Hasta La Gadget!

There’s nothing worse than missing out on your favorite street meat because you’ve only got plastic. But even smaller vendors may soon be able to process that dollar hot dog with a credit card, as Verizon Wireless is making Intuit’s GoPayment card reader available in its 2,300 retail stores. The small business-friendly machine plugs into a BlackBerry, Android or iOS device to transform the smartphone or tablet into a credit card processing machine using a free app. After a $30 mail-in rebate, the hardware is free with no monthly fees and a 2.7-percent fee per transaction. Merchants who upgrade to the premium version for $12.95 per month will only have to fork over 1.7-percent fee per swipe, bringing the net income on that dollar tube of processed meat to just over 98 cents. Plus, Intuit is throwing in two months gratis for the paid version. Check out the full PR after the break, and don’t forget the ketchup and mustard.

Continue reading Verizon to offer Intuit’s GoPayment in retail stores, free after rebate

Verizon to offer Intuit’s GoPayment in retail stores, free after rebate originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android malware jumped 76 percent since last quarter. Image credit McAfee

According to a report by antivirus software maker McAfee, Android is now the “most attacked mobile operating system,” with a jump in malware attacks of 76 percent in the last quarter. This impressive win is even more so when you consider that Android “outpaces second place Java ME threefold”.

While we are normally skeptical of scary announcements from anti-malware companies, this is McAfee’s regular quarterly report outlining the state of general security, so the numbers are probably good.

Interestingly, you’ll see that iOS doesn’t appear on the above chart at all. It seems like Android’s “open” nature is indeed open, in that anyone can put any software, including malware, on your phone. John Gruber of Daring Fireball sums it up thusly: “Remember the old argument about Apple platforms not getting malware only because they weren’t popular enough to attract attention?”

So what’s the solution? Crapware! Over at PC Pro, Mike Jennings got a new Android phone to play with.

On Friday, I eased the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro from its box, turned it on, and was greeted with a message urging me to set up McAfee WaveSecure before I’d even set up the phone with my Google account.

While this scary first experience might help to make Windows users feel at home, there’s no way we should have to deal with this kind of crap on our mobile devices, especially as we have a lot more personal information on there than we do on our computers. It certainly makes a powerful argument for Apple’s conservative, controlled approach.

McAfee Q2 2011 Threats Report Shows Significant Growth for Malware on Mobile Platforms [McAfee]

Malware slams Android, but not iOS [The Loop]

See Also:

• Android Malware Found in Angry Birds Add-On Apps
• Malware Sneaks Into Android Market
• Android Malware Surfaces in Chinese App Markets
• Android App No Malware, Says Google

Alarm clocks have been developing more and more unique ways to wake people up over the years, but being woken up by a stranger has always been something of a difficult proposition. Sure, you can use an old fashioned wake-up call service, but then you still sort of “know” who’s calling you. Not so with the Talk O’ Clock service — soon to be available for Android and iOS devices, in addition to the current web-based app — which relies on the power of social networking to ensure that a complete stranger calls to wake you from your slumber. Yes, it is real — and, yes, you should proceed with caution (although you can at least rest assured that the person calling you doesn’t actually see your phone number). It’s still at the invite-only beta stage right now, but those seem to be readily available to anyone with a Facebook account. See how it works in the videos after the break.

Continue reading Talk O’ Clock makes alarm clocks more social, strangers more friendly

Talk O’ Clock makes alarm clocks more social, strangers more friendly originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Aug 2011 04:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In other obvious news, Android and iOS continue to sit pretty atop the US smartphone market, according to a recent NPD study. The current titans of the mobile industry both saw their pieces of the OS pie increase in Q2 of 2011, putting Andy Rubin’s green robot in the lead with 52 percent and Apple at 29 percent. Newly adopted webOS, and Microsoft’s WP7 and Windows Mobile all managed to cling to their respective 5 percent shares with no yearly change, leaving only BlackBerry OS to experience an 11 percent decline. But the real meat and potatoes of the report focuses on Google’s soon-to-be in-house partner: Motorola. Despite the rosy picture painted by recent acquisition talks, the company appears to be facing tough competition from Android OEM rivals, and the wireless market as a whole. In regard to overall mobile phone share (read: dumbphones, et al.) and smartphone-only, Moto saw a 3 percent year-to-year decline, with its biggest loss coming from Android unit sales — a 50 percent drop to 22 percent of the market. Will the rosy glow of Mountain View “help inspire new paths to differentiation” for Moto, or are we just looking at a repeat of the “RAZR era?” While you ponder these pressing questions, head past the break to read the full report.

Continue reading Android still king of the US smartphone hill, Motorola facing a market nosedive

Android still king of the US smartphone hill, Motorola facing a market nosedive originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Square app update lets iOS users buy cookies on credit, sans signature originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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