Hasta La Gadget!

Last year, Square debuted Stand, a piece of hardware that turns a merchant’s iPad into a card-swiping register. The idea was to provide a simple and elegant way to allow merchants to accept Square for credit card processing and swiping via their iPad. In news announced today at CES, Square is extending this ease of use to iPhone users of its card readers, via a new partnership with hardware developer Griffin Technology.

Until now, Square hasn’t debuted any accessories for its card case reader. Third-party developers have created key chains and cases for the readers, but these haven’t been part of the Square ecosystem. Square and Griffin are announcing a new Merchant case for iPhone 5s and iPhone 5, which is a protective case optimized for a Square Reader and a companion iPhone. The Merchant case, which also includes a Square Reader, is available to order for $19.99 here (current orders shipping within 2 weeks).

Square is also announcing a new initiative called Works with Square, which allows developers to build accessories for Square businesses. The inaugural partnership is the one being announced today with Griffin, and Square says it actually partnered with the hardware accessories developer to design the Merchant case to enhance both performance and convenience for merchants selling on the go with Square.

The case itself is custom-molded to secure the Square Reader when connected. A groove in the bottom of the case aligns with the Square Reader to guide a credit card to a frictionless, consistent swipe. The case is made from silicone, and aims to protect the phone from bumps and drops. Additionally, the merchant case features non-slip sides and corners so it’s easier to hold the phone and to hand over for customers’ signatures. And when merchants are not using the Square Reader, the hardware can be detached and stored in the back of the case. Aesthetics wise, the case is no beauty, but it seems to be solid and functional.

It’s unclear what percentage of Square’s merchants use the iPad vs. iPhone for readers, but it’s probably safe to assume that many merchants who are on the go (i.e a massage therapist, tutor, taxi driver) would use their iPhone over an iPad. The case provides a pretty easy way to use your iPhone for personal and professional use when accepting payments. Square decided to develop this case for iPhones, and has not yet developed any sort of external accessory or stand for the Android (although its reader does work with Android).

In terms of the Works With Square program, Square is expanding its ambitions beyond just providing point-of-sale hardware into providing accessories that are optimized for the Square experience. This could mean that the company starts partnering with the developers of receipt printers, kitchen printers, cash drawers and barcode scanners to create a more connected experience for merchants. We asked Square whether there is a revenue-share agreement with developers in this program, and did not receive an answer. But the company did say that products in the Works with Square program can use the Works with Square badge on their packaging, and in certain cases, can include Square readers as part of their packaging.

As Square prepares to potentially go public, it’s clear the company is creating an ecosystem of sellers and developers around its payments products and hardware. Square just debuted an API for the first time in December and also launched a marketplace for its merchants to be able to sell online as well as in-store. Works With Square could be another channel through which Square’s brand and readers are promoted.

Square has just announced that it has acquired Evenly, a company that was built to make it easy for friends to send and receive payments for splitting bills and other expenses. The company was founded in 2012, and was similar in concept to Venmo, an NYC-based startup that was acquired by Braintree last year.

Evenly offered a mobile app that let people send and receive requests for funds from their contacts list, organized around events and experiences. For each participant in a pool, it would list what a user owed and what they’d already paid, if any, and you could see progress towards the total cost of an event displayed visually, as well as send reminders to all parties involved that they have to pay up. There’s also an activity feed that tracks progress and adds a social element to the bill sharing.

Evenly will remain open and active until January 15, 2014 for existing users, and the team says on its own blog that it will give existing users “plenty of time” to get money out of the app and finish collections. Users can find out more here at an FAQ designed to guide those who will be transitioning off of the service. The app has been removed from the App Store, however, and new user registrations are turned off completely.

On Square’s Engineering blog, the payment company’s Product Engineering Lead Gokul Rajaram says that the Evenly team will be working on “seller initiatives,” and it seems likely this is designed to bring Evenly’s talented five-person engineering and design team into the fold to boost Square Cash and help it continue to ‘square’ off against the now Braintree-owned Venmo and Google Wallet.

Not all credit card readers are created equal, as the creators of Square will tell you that. Square has already made the leap across the Pacific to Japan, despite the fact that this credit card reader has not garnered that much attention to date. Well, perhaps things will change for the more exciting this time around with the introduction of a totally new Square Reader to kick things off. This new Square Reader is said to be 45% thinner compared to its predecessor, which allows Square to be so confident of mentioning that this is the “thinnest mobile card reader on the market.”

To make sure that the design remains as thin as possible without having to suffer from any compromises in the performance, Square had to go back to the drawing board in order to custom design the bunch of key components within. Among these changes would include the magnetic read-head as well as spring which were specially designed to deliver a far more accurate card swiping experience. Apart from that, it also features custom electronics within a single chip, letting it rely on the plugged-in device for power so that you need not have to carry more weight than necessary. It is said that the new and improved Square Reader will hit nearly 30,000 retail stores from next year onward.

Square Reader Updated With New Model In Tow original content from Ubergizmo.

Both stores and their customers want to handle payments as quickly as possible, and Square has just updated its Register apps for Android and iOS to accommodate that need for retail speed. The new versions share a simpler, quicker interface that’s designed around the typical flow of real-world transactions. They also seamlessly integrate tips — guests can now reward their servers without interrupting the payment process. You likely won’t need to download one of the updated apps for yourself, but you’ll likely appreciate the time they save during your next lunch break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet

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Via: Square, Android Police

Source: App Store, Google Play

Today, Square has launched its latest service, Square Cash. With the service, individuals can easily send payments to others just using the recipient’s email address, no hassle or time-consuming steps needed from erstwhile servies. The service is only available in the United States, and comes alongside Android and iOS apps for those who prefer to […]