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LG Pay goes live in the US
More than two years after it arrived in South Korea, LG's long-delayed contactless mobile payment system has finally gone live in the US. LG Pay is available on the G8 ThinQ at launch. In the coming months, it'll be available on V50 5G, V40, G7 and V35 from Google Play, and it'll work on all future flagship devices.
NYC's Citi Bike adds Apple Pay to make bike-sharing easier
Next time you rent a Citi Bike in New York or New Jersey, you'll be able to pay with your iPhone. The latest update for the bike-sharing service's app adds support for Apple Pay, as spotted by AppleInsider. No, this isn't the most exciting update, but it does make using the app a little faster and easier for new users. From here on out, they won't have to stand idly on the sidewalk, fumbling with entering credit card info in the app just so they can take a quick ride to the JC Penny a few blocks away.
Square's new reader arrives to accept mobile payments and chip cards
We've known about Square's new NFC-friendly reader for a while, and now the point-of-sale gadget is available for use. Starting today, 100 merchants in "select cities" (quite a few, actually) will begin accepting NFC-driven payments like Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay and those newfangled chip credit/debit cards. The reader is a square pad (of course) separate from the company's usual POS setups and sliding readers, allowing you to hover your phone or insert a card to complete purchase. The unit is wireless and pairs with either a countertop system or Square's free mobile app to handle the transactions. However, the new reader itself will set businesses back $49 in order to get started. For the initial rollout, look for the device at businesses in the following cities: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Seattle, St. Louis Tampa, and Washington, D.C.
Swatch takes the wraps off its mobile payments watch
Swatch has revealed that it's working on a mobile payments watch that it'll launch in partnership with banks in China. Bloomberg reports that the timepiece will let users make purchases at point-of-sale machines in stores, thanks to an NFC chip that's embedded beneath the dial. The device, named Swatch Bellamy, will launch in January 2016 in the country, priced at 580 yuan ($91), with releases in Europe and the US coming afterward. Unfortunately, we're not sure too many people are going to be camping out days ahead of time to buy a bargain-basement fashion watch with an NFC chip inside. After all, you could buy a regular watch now and just grab an NFC sticker from any bank that offers them to its users.
Barclaycard to launch NFC payments on Android ahead of Apple Pay
Since Apple Pay launched in the UK, several banks have been dragging their heels when it comes to supporting the contactless payment platform. Lloyds and Halifax begun a gradual roll-out just last week, casting renewed shade on Barclays, which appears to be more interested in its bPay gear (and jacket) than throwing iPhone and Apple Watch users a bone. The banking giant said some time ago it'll eventually play nice with Apple Pay, but it's decided in the interim to turn its attention to Android users. Its credit card arm, Barclaycard, announced today that from November, its Android app will begin supporting NFC payments. These payments won't be limited to the (recently raised) £30 contactless cap, too, with transactions of up to £100 allowed with PIN authentication (similar to Apple Pay).
Dear Veronica: Fear of famous people!
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-33343{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-33343, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-33343{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-33343").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Hello, advice fans! This week, I'm really excited to welcome onto the show my friends from My Brother, My Brother and Me. Their show is hilarious (and also doles out advice), so I think between my show and theirs you'll probably have all of your advice bases covered for the rest of your natural (and unnatural) lives. Since they're very famous podcasters, they'll be tackling a question on how to deal with famous people IRL. We also take a look at why NFC payment stations are so hard to come, even in our post-Google Wallet and Apple Pay world. The last time I was in Japan, I could pay for almost anything via NFC. What's the holdup, America? Remember, you can subscribe to all our shows via iTunes and RSS. If you enjoy it, leave a review! Of course, we wouldn't have a show without your questions, so keep those coming via email, or on social media using the hashtag #DearVeronica. See you soon!
Feedback Loop: NFC, 'Evolve' alpha codes and more!
Welcome to this week's edition of Feedback Loop. We take a look at the rising popularity of NFC, give out some Evolve alpha codes and discuss things that are missing from our favorite operating systems. Head past the break to find out what fellow Engadget readers are talking about.
Sound Off! Has NFC finally hit the mainstream?
You can find NFC technology in many of the gadgets released in the last few years, but it seems like it never gained much traction in our common lexicon. Sure, there's Google Wallet and using it to easily pair with things (like your camera), but you didn't really see people using it everyday. With Apple Pay recently arriving in consumers' hands, more people are starting to becoming aware of this technology. Did you just start using it or have you been an early adopter all along? What are some cool things that you've done with it? Share your stories and impressions over in the Engadget forums.
EE's NFC payment app now works on London buses
Last week, EE said its Cash on Tap NFC wallet app would soon work with Tube barriers when they start accepting contactless payments next month. Today, the carrier's announced you don't have to wait to try travelling the NFC way, as Cash on Tap can now be used to pay fares on London buses. The capital's bus network has taking contactless payments from sources other than Oyster cards since December 2012, but EE's claiming it's the first to implement NFC support. Daily fare caps for multiple bus journeys work with any contactless payment method already, just like if you were using an Oyster card, but today Transport for London has introduced a new weekly fare cap for bus travel paid this way. A weekly fare cap will also be introduced on the Tube when contactless payments go live in September.
London's Tube to accept contactless payments from September 16th
The contactless payment feature on your bank card is ideal for speeding up minor purchases, and soon it'll be able to replace your Oyster, too. London buses have supported contactless payments for some time, and Transport for London (TfL) has today announced that come September 16th, they'll get you through the barriers at Tube, Overground and DLR stations as well. The benefit of using your bank card is you never have to top it up, and in addition to the daily cap on travel charges already in place, any method of contactless payment will also be subject to a new weekly cap (Monday to Sunday), whereby TfL figures out the cheapest possible fare for that period. You'll be able to keep track of your journey and payment history via an online account, much like you can with a registered Oyster card now. Implementing contactless payments across the wider London transport network comes after a pilot that's been running since April, but TfL are still looking for new lab rats to test the system before its formal launch.
Isis Mobile Wallet now supports Wells Fargo Visa credit cards
Isis -- a joint mobile payment venture between AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon -- has partnered up with banking juggernaut Wells Fargo, shortly after it rolled out nationwide. In addition to Chase, American Express, J.P. Morgan and random loyalty cards, users can now load their mobile wallets with Wells Fargo's Visa consumer credit cards. This allows them to purchase from participating merchants (there are "hundreds of thousands," according to the bank) that accept NFC payments without having to bring their plastic to the store. Want to use the system, but don't know where to begin? First things first: Make sure you have an Isis-ready Android smartphone from any of the three aforementioned carriers. Once you've received the special SIM and have activated the service, you can start going on nighttime trips to McD's or doing emergency CVS runs with only a phone in hand.
Google Wallet dropping NFC loyalty points and gift cards
Google is fundamentally changing how an aspect of Wallet works. Again. On August 21st, Mountain View is turning NFC functionality off for Wallet-stored gift and loyalty cards and recommends spending any gift card balances before the deadline later this month (i.e., within 12 days from now). However, if you still have the physical cards, you're in the clear and can use them without worry. The search giant stressed that it's working with retailers on other options for gift and loyalty card redemption, and that this latest change would not affect other aspects of the Wallet service, including its ability to handle debit or credit card transactions. Loyalty program linking is something Google has been showing off since Wallet was first detailed, so it's curious to see the service suddenly being limited like this. When we asked for clarification, a company spokesperson replied that there wasn't much more they could share. Page and Co. said its working on a solution though, and will have details to talk about "soon." [Thanks Anthony and Dan]
Isis NFC payment system to roll out later this year, provide iPhone support
When three of the big four mobile carriers -- AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile US, and Verizon Wireless -- agree on something, you know that it's going to get a big push. The three companies formed Isis in early 2011 to orchestrate the future of near field communication (NFC) payments, and today the joint venture announced that the Isis Mobile Wallet system will be rolled out nationwide later this year. Isis Mobile Wallet users need an NFC-enabled smartphone and a SIM-based secure element to be considered "Isis Ready." Many Samsung Android devices are equipped for NFC, both for local file sharing and payments. At this point, NFC technology isn't built into iPhones, nor has there been any word from Apple on whether the technology will be in future devices. Nevertheless, the joint venture notes that support for iPhone, Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10 will be introduced this year. Isis trials were held in Austin, Texas and Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Isis group found that the users were quite happy with paying from their smartphones. The trial showed that active users used their devices for payment more than 10 times per month, acceptance of contactless payment quadrupled to almost 4,000 locations in the two cities, and that 80 percent of the transactions took place at places like fast-food restaurants, coffee shops, gas stations, and convenience and grocery stores. If Apple doesn't embrace NFC with the next generation of iPhones, it's likely that an NFC-enabled case will be required in order to use Isis.
Google Wallet update "coming soon," to bring support for more handsets?
The folks over at Business Insider spotted a change on the Google Wallet website today indicating that a new version of the payment system -- separate from the recently released web version -- is "coming soon." Folks itching to get in on the fresh NFC payment action can ask for an invite right now, but alas, details about the forthcoming update are scarce. We do know that upon submitting a request for the new Wallet, users are asked if they use an Android, iOS, or "other" mobile device. So, might we be in for more widespread Wallet adoption with this next iteration? Only one way to find out, so head on down to the source, sign up, and see for yourself.
T-Mobile to kick off Isis Mobile Wallet pilot program on October 22nd according to leaked photo
Mr. Blurrycam has struck again, and this time he brings us a launch date for T-Mobile's Isis Mobile Wallet pilot program by way of TmoNews. According to the image (which you can catch after the break), the Isis app will arrive on Google Play come October 22nd for folks in Salt Lake City, Utah and Austin, Texas to take for a test drive. Another image reveals that those who activate their mobile wallet could snag $10, and an additional $15 if they convert their Isis Cash card into a reloadable prepaid card. Call one of the two cities home and can't wait to put the NFC payment solution through its paces? You'll need an Isis SIM card and a Samsung Galaxy S III, S II or Relay 4G to partake in the festivities. For those outside the lucky cities, there's still no word on when Isis will fully launch.
MasterCard announces PayPass User Interface SDK, lets devs roll their own NFC payment-enabled apps
MasterCard has been in the cashless payment game for quite a while, and now it's hoping to get more developers on the PayPass bandwagon with its freshly unveiled user interface software development kit. By leveraging the SDK, programmers will be able to bake the firm's NFC payment system, which is compatible with over 70 handsets, into their own Android or BlackBerry OS 7 apps. The kit is free to license and includes API code libraries, documentation, a developer guide, sample code, a white-label reference application and a testing suite. Once apps are created with the SDK, they'll have to go through MasterCard's approval process before they go live. Yearning to code PayPass-enabled smartphone software? Check out the press release below for more details.
Samsung Galaxy S III gets Quick Tap mobile payments system from Orange and Barclaycard, works with most UK bank accounts
We've barely heard from Orange's Quick Tap payments system in over a year, but now the UK phone network has decided to dump the underwhelming Tocco Lite and add its mobile payments service to the NFC-capable Galaxy S III. Tying into any British MasterCard, Visa, Debit or credit card, you'll be able to pay up to £20 from your account without the need for PIN entry. New users on Orange SIM-toting Galaxy S IIIs will also pick up a 50 quid bonus when they activate the feature, which kicks off this Wednesday. Check the press release below for all the details.
CyanogenMod releases SimplyTapp NFC payment app for CM9, launches CM9.1
If you decided to change your NFC Phone's OS over to CyanogenMod 9 to avoid all the skinning and restricting, now you have a mobile payment option called SimplyTapp. Produced by the modding group and two of its members, the app requires free or paid NFC cards from CyanogenMod or retailers like McDonald's and Whole Foods. Card user info is guarded in the cloud, which "allows separation of the card credential from the vulnerable handset," for increased security, according to CM and SimplyTapp. CyanogenMod also announced a new version of its ICS-based CM9 OS, version 9.1, which will fix bugs and add new devices. A stable release will be coming soon, but meanwhile, why not head over to Mickey D's and freak them out by paying with your modded Galaxy Nexus?
Rogers and CIBC make joint deal for NFC mobile payments in Canada, let you check out with your BlackBerry
Canadians sometimes can't catch a break: while NFC payments have been relatively common for Americans, Europeans and certainly the Japanese, Canucks have had to largely make do paying with ye olde credit carde. Rogers and national bank CIBC want to put an end to these antediluvian ways: starting later this year, CIBC card holders will just need to swipe an NFC-equipped BlackBerry like the Bold 9900 (Bold 9930 for CDMA-loving Americans) at a matching terminal to pay at a given store. The only special requirement is a secure SIM card that gives customers the freedom to change phones, even if it does create problems switching banks or carriers down the line. We're just hoping that Android and other platforms get the same treatment and let more of our Canadian friends pay for poutine that much faster.
LG Optimus Elite on pre-order at Virgin Mobile; carrier's first NFC phone in the US
Sprint may already count the LG Optimus Elite among its roster of smartphones, but today that handset is finding a second home at Virgin Mobile. The $150 Gingerbread-powered device is now up for pre-order, and Virgin says it will start shipping on May 15th. Though the 3.5-inch HVGA display, 800MHz CPU and 5-MP rear camera aren't exactly impressive specs, the Optimus Elite stands out as the carrier's first phone to include NFC and Google Wallet for mobile payments. Unlike Sprint, which offers a white version, Virgin Mobile will only sell the Optimus Elite in silver. And while the former carrier prices the phone at just $30 after a mail-in rebate, Virgin's cheaper monthly plans might convince customers that it's worth shelling out more up front.