Hasta La Gadget!

When it comes to digital payments online, the clear leader in the arena is PayPal. Much of the success PayPal, at least early on, can be attributed to its close ties with eBay and fact that pretty much every transaction on eBay uses PayPal. PayPal has announced that it will be launching a new Android SDK for developers on May 15.

That means tomorrow, the new software development kit will be available for Android developers and it promises to make it easier for the developers to accept in-app payments via Android. Developers on the iOS platform had access to a similar SDK about two months ago. PayPal had promised Android developers that they would get their own version of the SDK soon when the iOS version launched.

The new PayPal Android SDK supports Android version 2.2 and up. The new Android payment solution will allow developers to accept payments via PayPal and via credit cards. PayPal believes that giving users the option to pay quickly and easily via their PayPal account or by scanning a credit card will lure more customers into paying developers for their work.

PayPal says that offering two forms of payment via the SDK “removes payment friction so developers can focus on creating amazing experiences.” With more and more apps watching that are supported by in-app purchases, easy payment systems are a necessity for developers.

PayPal says that it is also offering security features that will allow developers to “significantly reduce” fraud they encounter with payments. The one downside to this new SDK is that it likely means an increasing number of freemium applications. Getting an interesting game or app for free only to realize that you have to spend money in the game to make it playable frustrates everyone.

SOURCE: TheNextWeb

New PayPal Android SDK coming May 15 is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Recently speaking at the Interop IT conference, PayPal’s chief information security officer, Michael Barrett, stated that passwords and PINs were operating on borrowed time. Barrett hopes to replace online security keys with a setup that’s a blend of software and hardware-based identification. He also serves as president of the Fast Identity Online Alliance (FIDO) — the organization’s focus is to combine an effective mix of software (passwords and plugins) and hardware (USB drives and fingerprint scanners) for user authentication.

PayPal’s technology boss didn’t allude to his company adopting these new types of security systems for its customers anytime soon. Instead he announced that FIDO-enabled devices will be hitting the market sometime this year. Progress, yes, but until this hardware becomes more widely available, it’s likely that you’ll be spending more time getting acquainted with two-step logins.

Filed under: Internet, Software

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Via: SlashGear

Source: Macworld

PayPal CEO John Donahoe is considering ways of implementing BitCoins into PayPal’s digital transaction network. He says that he’s watching Bitcoins very closely and expects that the virtual currency, or virtual currency in general, will be here to stay. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Donahoe stated that within 5 years, Bitcoins and other virtual currencies will be able to be converted into cash and be used in the real world.

The value of Bitcoins has skyrocketed, with its current value being around $140 last time I checked (but considering how quickly its value changes, it may be different now). If Bitcoins were able to be converted into real cash, the U.S. Treasury Department would apply certain money-laundering rules to regulate the exchange of the currency. The regulations would treat Bitcoins in a similar fashion as regular money-order transactions.

Donahoe says that by implementing Bitcoin into PayPal, the company would be able to persuade more retailers to use PayPal’s payment system in their retail stores. PayPal and eBay are already attempting to persuade more physical stores to implement PayPal into their payments system. eBay plans on pushing into the offline market this summer by bringing lifesize touchscreen store windows to New York, giving shoppers a new way of offline shopping.

While PayPal is considering adding Bitcoins as a payment option, nothing is set in stone yet. Many other companies have entertained the thought of accepting Bitcoins as payments. Western Union and MoneyGram International are currently figuring out ways to allow customers to transfer money worldwide with the virtual currency. If PayPal does allow customers to pay for things using Bitcoins, that would open a whole new and exciting chapter for the virtual currency.

[via The Wall Street Journal]

PayPal considers accepting BitCoin payments is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

eBay hopes to infiltrate the offline market come this summer and it’s first step involves collaborating with a retailer to launch a touchscreen store window. eBay CEO John Donahoe spoke at TechCrunch’s Disrupt NY event and said that a retailer, whose name was not revealed, in New York will feature a life size touchscreen store window compliments of eBay. The touchscreen store window is just one of many to come.

eBay knows that a majority of transactions are still being done offline, so in order for eBay to grab more revenue, it needs to venture off the internet and into brick-and-mortar stores. It has already begun to do this by implementing PayPal, its payment transaction subsidiary, into over 250,000 retail stores all around the world. It hopes to expand PayPal into over 2 million stores by the end of this year.

The company is focusing most of its efforts into mobile this year. It expects to see at least $20 billion in mobile commerce alone this year. Donahoe stated, “Mobile is clearly changing how consumers shop and pay”. He says that eBay has to focus on its efforts on smartphones, tablets, and in-store devices because consumers are not just using one screen to access their information, but many. eBay acquired Duff Research recently, which it will be using to help improve its mobile services.

Many companies, like eBay, have also redirected their focus onto developing better mobile platforms. Facebook is a good example. Instead of focusing on just creating a better desktop performance for users, Facebook put most of its efforts into developing its mobile Android launcher, Facebook Home. The IDC reported that around 722 million smartphones and 128 million tablets shipped last year alone, so it’s no surprise that businesses are seeing the important role mobile devices play in the world of advertising and commerce.

[via TechCrunch]

eBay begins push into offline market with touchscreen store windows is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

There’s no shortage of single sign-on solutions out there. But whereas Facebook, Twitter and Google all have a heavy focus on social (obviously), PayPal’s take on the field is built around commerce and privacy. Rather than requiring you to set up an account with every site you shop at, entering the same personal information over and over, the stalwart online payment firm wants you to use your PayPal identity across multiple merchants. It uses the same standard protocols (such as OAuth) as its social SSO relatives, but instead of posting meals or books to your feed it sends payment information to shops through a secure channel. When you feel like snagging yourself a pair of fly kicks, all you’d need to do is enter your username and password, or phone number and PIN. All other data, such as shipping and billing address and payment information, would then be passed on by PayPal automatically — leaving you with nothing to do but admire what a beautiful pair of sneakers your precious Mr. Cuddlesworth makes. For more, check out the quick demo video after the break.

Filed under: Internet

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Via: The Next Web

Source: PayPal