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Square payment dongle demoed for iPhone toting hippies and you (video)
Ever wonder what the offspring of an after-party Twitter and Digg copulation might look like? No, well aren't you pure and normal. Regardless, we fantasize about it all the time but never expected this iPhone payment dongle to be first from the litter. Square is Jack Dorsey's (Twitter co-founder) new startup that now has Kevin Rose (Digg founder) on board as an investor and YouTube pitch man for the prototype payment device that plugs directly into the iPhone's headphone jack. We've covered Square before but this is the first video that clearly demonstrates the full capability of the credit card swipe system on a live device. A compelling proposition for receiving cashless payments if you're a small business owner looking to exploit irresponsible credit card debt or just the average Joe hocking goods at a garage sale, farmers market, or Craigslist. Assuming of course, Square's cut of the transaction isn't too egregious. Demo after the break.
iPhone credit card reader to be demoed at CES
Coming this CES (which is actually next week): a complete credit card transaction accessory and service for your iPhone. If this thing works as expected, you might actually see it in more than a few places (think: street vendors that will take credit card payments). A company called Mophie is planning to show off an add-on that works with an app to deliver credit card payments through Square, a payment service recently started up by Jack Dorsey, a Twitter alumni. This is one of a couple such systems that will be vying to fulfill the function (and probably take a few cents from each transaction for their troubles), but so far all we've really got is demos, no actual releases planned. But maybe we'll hear more at CES. There's all kinds of applications here -- a solid, working implementation of a service like this could end up being extremely popular for anybody that regularly needs to conduct transactions out in the field.
Mophie iPhone credit card reader coming to a CES near you
iPhone accessory maker and recession antidote regular Mophie is about to make the most buzzworthy move of its short history by offering a credit card reader and accompanying transaction app for the Apple handset. Positioned as a direct competitor to Jack Dorsey's Square iPhone Payment System, Mophie's solution looks to be integrated into an iPhone case -- making it possible to keep the reader on permanently, albeit at a slight cost to your device's aesthetics. The decidedly cube-shaped Square system has a less ergonomic design, but we suspect that the winner (if either of these two succeeds) will be primarily determined by the usability of the app and affordability of the service. Look out for more info to emerge at some point during the maelstrom that will be CES 2010.
Accept credit card payments on your iPhone? Then there were two
While Square, the new venture from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey that adds a credit card swipe reader to the headphone port of an unsuspecting iPhone or other smartphones, was busy demoing at Le Web, one of the heavyweights of the payment processing market was busy prepping an announcement of its own. Earlier this week, VeriFone announced PAYware Mobile, a combination iPhone/iPod touch app and swipe card reader that will enable merchants to accept and process credit cards on the move. The widget is scheduled to ship in January and will be free with a 2-year contract with VeriFone (no word on the pricing plans yet the Los Angeles Times notes that users will pay an activation fee of $49, a monthly fee of $15 and a per-transaction charge of 17 cents). The reader is supposed to encrypt credit card data in hardware so that the iPhone never sees the raw card number, and the app will capture signatures using a stylus (at least that's how it's illustrated now). Check out the video above for a brief demo. It should be very interesting to see how these two hybrid solutions make their moves into the payment ecosystem. Square seems to be aiming at more ad-hoc usage (artists, coffeehouses, etc.) for people who don't have merchant accounts, but VeriFone is all about big retail. Room for everyone! TechCrunch happened to catch a reaction interview with Dorsey today, it's worth a look. [via Engadget]
Square iPhone payment system gets itself a website, showcased in public
Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and the quiet startup formerly known as Squirrel are finally opening up a bit. The company now called Square, as we noted back in October, has launched a website for its iPhone payment dongle, although it's still in somewhat private beta testing. TechCrunch managed to catch up with Dorsey, who gave a brief overview of the product and then showed it off by charging $4 for a cup of coffee -- so it goes in San Francisco. See Square in action after the break.
Twitter founder Jack Dorsey's Squirrel project revealed... as the Square iPhone Payment System
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/17/twitter-founder-jack-dorseys-squirrel-project-revealed-as-th/'; tweetmeme_source = 'engadget'; Remember the Square iPhone Payment System we told you about back in August? If you'll recall, the device -- which involves an iPhone app and associated dongle -- enables an iPhone or iPod touch to become a kind of mini credit card reader, allowing payments to be taken on the spot, no matter where you are or how big (or small) the transaction may be. When we'd first reported the device, word on the street was that it was only being alpha tested around New York City, and there wasn't much else to say. Now, we may have a little more insight on just where this device is headed, and who's behind the project. Jack Dorsey, the man who all but built Twitter in a matter of two weeks, has been working on a half-secret start-up project since around May. His new venture -- dubbed, funnily enough, Squirrel -- is based around the concept of using the iPhone as... yep, a portable, personal cash register; essentially the exact device which Square has created. And that's no accident. In the images we ran of the Square system, you can see a domain name on a receipt: squareup.com. Squareup.com is the domain of the Square System (obviously), and a casual investigation into the site's WHOIS profile reveals registrant info that points to an office in San Francisco, and a contact email address which reads... billing@paybysquirrel.com. Square, squirrel, square... are you getting it? So the cat, er, squirrel appears to be out of the bag. Now the question is whether or not Dorsey and co. can turn this fairly obscure piece of tech into the kind of firestorm which Twitter has become -- and who knows, maybe there'll even be a business model this time. [Thanks, Little Birdie]
The Daily Grind: What's your preferred payment method?
Credit cards (including debit cards), Paypal, Microsoft Points, game-time cards. Every payment method has its positives and negatives. As a famous and profitable social-media personality, you probably have more dollars in your Paypal account than you do on your credit card. You can get a Paypal debit card for that, that you can use pretty much anywhere you'd use regular plastic. Microsoft Points or game-time cards? They've got definite advantages – you can buy them when you've got a little extra cash in your account, and use them when you need them rather than getting awkwardly billed on the very day of the month your mortgage payment is due (two days before you get paid each month – oh, yes. We've been there!) Given a variety of payment options, how would you prefer to pay for your MMOG subscriptions, if you had the choice?
Hitachi develops biometric payment system, uses it to sell junk food
Looks like Hitachi has made some serious headway on the biometric payment system we first heard about way back in the halcyon days of 2007. According to the Mainichi Daily News, the company is currently testing its Finger Vein Authentication System internally, with the device serving as a method of payment for vending machines and the like. Once it's proven that employees are able to get their Koala's March and Hi-Chew without incident, the plan is to up the ante, with high precision ID systems that combine finger vein and finger print authentication systems for military use.
SmartSwipe helps you max out your Diners Club card without leaving the house
Check it, big spenders. If you just can't get enough of that swipe-to-buy action seen prominently at most modern fuel pumps and McDonald's restaurants, why not bring the action back to your home turf? Available now in the wondrous United States of America, NetSecure's $99.95 SmartSwipe is a USB-enabled device that literally allows you to swipe your credit card in order to make online purchases. Reportedly, this device "scrambles and encrypts the user's credit card data before it reaches the user's computer or internet," thus making online shopping safe once and for all. If you're still confused, hop on past the break for a dead-serious infomercial. Trust us, it's a must-watch.
An Authenticator in your Visa
This is only slightly WoW-related, but it's worth a mention, I think, considering that when it happens, you'll be able to tell all your friends just what these things are. Our good friend Relmstein reports that Visa is planning to put an authenticator, of all things, in their credit cards. We of course all know how the Blizzard Authenticator works: you punch a button on the Authenticator, it gives you a code, and then that code can be used to synch up with the server. The Emue Card that Visa is testing right now works the same way: you punch in a PIN, it'll give you another code to enter on an online shopping site, and thus no one who just gets your card information can actually use your card (much like right now with a Blizzard Authenticator, no one who just gets your password can actually sign in). But it's all built in to the normal credit card.Very interesting. What Visa's doing with their credit cards might not be completely relevant to WoW, but it is relevant to note that of all of the accounts and passwords in your life that you might like to keep secure, a Blizzard account with an Authenticator attached is probably the most locked-down. Companies have started using Authenticator-like technology to have their employees log in to local networks, and obviously credit card and banking companies are testing things like this. But when it comes down to actual widespread usage, Blizzard is way ahead of the curve. Odds are that your WoW account right now is even more protected than your checking account. We'll likely be using the same authenticator system for other secure connections in the future.
Paul Barnett predicts the decline of future asset-heavy MMOs
Mythic Entertainment's Creative Director for Warhammer Online, Paul Barnett, was recently interviewed by Ablegamers and had some interesting things to say about the current state and future of online gaming and asset-heavy MMOs.To illustrate why he thinks online games are becoming much more mainstream, Paul uses a personal and generational example. His mother is hesitant to buy anything on credit because her generation believes credit is evil. Paul himself is wary of online purchases because of the potential for fraud and identity theft. His son, however, believes there is little difference between buying something online and buying something from the corner store.He also talks about the iPhone generation and how he believes asset-light games that provide shorter bursts of fun are going to have the widest appeal moving forward because they're cheap, mobile, entertaining, and disposable. Established asset-heavy games may not see a huge initial decline, but he does predict a decline in the start-up of these types of games because they are extremely costly and require large teams to make. They are also traditionally geared more toward a heavy investment of player time. If asset-heavy games are to continue successfully, Paul believes they'll have to allow for more flexible "time control."[Via: When casual can get too casual]
Latest USB gadgets light up your life, fill up your wallet
Intel's Ajay Bhatt indeed deserves rock star status. Without his hard work we might not today have such a wondrous bounty of USB devices, like the hub pictured after the break. It not only sports a light for illuminating your keyboard or helping you find that last Skittle that skittered away into the dark confines of your desk, but it also has a rechargeable battery, meaning you can use it as a rather unwieldy reading light. New, too, is the Lego-themed (though not Lego®-branded) USB hub shown above, which enables you to elegantly add USB devices to your setup in blocks of four. Oh, and then there's the newfangled USB wristwatch ($26) which packs a connector at the end of the strap. Hot stuff, we tell ya.Read - USB Hub with a built-in flashlightRead - USB wristwatchRead - Lego-themed USB hub
Credit card style Bluetooth device isn't likely to increase your wealth, coolness
We've seen some ultra-thin MP3 players, even ones that were credit-card sized, but this newest one actually masquerades as a credit card, numbers and all! There's perilously little information available about the device, but we can tell you this: you'll look and feel awesome sporting it, should you ever be able to get your hands on one; which we doubt. Price and availability are a mystery to us all. Update: As pointed out by several of our astute commenters, this appears to be a Tokyo Flash concept for a Bluetooth adapter modeled on a previous credit card styled MP3 player. [Via The MP3 Players]
Capcom Visa cards full of hidden charges (just like Guile)
Those pre-paid Capcom Visa cards are nice collectibles, but it turns out that they do a little collecting of their own. In case you aren't intimately familiar with the minutiae of the credit card world, Defend Your Dollars laid out, in plain language, the fees associated with the prepaid cash card (which is not a credit card, nor is it a debit card).Just a few examples: You have to pay $10 to buy the thing, followed by $4.95 monthly. You put another $4.95 down as a fee when you want to reload the card. And unless you specify a "signature-based debit transaction" at retailers, you're charged a quarter for a PIN-based transaction. You also pay for balance inquiries, ATM transactions, overdrafts (to the tune of whatever you spent plus ten dollars), customer service calls, bill payment by check (seriously), and not using your card for 90 days.This isn't unique to the Capcom cards: this is just how it is for prepaid cash cards. You pay a lot for the privilege of having a card. It's your call whether you love Bionic Commando's Nathan Spencer enough to put up with this business.[Via The Consumerist -- thanks Don!]
M. Buy Some Stuff: Capcom launches own pre-paid Visa
Capcom has announced its own branded, pre-paid Visa cards, the first run of which will feature artwork from Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil 5 and Bionic Commando. The Capcom Unity Card will be available online beginning February 17 -- SFIV's launch date, we're guessing not concidentally -- and offer some interesting rewards for their use.The most immediate benefit will be a 15% discount off purchases made using the Unity card on Capcom's online store. Every dollar added to these "rechargeable" cards will also grant their holders five Capcom Unity Points, which the company says "can be used in a number of different ways" at a revamped Capcom Unity website. Auctions and raffles are already planned, with Capcom developing "a larger suite of rewards ... above and beyond the standard incentives." According to the announcement, these will range from "exclusive access" to beta programs for upcoming games to the possibility of "being written into a Capcom game or comic book" and -- get this -- potentially landing a spot as an extra in a movie based on Capcom properties. Additional card designs are also in the works (we know: "Where's my Mega Man?"). Most intriguing of all, card holders will be able to send money to other folk's Capcom Unity cards online. We think the timeline will go something like this: February 17, Capcom Unity card launches; February 18, the first underground SFIV fight betting network using the Unity card is formed.
The Daily Grind: Will that be cash, credit, or...?
With as many people as are concerned about credit card fraud these days - or who just don't want to run up a credit card bill at all - there are all manner of ways to pay for MMOs. Sure, we've had game time cards for a while now, which are really handy for those who prefer to go month-to-month rather than recurring. You have debit cards, but those work pretty well the same as credit cards; Visa logo and all that. Another option recently added to the payment plans for some MMOs has been PayPal, which is great for those who like to use online payments but like an extra layer of security. And in terms of interesting ideas - EVE Online players have the option of turning their hard-earned (or ocasionally easily-swiped) ISK into game time codes through player trades handled on the EVE website. These are by no means the extent of it when you look at options people have around the world.With that, this morning we figured we'd ask - how do you prefer to pay for your MMO subscriptions? Are you into monthly subscriptions, do you head out for the game time cards, or perhaps you prefer paypal? Is there a system out there that you wish the gaming companies would look into? Do you look forward to the day when you can walk into a store and just swipe your cellphone to pay for things too?
PSA: Wii slot is for discs only, not credit cards
... not the physical cards. Here's an item of post-holiday hilarity from NeoGAF's HUELEN10. It may stretch credibility a bit, but it's a great story regardless of veracity!According to HUELEN10, some neighbors with whom he is casually acquainted informed him that they had just given their kids a Wii for Christmas, and then solicited game recommendations. HUELEN10 suggested a few retail games as well as the Sega Master System version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Unfamiliar with the Virtual Console, the mother asked for further explanation, which HUELEN10 offered, saying, among other things, that it requires the user to "put in her credit card when prompted on the Shop Channel, and get the amount of points she wanted."Which she did, unfortunately. Some time later, the mother called her neighbor, furious that their new Wii had been broken by following his advice. She put the credit cards into the Wii, just like he said. Right into the disc slot. And when one didn't work, she went ahead and jammed two more credit cards in there. Now, with three unusable credit cards and one busted Wii, she has demanded that HUELEN10 pay for repairs.Look forward to a new warning screen on Wii games, right after the Health and Safety screen and the wrist strap warning!
Linden Lab misuses Reuters employee credit card
What's worse than having a service provider slap a fat charge on your credit card that's not supposed to be there? It's having it happen a second time, after they've assured you that your credit-card details have been expunged from their records. News agency Thomson Reuters employee, Evan Maloney, is in just that position in his evocatively titled email to the public regapi list "Linden can't be trusted with your credit card information". Maloney's been slapped with the US$500 fee for the Reuters Second Life surname not once, but twice. Last time it took many weeks to sort out -- Maloney isn't eligible for customer support, not being a premium account -- so trying to reach someone at Linden Lab via the mailing list seems to be his primary support option for getting things fixed.
Get a PlayStation credit card, $150 off PS3 purchase
If you're going to hurl yourself into an inescapable and ultimately ruinous pit of financial debt, at least do it for a good cause. Like video games! The official PlayStation blog has revealed a sleek little silver number in the form of a PlayStation-branded VISA credit card. Aside from facilitating reckless shopping sprees, the card offers a special introductory sign-up offer: $150 credit towards the purchase of a PlayStation 3. The offer will expire after December 31, 2008.To partake in this Holidaze deal, you can either get approval and purchase the system online, or apply here and purchase the console from any authorized retailer. Be sure to read the small print -- and if it's all small print, it probably means the repo man is walking away with your computer monitor.
Wrath of the Lich King hits GameStop's credit card system for 500 damage
And now a scene from tonight's epic, midnight raid: Wrath of the Lich King casts Credit Card Overload. Wrath of the Lich King hits GameStop for 309. GameStop parries. Wrath of the Lich King hits GameStop for 403. GameStop's credit card servers suffers a 10% durability loss. Wrath of the Lich King crits GameStop for 1,300,296. Wrath of the Lich King crits GameStop for 296,129,423,127. Wrath of the Lich King has slain GameStop's credit card servers! Our friends at WoW Insider have the scoop. We'll have more from the Wrath launch later today. After the break, see the same battle with an interface add-on! Gallery: Wrath of the Lich King Midnight Launches
