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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.
Kindle family goes retail, coming to a store near you on November 15th
Are you giddy thinking about the arrival of the new Kindles? We know you are, and so does Amazon, so the king of online retail is making it easier to get your hands on your Kindle of choice. Bezos and friends have announced they'll be selling their entire suite of e-readers in over 16,000 locations come November 15th, which provides the first confirmation that the Fire will be available in stores. So, if you're itching for a Touch, regular Kindle or an Android-flavored version, you'll be able to swing by the local Target, Walmart, Best Buy or Radio Shack (among others) to pick one up just one week from today. Nice to see Amazon making our holiday shopping a bit easier.
Microsoft patents apps that let you buy things, Ballmer to go on licensing spree?
Many of us use apps to buy stuff these days, whether its grabbing the latest e-book from Amazon, or a Groupon for a day of pampering at the local spa. Seems obvious now, but it wasn't (at least according to the USPTO) in 2004, when Microsoft filed a patent application for the idea -- and that application was recently granted. The patent claims a way to make purchases through an network-connected portal with a "streamlined interface" (to "streamline" the process of parting you from your money, no doubt). The portal maintains a list of selling sites and exchanges info as needed to let buyers pick up what the seller's putting down. Now, we aren't intimately familiar with the ways shopping apps work, but the patent language appears broad enough to cover apps that make internet purchases without using a full-on web browser -- though only a federal court can say for sure. The only other question is, what are Ballmer and his boys going to do with these newly granted IP powers?
The iPad's effect on rival companies' CEOs
Apple's iPad and iPhone are shaking up the netbook and smartphone market, producing a chain reaction of events that has led to the resignation of chief executives from three major electronics manufacturers. This past Thursday, Acer Corp. CEO Gianfranco Lanci became third in the line when he announced his resignation from the Taiwanese company. A report from Digitimes suggests the success of the Apple iPad had a major impact on Acer's netbook business, which in turn led to Lanci's departure. Acer climbed to the top of the netbook market when it introduced the Aspire One netbook back in 2008. Since the launch of the iPad in 2010, netbook manufacturers have struggled to compete with Apple's tablet device. The past year was particularly hard for Acer, which saw its netbook sales go flat, while the Apple iPad took off among consumers. Acer is reportedly working on an iPad competitor, but the tablet device is said to be underpowered and "outmatched by the iPad in terms of both hardware and software."According to the report, Acer's focus on affordable consumer devices makes it incapable of producing a device to compete with Apple. Acer is not alone in sacrificing its CEO as a result of Apple's success. In this last year, both Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo and LG CEO Nam Young left their respective positions due to increasing competition from Apple's mobile products. Both LG and Nokia are struggling in the smartphone market and have yet to produce a blockbuster handset to compete with the iPhone. LG's latest offering, the dual core Optimus 2X, features a dual-core processor, 4-inch display and an 8-megapixel camera, but the Android handset has not caught on as well as the Apple iPhone. [Via AppleInsider]
Original iPads still selling well
The second generation iPad has sold amazingly well for Apple since its launch in early March. The tablet device is difficult to find in retail stores, and Apple's online storefront offers the iPad 2 with a 4-5 week ship time. Also riding this wave of success is the original iPad, whose supply will soon be depleted. The first generation iPad is available in Apple's clearance website with a $100 price reduction. All models are available at this reduced price, except for the 16 GB Wi-Fi, which is apparently sold out. AT&T is also continuing to sell its supply of first generation iPads and only has the high-end 64 GB Wi-Fi + 3G available in its online storefront. This model is selling for an incredibly low $529. If you want an original iPad, you'd better act quickly. Presumably, Apple has stopped manufacturing the first generation device and is focusing its resources on the second generation model. Apple is selling the remaining inventory from its last production run, and this stock will not be replaced when it is sold out. Of course, there is an ample supply on eBay or Craigslist, but the secondary market is fraught with dishonest sellers and many models will be used.
Apple confirms Best Buy iPads at launch, what time you'll need to be there
We're nearly there. The mystical, magical iPad experience starts this Saturday, April 3, and if you haven't already pre-ordered your only way to get one for the weekend is going to be to fight the rush at retail. Apple has confirmed that all 221 of its Apple Stores will have the wunder-tablets on sale, and has also confirmed the Best Buy rumors, indicating that "most" of the big-box retailer's locations will have them. Stores are set to open at 9:00am, so we figure you can probably roll on over there at 8:45 or so and get a good spot in line.
