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Recommended Reading: Behind the scenes of Netflix's 'Dark Crystal' prequel
The creators of 'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance' just loved throwing puppets Liz Shannon Miller, The Verge Netflix's Dark Crystal prequel series debuted this week, offering fans another look at the world created by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. The Verge caught up with executive producers Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews for a behind-the-scenes interview ahead of the streaming debut. There's plenty of detail on the cast, the crew, the tech and "Olympic-level puppet-throwing."
Facebook groups for buying and selling credit cards still abound
We might think that stolen credit cards and personal information only get traded on the dark web, but the information is moving in plain sight on Facebook. According to intelligence firm Cisco Talos, there are dozens of groups on the social network that rather explicitly buy and sell credit card numbers and other stolen information. The security firm tracked 74 groups in total that have approximately 385,000 members.
GameStop alters rewards programs, adds benefits
Video game retailer GameStop has introduced several changes to its PowerUp Rewards customer loyalty program, announcing that it will reward members with monthly perks in addition to discounts on used games. Starting this month, customers will receive a buy-two-get-one coupon after signing up or renewing a Power-Up Rewards Pro membership, entitling them to a free used game or accessory with their next purchase of two or more pre-owned items. Members will also get at least $50 in monthly offers as part of the revamped program. Customers currently receive an additional $50 in store credit when trading in a PlayStation Vita until October 31, and $50 off pre-owned smartphones starting on October 8. GameStop additionally launched a PowerUp Rewards-branded credit card this week, giving customers access to bonus reward points and in-store financing. Card variable APR starts at 26.99%, with a minimum $2 interest charge per credit plan. [Image: GameStop]
Visa's Token Service generates fake CC numbers to keep your real ones safe
If you haven't heard yet, Cupertino just launched a digital wallet called Apple Pay that randomizes your credit cards' numbers. The one responsible for generating those fake numbers for Visa cards in particular, is Visa itself, through its new Token service, which the world's largest credit and debit card company has announced right after Apple's big reveal. These "tokens" are random numbers not associated with your name or real card numbers. You can use them to purchase anything online or by using mobile to pay via contactless payment systems in brick-and-mortar stores. Visa's system can even generate different tokens for each merchant, device or type of purchase, if you want to be even more secure.
Coin's Bluetooth credit card stand-in will reach 10,000 beta testers this fall
If you're one of the adventurous early adopters who pre-ordered Coin, you now finally have the chance to try it out. To recap: This Bluetooth-enabled piece of plastic acts as a stand-in for up to eight different cards, so that you only have to carry one when you're out and about. Until now, Coin has been available to beta testers, but only 1,000 of them -- a far cry from the multitudes who already placed pre-orders. (The startup sold 20,000 units alone in the first five hours its fundraising campaign was open.) Now, in an effort to fully QA the product before it hits stores, the company will expand its beta program to 10,000 people over the coming months. That means you could finally get your hands on one -- if you're willing to settle for non-final hardware.
Russia invests in homegrown tech with Visa and Mastercard out of the picture
America's sanctions against Russia have already had an impact on high-level space and satellite projects, but it's clear this is just the beginning of the growing technological separation between East and West. Ordinary Russians are starting to be affected too, especially now that Mastercard and Visa are forbidden from processing many of their credit card transactions. According to Bloomberg, the Kremlin sees the disappearance of US-based financial services as a "betrayal." It's looking to wean the country off foreign banking services, starting with a law that would allow all state employees (more than 20 million people) to be paid via a totally new, homegrown card platform.
Google Wallet lets you capture credit card info with your smartphone camera
The contents of your wallet are under attack. Earlier this month Coin swept in threatening to eliminate the need for all of your beloved non-cash payment methods and now Google Wallet is making it even easier to capture your plastic with its latest Android update. Along with the introduction of its very own physical debit cards, Google added the ability to upload your debit and credit cards to Wallet by simply snapping a picture with your smartphone -- similar to the recent addition to the Dropbox Android app. Instead of entering your card numbers manually (such a drag, we know), those users who see a camera icon in the "card number" field of the Wallet mobile app, can capture both the card number and expiration date with a photograph.
Reward Summit tracks your credit card reward programs so you don't have to
Reward Summit is a new finance app that has one goal in mind -- help you save money by using the right credit card when you make a purchase. The app tracks your credit card reward programs and tells you which card will save you the most money when you buy that big-screen TV. Reward Summit only works if you add your credit cards to the app. A thoughtfully designed UI makes it easy to securely and privately add your cards and their reward programs to the app. You don't have to add any personal details or credit card numbers, just the card type (i.e., Capital One Cash Rewards) that you own. If you are not sure what type of card you own, you can search through a list of banks and the major reward programs they offer. You should be able to match the card in your wallet with the card in the app in just a few taps. When you add your cards to the app, you can save them in the cloud by creating a Reward Summit account. If you want to store the card details only on your phone, you can just click "No Thanks" when prompted to create an account. When your cards are entered into the app, you are ready to go shopping. The app uses your location to find nearby stores, and you can pick the one that you are visiting. This store list is limited, especially in my area, which is quite rural. Once you pick your store, you can dial in the amount that you want to spend and let the app recommend which card you should use. A handy reporting feature allows you to view your lifetime savings as compared to other users. Not surprisingly, this comparison feature requires a Reward Summit account. Besides finding discounts, Reward Summit is also an informational tool that'll list your cards and the details of their rewards programs. Most people sign up for cards because of their cash rewards, but many people don't realize their cards carry other benefits like roadside service or extended warranties. The biggest gripe I have with Reward Summit is that it subtly pushes you to sign up for credit cards that you don't own. If you are making a purchase and your card only offers 1 percent back, the app will show cards that offer 5 percent back. The promotional offer is static and situated in the center of the page. You do have to click the promotion to view the details, but some may find its mere presence annoying. The opportunity to sign up for a card isn't limited to the buying advice page. Reward Summit also lets you apply for cards when you are browsing the app's catalog of banks and their credit card reward programs. Some people may consider this to be a feature and may appreciate being able to find and apply for a card that offers a sizable reward. Reward Summit is for people looking to save money by taking advantage of the reward programs offered by their credit cards. It landed today in the iOS App Store today and is available for free.
European players locked out of resubscribing to SOE's EverQuest II [Updated]
It's not easy to be a European fan of Sony Online Entertainment of late. When the company announced that European services would be handed over to ProSiebenSat.1, there was a lot of pushback, but some of that was mollified by the promise that European players with existing accounts could continue to play on US servers with US accounts. Except that for some EverQuest II players, that option now appears to have been locked out via limited credit card options. Users have reported that when trying to add or change a credit card, several EU countries are no longer listed as valid choices for the country of origin, preventing players from using these cards. Since there are no account transfers for SOE players to migrate to ProSiebenSat.1 accounts, this could mean locking players out of years of work on characters. SOE has made no official response regarding this issue, but it runs directly counter to what has been stated in the past regarding access and account ownership. We've contacted SOE for a response and will update with any further information. [Update: Dexella on the SOE forums has posted that the studio is "looking into the EU/credit card issue now." Thanks to Erissei and Zjeven for the tips!]
'Chip and PIN' card reader for iOS selling in European Apple Stores
Merchants here in Europe will soon be able to walk into an Apple store and buy a Bluetooth "chip and PIN" reader that talks to the iPhone right off the shelf. Until now, merchants here didn't have a lot of immediate access to tech that allows them to take payments via their iPhones and iPads. Square is still not available in Europe, while the Swedish iZettle card reader can't be bought in retail stores. But things are about to get easier, because Payleven has just inked a deal with Apple to carry its chip and PIN device in stores, reports TheNextWeb. Unlike Square, Payleven doesn't connect directly to your iPhone. Instead it uses Bluetooth to talk wirelessly to it -- something that is nice because you don't have to hand your iDevice to dozens of different customers each day. After the merchant enters the amount of the transaction in the Payleven app, customers insert their credit or debit card into the chip and PIN reader and enter their PIN, at which point the app processes their payments. The Payleven Chip and PIN reader is available in Apple stores for £99. Users also get a £20 credit for card processing fees. There are no subscription fees to use Payleven, but merchants will be charged 2.7% per transaction. The Payleven app is a free download.
ChargeCard pocket iPhone charger starts shipping, we go hands- and wallets-on
Perhaps we all bemoaned the death of the 30-pin dock connector accessories a little prematurely. Apple may be moving away from the technology in a huge way, but it seems the category's got a little juice left in her after all. On the back of a successful Kickstarter campaign last summer (raising a bit more than three times its proposed $50,000), the duo behind ChargeCard took their iPhone charger on the road to Las Vegas in January. Roughly half a year after hitting its goal, the product has finally started shipping, with one of the units making its way to our desk just this week. The ChargeCard's clever in its simplicity, a credit card-sized device made from ABS (think: Lego) plastic. A little rubberized arm lives in the center of the thing, unfolding and plugging into a USB port. One edge of the card, meanwhile, fits into your iPhone's port (assuming, of course, that you're not one of those fancy pants iPhone 5 owners, you big shot, you). And, well, that's pretty much all there is to the thing.
Nintendo ID requires credit card verification for minors
Parents looking to create additional Nintendo ID accounts for their children are required to pay a one-time $0.50 fee via credit card to provide consent for minors to access Nintendo Network.Nintendo's confirmation email notes that Wii U owners can use a "Parental Control PIN" to create additional Nintendo Network IDs without any added charges. Credit card information used for the transaction doesn't appear to be stored on the system.
Google Wallet update purportedly leaks plans for a real-world card, transfers and transit passes
Google Wallet hasn't had much uptake in the real world. When most of its use has revolved around one carrier, few payment points and even fewer phones, most of us have had to sit on the sidelines. If an Android Police source really did come across a leaked future build of Google Wallet as he claims, though, we may know how Google surmounts that problem: going old school with a real-world card. Screenshots in the app supposedly show a mail-in option for plastic that could completely replace credit and debit cards without turning to NFC. Any charges after a typical swipe of the magnetic strip would simply go to whatever payment source is set as Wallet's default, letting minimalists slim down their actual wallets while sharing in the same discounts as their phone-wielding counterparts. Digital-only purists would still get something out of the deal, as the update could also bring person-to-person money transfers and support for mass transit cards. How soon the as yet unconfirmed app would appear is still a mystery, but it dovetails with Google teasing a Wallet revamp that's rumored to take mobile use beyond its Android-only roots; we just didn't anticipate that the company might bypass our phones altogether.
PayPal Here goes on sale at AT&T stores: like a one-stop shop for account hiccups
PayPal Here, despite all its focus on in-store transactions, hasn't really been available to buy in a US store -- that's been the domain of the seemingly ubiquitous Square reader. eBay's payment wing has at last established that retail beachhead through a deal with AT&T. About 1,800 of the carrier's stores are now carrying PayPal Here readers, and they'll keep the service's big rival from hogging the spotlight at a time when most aren't even aware that there's any competition. If you're still cynical, you can look at the AT&T move as a matter of convenience: at least this way, all your account headaches will come from one place.
Editorial: Square gets the attention, but credit cards rule
Lower Manhattan, Pearl Street, the Financial District. A Starbucks with broad windows, great for people watching. Sipping my $5 flavored coffee, I watched a homeless man sit on the sidewalk. I liked him immediately: his sharp gaze and thoughtful expression. When I left, I squatted down next to him and put five bucks in his jar, contributing the cost of my first-world coffee to the man's case for survival. We talked. He knew his tech, this man of no possessions, describing his favorite productivity gadgets of the past decade, scorning Apple for form over function. He had been living on the street day and night for two years. My five dollars was "huge," he said. I knew that was true only microcosmically. He liked cigars. That's where the cash would go. Meanwhile, Starbucks had recently cut a deal with Square, one of the hottest startup stories of the season, so that people with five dollars to spend on coffee needn't pull out a wallet and ponder their privilege.
The HEX Code Wallet case is nicely built, but a little too unwieldy
A few years ago, I decided to do my best to narrow down the number of things I carry around in my pockets every single day. Instead of one giant keychain with all of the keys I've ever owned on it, I cut down to two smaller keychains, one for my house and another for my car. And instead of a giant wallet that had been stretching out my back pants pockets, I instead just grabbed the insert out and stuck my ID and a few cards in there. Other than that, my iPhone 4 is the largest thing I carry around all the time. Of course, the functionality is definitely worth it, but still, I've always wondered if there was a way I could go even lighter, and combine my iPhone and wallet into one unit. The HEX Code Wallet case for the iPhone 4 or 4S is designed to do just that: It's a very well-made leather wraparound case that has a few card slots on the inside front cover, and the goal is to simply store a credit card or two and your ID, so that you don't need to carry around both a phone and a wallet when you go out. Unfortunately, the HEX Wallet isn't what I'm looking for. While it will definitely store your cards as needed, it's just too unwieldy for the simplicity that I'm after. The case is definitely well-built -- the leather on the outside is solid, if a little too rough. Inside, however, the leather that holds your cards is quite luxurious, and the plastic that holds in the iPhone is smooth and strong. I had no problem snapping my iPhone 4 into place, and while it was a little tougher to get it out, presumably you won't be removing it much once you've purchased this one. All of the buttons are, obviously, accessible, and a nice open area near the dock connector means I had no issues hooking my iPhone up to a charging cable while in the case. The biggest issue with the HEX, however, is when you start to put your cards in it. There are three slots on the inside front cover, as well as a larger pocket behind. But if you actually do use all three slots, the case becomes quite thick, and a little too unwieldy for my taste. Plus, even with my wallet insert, I still carry around 10 or 12 cards (from various customer appreciation programs and discount stores), so the HEX wouldn't work for me all of the time anyway. The other issue I have with the case is the strap that runs from top to bottom outside, and is meant to keep the case closed and shut when you're done with the iPhone. While the strap itself is nice and strong and seems well-connected to the case, I just found it in the way while I was using the case, and it felt a little awkward snapping it back around when the case was being closed. Fans of Moleskine notebooks may love this strap, but personally, it didn't work for what I wanted. And finally, though this is probably the most personal of my feedback, I just don't like the idea of a cover flap on my iPhone. It makes what is a really beautiful and simple device into something off-center and even ugly. The flap doesn't fold around to the back at all, so when you're using the iPhone with this case on, it's basically a book where you're only reading the right side of the page. I admit that this is mostly personal taste, but that's not the case for me. If you do just have a few cards you want to make sure are always with your iPhone, and you don't mind those concerns about having a cover and a strap on your case, then the HEX Wallet might be what you're looking for. At $50, it's not cheap, but the production materials aren't cheap here, either -- this definitely feels like a case that can last a while, and the black one I tested did look quite classy, especially when closed. But this case definitely isn't the one for me. Personally, I'm more excited about the possibilities of Passbook in iOS 6, and any other future technologies that allow me to use my iPhone as a credit card, identification system or even car key. Eventually, my hope is that all I'll ever have to carry around to get whatever I need will be Apple's gorgeous smartphone, and any case it needs will accent its beauty, rather than try to cover it all up.
Google Wallet to phase out prepaid card, cut-off date set for October 17th
Google Wallet's prepaid card concept has been plagued with its share of security concerns, and though Mountain View seems to have sorted out those issues, it's now phasing out the prepaid card program entirely. The service was intended to make up for a limited choice in debit and credit cards, and now that Google Wallet accepts any and all plastic, the prepaid option is a bit moot. The cut-off date for adding funds to a Google prepaid card is September 17th, and the prepaid option will vanish entirely on October 17th. Whereas users were previously charged $2.00 per month after 180 days without a transaction, they'll get slapped with the same fee after 30 days of no purchases. Google says you can request a refund if you have a remaining balance after the prepaid option kicks the bucket, though it's probably a good idea to just go ahead and spend those leftover dollars. [Thanks, Chris]
Square intros flat-rate payment option at $275 per month, hits small business sweet spot
Square is most often pitched as heaven for small businesses, but that 2.75 percent cut per transaction is sometimes a problem for stores that are too successful. Enter a new flat rate option. Shops that don't take more than $250,000 a year in Square payments, or charge more than $400 in a given sale, can instead pay a flat $275 per month regardless of how many swipes they take. The deal makes the most sense for businesses handling more than $120,000 a year through the reader, establishing a definite limit to its usefulness; this isn't exactly for a budding jeweler (or Starbucks). Even so, the simplicity of the rate might be very alluring for companies that aren't keen on surprise costs or working out the math, and it's a contrast to the half-steps towards flat rates taken by VeriFone and other, more traditional outlets going mobile.
Square now available at Walgreens, Staples and FedEx Office
While a roster of competitors are trying to get their foot in the mobile payments door, Square's busy getting a foothold in retail stores. With Walgreens, Staples and FedEx Office locations now carrying the credit card reader, it's available at more than 20,000 physical shops throughout the US -- joining Apple, Best Buy, OfficeMax, Radio Shack, Target, UPS and Wal-Mart. Bringing it home from a brick and mortar establishment will set you back $9.95, but Square's sweetening the pot with a $10 rebate for new users. However, if your entrepreneurial snail mail-loving heart desires, you can still have one mailed to you by signing up online. Eager to start swiping plastic? Lookout below for the full press release.
iCache Geode claims title of first shipping iPhone e-wallet, asks 'who needs NFC?'
Apple has been sending mixed signals as to whether or not it will bring NFC to the iPhone for mobile payments, but iCache clearly isn't waiting for the technology to show its face -- the company just started shipping its Geode e-wallet. As we saw just a few weeks ago, the Geode simply rolls existing credit and debit cards into a proxy GeoCard that's scanned at the store to handle transactions. Although it demands a specially-made case with an e-paper screen and fingerprint reader, not to mention an app to manage the attached cards, the choice lets an iPhone owner buy goods at all the usual places instead of having to hunt down special terminals. We like the one-card universe it creates, although it's clear the shopper has to carry a lot of the responsibility for making this digital payment dream a reality: at $200 a pop, the Geode's wallet-slimming effect carries a premium, especially since it won't work with anything besides an iPhone 4 or 4S.
