On Tap, that offers NFC payments of up to £20 ($30) at over 230,000 UK outlets. First time users will get £10 automatically added on, and a local app will allow transaction tracking and balance enquiries.
For the home, meanwhile, there’s the EE Bright Box 2, an 802.11ac WiFi router for EE fiber subscribers. It’ll be offered free to plug-and-play to EE broadband subscribers for easy installation, and has four ethernet ports and supports 2.4GHz and 5GHz use.
Update: We originally reported the Bright Box 2 bridged an LTE connection; in actual fact it will eventually be able to do that with a USB 4G modem, though the first generation of boxes will only support 3G modems thanks to power-draw shortcomings on the port itself. EE tells us the second-gen version will provide enough power for 4G modems, though first-gen box owners won’t be able to upgrade as it’s a hardware shortcoming.
EE’s shared plans, meanwhile, will support up to five devices, with unlimited calls/texts for phones and up to 20GB of data. Adding a phone costs an extra £12 per month on a 12-month contract; adding a tablet or mobile broadband device will cost £5 more. A data limit alert is sent out at 80-percent and 100-percent of the allowance being used up, after which point internet access is denied until a top-up data bundle is purchased. More details – and pricing – in the gallery below.
It’s been an impressive few months for EE’s 4G network, which only launched in the UK eight months ago. The carrier now covers 55-percent of the UK by population, and expects that to rise to 98-percent by the end of 2014.
Meanwhile, independent metrics suggest EE’s LTE speed in the UK actually out-performs 4G in New York City, though given US service started earlier – and presumably has more subscribers – that’s maybe not so great a surprise. EE is also claiming that its network is on a par with the fastest 4G services in Korea, though that obviously doesn’t include the new LTE-Advanced.
Of course, EE can’t expect to have the 4G market in the UK all to itself, and its rivals are mustering their own LTE with launches later this year. Vodafone UK is already offering “4G ready” devices – most recently the R212 mobile hotspot – complete with latent LTE support, ready for when the carrier’s service goes live in a matter of months.
EE DoubleSpeed LTE goes live July 4; 802.11ac router, Mobile Payments, more is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 23
Mobile payments provider Square has reached its third market, going live in Japan today. The launch – in partnership with Sumitomo Mitsui Card Corporation – marks Square’s first spread outside of North America, where it has been operating in the US and Canada from 2010. As there, the Japanese service will accept swiped payments via the Square Reader, a dongle that plugs into the headphone jack of an iOS or Android device.
With that in place, and the Square app installed, anybody can take a payment from a credit card. Square charges a 3.25-percent transaction fee in Japan, and is promising next-day deposits for “participating banks” and deposits within a week for other banks.
Meanwhile, Square will soon offer Square Wallet functionality in Japan, which will allow for direct payments between accounts, rather than requiring a credit card or cash. Square will also offer businesses the option of using a traditional cash drawer and receipt printer, though the app can send an email receipt by default.
Mobile payments are a growing business, and Japan has been ahead of the curve for some time with cashless options. Cellphones in the country have long been able to use mobile wallet systems, with subscribers able to charge travel, goods, and services to their monthly bill.
Square does not currently offer a Chip & PIN option – where credit or debit cards have an embedded microchip, similar in appearance to a phone SIM card, and the customer must punch in their PIN code to authorize the payment – which is in use in Japan, with the old-fashioned “swipe and sign” process used instead. The company is also working on a system for small payments between friends and family, with Square Cash going into closed beta recently.
Square mobile payments go live in Japan is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.