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Twitter may be the next to ban cryptocurrency ads
Twitter may soon join Facebook and Google in cracking down on ads for cryptocurrency-related products. Sky sources have claimed the social network will institute worldwide ban against ads for initial coin offerings, cryptocurrency wallets and token sales within the next two weeks. It might also ban ads for cryptocurrency exchanges with "some limited exceptions," according to the apparent leak.
Bitcoin wallets get a key approval in Switzerland
Bitcoin companies offering virtual wallets sometimes face a difficult legal question: do they have to operate as a bank (with all the regulation that entails), or can they function as something else? In Switzerland, at least, that matter is settled. Xapo has received "conditional approval" for running its bitcoin wallet service from the country. It'll have to participate in a self-regulatory organization and meet other unspecified terms, but it won't have to secure a banking license. As of now, it's classified as a financial go-between.
Use this app to find your keys like you find your Pokémon
We've seen Bluetooth item trackers before, like Tile and Protag's Duet, but they're usually pretty dull. Pixie, on the other hand, will curb the anxiety of losing something by turning it into a game. Like other trackers, Pixie uses Bluetooth, but it also adds augmented reality into the mix, so your phone will actually show you where the general area where your device is. Once you get in real close, it'll start pointing you left and right like a good old-fashioned game of hot and cold. You could also use it to cheat at hide and seek with your kids.
Google Wallet introduces automatic transfers
Google has just pushed out an update to its Wallet mobile app that allows automatic transfers to your bank account. Previously, if you wanted to use money from the account elsewhere you'd have to go in and cash out your Google Wallet balance first. Omitting this part should be a boon for regular users who don't have to remember an extra step just to have access to their cash.
Google is deprecating the Wallet card at the end of April
Google announced on Thursday that it will no longer support the physical debit cards tied to users' Wallet accounts beginning July 1. Instead, Google plans to press forward with development on its mobile app.
Samsung Pay joins China's trillion dollar mobile wallet market
With Apple already expecting China to be its biggest mobile payment market, it's no surprise that its biggest direct competitor, Samsung, also wants a slice of this piping hot pie. After a one-month public beta, today the Korean giant is officially launching its Samsung Pay service in China in partnership with UnionPay -- inevitably the same bankcard company that helped launch Apple Pay locally. In other words, only UnionPay credit and debit cards -- up to 10 of them per device -- can be associated with local Samsung phones for the time being.
Soon Google Wallet will send money via text messages
A forthcoming update to Google's Wallet app will drastically change how users send and receive money using it. Instead of needing the recipient's email address, the app now only requires a phone number. When sending money this way, the recipient will receive a text message with a secure link. They then simply enter their debit card number to receive the funds, which transfer to their checking account in minutes. That seems a heck of a lot easier than the current method where both parties have to have the app installed on their phones and have a bank account linked to it.
Android Pay's arrival means a new direction for Google Wallet
As we suspected, you'll be hearing more about the new Android Pay setup -- announced a couple of months ago during Mobile World Congress -- during the Google I/O event this week. According to a New York Times report, Android Pay will let retailers take payments from inside their mobile apps, use it at brick-and-mortar retail locations, and automatically update the customer's status in store loyalty programs. Like Google, retailers are interested in using those loyalty programs to track trends among their customers, and the report goes on to claim that Apple Pay will add a similar tie-in within the next month or so. So what will become of Google Wallet? Apparently, it will be reintroduced with a focus on sending money directly between two people to go along with being preinstalled on carrier phones. The mobile payment wars are just beginning, and potential competitors like Facebook and Samsung have their own plans too -- expect more details from all sides soon. [Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Samsung's Wallet service folds shut on June 30th
Now that Samsung Pay is nearly here, the company is riding its two-year-old Wallet service into the sunset. Samsung is now telling users that Wallet will stop taking purchases on June 30th. Any reservations and tickets you score before then will still be valid, but you'll otherwise be left out of the loop. The move isn't all that surprising given how much more advanced Samsung Pay should be, but it's a blunt reminder of just how quickly the mobile payment world is evolving -- technology that was promising in 2013 is already old hat.
The super-secure 'Case' will fit bitcoins in your pocket this summer
There's no such thing as being too crazy about security, especially when it comes to hoarding mountains and mountains of invisible, digital, volatile money. If that description hits a little too close to home, you might just have a new friend in the $199 Case, a physical bitcoin wallet the size of a credit card that secures your nebulous funds and lets you sign off on transactions with just a touch of a finger. There's a good chance you've heard the name before -- the team behind it, led by Melanie Shapiro -- has been plugging away on the thing for over a year a now, but it's finally going to ship to bitcoin magnates this summer.
Your Google Wallet funds are now insured
The money in your bank account is typically covered by federal insurance, but your internet payment services typically aren't. If PayPal or Venmo went belly-up, you'd probably lose your existing balance. That won't be a problem if you're using Google Wallet, though. Google is now holding your Wallet funds in banks with FDIC insurance, so your digital credit is now that much safer. This isn't to say that rivals leave you completely vulnerable -- PayPal has fraud protection, for instance. However, the Wallet move means that you won't have to go to court to get your cash back if Google goes bankrupt, no matter how unlikely that is.
Vodafone's mobile payment app to scrap top-ups with a new SIM
If you want to make contactless mobile payments in the UK, your options are pretty limited. Apple Pay is only available in the US (for now) and Google Wallet is bound to Gmail transactions and Google Play purchases in Britain. Spotting the opportunity to take an early lead, Vodafone is readying a new Visa-powered alternative. The company already offers an app called "Vodafone Wallet," but it relies on the user managing a separate SmartPass account. To pay with your phone, you first have to shuffle money across from your bank account to Vodafone's virtual piggy bank. It's a huge pain, so the network is prepping an updated app that allows customers to store their card details directly on the phone.
Stratos' all-in-one payment card should work anywhere in the US
Many "universal" payment cards... well, aren't. They either don't work everywhere or only hold a limited number of cards, which leaves you out of luck when you're trying to add one more loyalty program. Stratos thinks it has this problem licked, though. Its new Bluetooth Connected Card promises "100 percent compatibility" with payment systems in the US, and it can hold an unlimited number of cards that you control through a mobile app. You also shouldn't have to worry about a thief going on a shopping spree if you lose your card, since you can tell it to automatically lock down if it's not close to your phone for a while.
Google and Square prep new payment options in the wake of Apple Pay
There's no denying Apple Pay has grabbed a share of retail payments, and the support of banks, since its arrival. However, it appears both Google and Square are working on new products to keep customers' attention. According to The Information, the folks in Mountain View are testing a service called "Plaso" that would allow Android users to say their initials at the register in order to complete a transaction. Unfortunately, there aren't any specifics on how that would work with Google Wallet: the system for cashless payments that arrived long before Apple Pay, but never really took off. Of course, Google will have to do more with its upcoming release than just handle payments. The Apple Watch is launching soon, and that wearable, along with the newest NFC-equipped iPhones, could sort public transit passes, building security credentials and more.
Bitcoin's first licensed US exchange opens with approval from 25 states
Virtual currency bitcoin is starting to get its act together. A startup funded with $106 million from the New York Stock Exchange as well as banks and venture capital firms, is set to launch the first licensed US bitcoin exchange. Coinbase reckons it'll add increased security to traders as well as monitor real-time pricing of the world's foremost cryptocurrency. If you've forgotten, unlike normal currencies, bitcoin is traded virtually and isn't backed by a central government: reasons why the currency often fluctuates severely. The collapse of Mt. Gox last year stung investors, both professional and otherwise, for a total sum of around half a billion dollars. As the WSJ notes, the value of a bitcoin is currently around $240: it was stood at $1,200 per 'coin.
Smart wallet puts an end to lost cash and dead phones
So long as you still need physical ID cards and cash, you'll need something to carry them -- but that doesn't mean that you're stuck with a low-tech purse or wallet. StreetSmart is crowdfunding the SmartWallet, a money holder with both a Bluetooth-connected GPS locator and a 1,000mAh battery to charge your phone. It's not nearly as world-changing as the company's (rather hyperbolic) promo video suggests, but it's potentially handy if you tend to forget your cash or phone when you head out the door. Leave the wallet behind and you'll get a heads-up through an Android or iOS app that will help you find it, including directions within 50 to 150 feet; lose your phone and a button on the wallet will make your mobile device ring.
Google Wallet won't let you buy digital goods on the web past March 2015
Sad news, web merchants: if you relied on Google Wallet to process the online payments for your feline subculture e-zine (or any other digital product you've got kicking around), you'd better start looking for something else to do the job. On March 2, 2015, Google will officially pull the plug on its Wallet for Digital Goods API, which means anyone who hasn't switched to another payment processor -- like PayPal, for instance -- will be serve up 404s left and right to anyone trying to buy stuff from them.
Spend $100 on PSN in October, get $15 back
Sony's latest promotion is dishing cash back to those that buy goods on PSN this month. As of October 1, players that spend at least $100 using their Sony Entertainment Network wallets will receive $15 in credit. The credit will be delivered to those taking advantage of the offer "on or before November 7" via email or PS4, PS3 or Vita system notification in redemption code form. The promotion runs through Tuesday, October 28. Players will have until December 5 to redeem their $15 credit codes. Now the question is: What ever shall you spend that $100 on? PS4 players may consider the recently-launched and excellent Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, or may choose to pre-order Alien: Isolation via PSN. Or you could just blow it all on repeated rentals of Hocus Pocus. Your call. [Image: Sony]
Amazon shutting down little-used person-to-person payment service
On October 13th, you'll have one less option for sending cash to individuals online. Amazon's WebPay, a feature of the company's broader Payments platform, will be shuttered. According to a FAQ posted on its site, the service is being closed down because it's "not addressing a customer pain point particularly better than anyone else." Users have until the 13th to initiate any transactions, then there will be a 30-day grace period in which customers can claim their funds before WebPay disappears completely. Axing the unpopular service will allow Amazon to use its resources elsewhere -- perhaps by turning Payments into a more full-fledged mobile wallet service à la Google Wallet or Apple Pay. Of course, there are no shortage of options out there if you want to send money to friends and family electronically. Apparently there's a company called PayPal, or something, that's been doing it for a long time.
Now you can fill your PS4 wallet with PayPal bucks
PS4 owners can now buy games like Towerfall and Octodad: Dadliest Catch by stuffing their wallets full of moola from their PayPal accounts. Those looking to fund their digital purchases in this manner can do so on their PS4 consoles during the checkout process by selecting "Add Funds," then the PayPal option and picking the amount of dough to add to their wallet. Alternatively, players will be able to access the chunk of change in their PayPal accounts via their Sony Entertainment Network accounts, which are tied to their PSN wallets. Similar to the console method, eager buyers simply need to log in, select the "Account" tab, then the "Wallet" section, click "Add funds to Wallet," then follow the instructions to use PayPal as their funding option. PayPal funding, which was added to PS3 in November, is available to PS4 owners in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile and Argentina. [Image: PayPal]
