Hasta La Gadget!

PayPal’s status as the mobile payment method of choice for the masses is beset upon all sides by many would-be usurpers. What’s the company doing to stay on top? Beefing up the feature set of its apps for iOS and Android in a big way today — adding a full-on mobile wallet, automatically-applied deals and discounts and some new ways to order stuff and pay for it.

The wallet feature lets people pay with a PayPal account, a credit or debit card, bank account or a line of Bill Me Later credit that can be applied for within the app. Like Google Wallet, the new PayPal app incorporates deals and discounts that are then automatically applied when you pay. Speaking of which, you can still send money the old-fashioned PayPal way, but the new app also integrates ordering, couponing and paying within PayPal’s merchant network. We got to see the new app in action, so join us after the break for more.%Gallery-slideshow79631%

Filed under: Software, Mobile

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Boost Mobile launched a Mobile Wallet app and service today at CTIA 2013 with an interesting twist in that it is tied to a Visa Prepaid card. Boost Mobile customers simply hit up a store to get signed up, download an app onto their handset and once funds are added to their account can use them in a wide variety of ways. From sending money via the app to people in 135 other countries, the ability to pay more than 3,500 billers nationwide, top up your prepaid account and using the included Visa debit card any money in your account can be accessed via that card as well. The app also makes use of your handset’s camera with its Quick Check feature — which is coming soon — allowing an account holder to snap a photo of a check and submit it using the app to have the check’s value added to your mobile wallet once approved — which is nifty, if you don’t use a bank we suppose. There are no month-to-month fees for the service but each bill you pay will cost some $2 and climbs depending on how quickly you need the payment made against the account. The service launches in Los Angeles, San Diego and parts of New Jersey today with rollout to all markets expected by the end of the year.

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To say that the launch of Isis has felt drawn out would be a mild understatement. The alliance first signaled its intentions two years ago, detailed its first markets one year ago and faced a last-minute delay. All the ducks are finally in a row, however, and residents of both Austin as well as Salt Lake City can tap to pay (or score discounts) at the “hundreds” of locations that accept NFC-based purchases through American Express, Capital One, Chase and Isis’ own cash card. Launch day brings app- and SIM-enabled access for nine devices spread rather unevenly across AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon: only the Droid Incredible 4G LTE is confirmed working for Verizon subscribers, while the rest are divided more equally between multiple Samsung Galaxies and HTC devices like the Amaze 4G and One X. Over 20 phones should be Isis-aware before the end of the year. It’s a potentially strong start to one of the few truly cross-network mobile payment systems in the US, but we see a long road ahead before Isis gives Google Wallet some jitters — there’s legions of banks, cities and stores needed before Isis is widespread, and we’re not counting on that ever-elusive universal hardware support.

Continue reading Isis’ NFC payments go live in Austin and Salt Lake City: 3 carriers, 9 phones, 1 long way to go (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, HTC, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile

Isis’ NFC payments go live in Austin and Salt Lake City: 3 carriers, 9 phones, 1 long way to go (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’ve known it was coming, but Isis has been so quiet on the mobile payments front in the past few months that you might’ve forgotten the score. Now, the joint venture backed by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon has announced that it’ll debut its system in Austin and Salt Lake City next month. At least part of the delay is attributed to its shift in strategy, when Isis shelved its plans to process payments through the carriers themselves and instead work with MasterCard and Visa. Isis representatives have declined to elaborate on future expansion plans.

Coinciding with the recent update that enabled Isis support for T-Mobile’s Galaxy S II, MasterCard has come clean with a list of devices that’ll receive similar treatment. Specifically, those in the US can expect the Droid Incredible 4G LTE, One X, Amaze 4G, Galaxy S III to gain Isis support. Naturally, the possibility remains open for other devices as well, and if you’d like to see the complete list of candidates, make sure to check out the PDF below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

Isis mobile payment system primed for September launch, supported devices revealed originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Aug 2012 20:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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