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Credit card terminals for iPhone
It's no secret that the iPhone is much more than just a smartphone. Apple has even started giving iPhones to Apple Store Concierge employees to schedule appointments and manage the store. The ability to complete mobile transactions with credit card terminals is a great use of the iPhone for employees on the go or companies that do home or office calls. Like most applications in the iTunes App Store, there is no shortage of alternatives available for you to try. Here's a roundup of some of the most popular credit card terminals for iPhone. Credit Card Terminal [iTunes Link] - $0.99 This app is pretty awesome. So awesome in fact, that it was featured internationally in an Apple commercial. The 99 cent application offers a (very) cheap alternative to expensive terminals and hardware. With a clean and easy to use interface, users can enter credit card information, complete transactions, and even view and refund past sales. The app also gives you the ability to collect customer information. The developer even offers telephone and email support and will walk you through setup. Billing: Credit Card Terminal [iTunes Link] - $19.99 Another "easy to use" credit card terminal that is guaranteed to help make transactions easier. Sporting a pretty cool, and somewhat different kind of interface, the $20 application makes setting up a sale as simple as tapping a button. One cool feature offered in this version is the ability to get a customer's signature. Some screenshots from the featured applications: %Gallery-73813%
Caffeinated apps: Starbucks intros myStarbucks, Starbucks Card Mobile App
The Microsoft of the coffee biz, Starbucks, announced this morning that they've introduced two new iPhone / iPod touch apps to help customers make the most of their coffee addiction. myStarbucks and the Starbucks Card Mobile App [iTunes links] are free apps available in the iTunes App Store today.These apps were the subject of much speculation, particularly in the Mac Rumors forums, after Phil Schiller showed the myStarbucks app on the screen at the September 9th, 2009 "It's Only Rock and Roll" music event. While the company could have combined the two apps into one monster app, it's apparent that they're for two very different purposes. myStarbucks is primarily targeted at finding stores (as if there isn't one on every street corner in America...) and educating consumers about the drinks and food items available in those stores. The Starbucks Card Mobile App, on the other hand, is pointed towards the professional coffee slurper who already has a Starbucks Card in his or her quivering hand. Let's look at the two apps in a bit more detail.myStarbucks starts with a geolocation feature to find the nearest dozen or so Starbucks stores within a few miles of your present location, shown on a map or in a list. If you haven't had your morning coffee fix and need directions, the app will fire up Google Maps and provide you with driving, transit, or walking instructions. For each "official" Starbucks franchise, there are icons indicating whether or not the store is open, as well as whether or not they have Wi-Fi or oven-warmed food.
CCP staff offered the option of being paid foreign currency during economic crisis
During our troubled economic times, one sometimes forgets that currency is in a constant state of fluctuation. When times get really harsh, the value of the currency can wildly go back and forth between numbers, creating a sense of unease as people don't know what their currency is worth.CCP Games, however, took up a new approach to paying their employees when the Icelandic Krona was volatile earlier this year -- paying their employees in foreign currency.Employees were offered the option to accept paychecks in foreign currency, if they so wished, to provide employees with a stable income from a stable currency rather than receiving checks with the Krona. The move was easy on CCP's part, as the company is located in China, Iceland, and the United States and makes most of their revenue in foreign currency anyway.
PSA: PayPal now works for purchases on Xbox.com
If using a credit card online rubs you the wrong way -- or your extreme laziness prevents you from leaving your home to purchase a points card -- PayPal can now be used to buy Microsoft Points on Xbox.com. There are a few caveats to the new option, however: The new payment method is only available to US residents and will only work through Xbox.com (not your actual console). Users can attach multiple PayPal accounts to their Gamertags and purchase points, which can then be used to purchase content -- like (the insanely priced) Xbox 360 Games on Demand titles. To add a PayPal account, follow these easy steps: Sign in to Xbox.com Direct your browser to the Account Summary page Select "Manage Payment Option" Click "Add a new PayPal Account" and follow the onscreen instructions. Your virtual wallet will be filled with Microsoft Funny Money in no time!
"Full-time guild director" being hired on Craigslist
It's a tough economy out there, and everyone's looking for a stable job that won't drive them nuts. Enter this kind fellow from Santa Barbara, California -- he's offering "fulltime" pay to someone willing to become a PvP guild director. Duties include picking up skilled new recruits, delivering summaries of what's been going on in the guild, and keeping tabs on raid stats, guild banking, auctions, and so on. He's got a three-box setup you can use when he's not on it (hence, the money to burn), and while pay isn't much at first, he does have plans in mind for a bonus schedule (if the guild gets three people in the top Arena rankings, you get a frozen turkey?).Pretty wild, but as long as someone is willing to pay for something (and I know a lot of guild leaders who'd love to outsource their "jobs" if they had the cash), you can turn it into a real job. And who knows -- putting "WoW Guild Director" on your resume might be really helpful. If you do get hired, be sure to let us know.[via WoW LJ]Update: Apparently Craigslist has flagged the ad for removal. Which is too bad -- despite the fact that we're posting this today, it was originally posted a few days ago. We think it's real.
AT&T forced to pay $2 million for violating court orders in Dobson acquisition
You just thought that whole AT&T-Dobson Communications tie up was completely over. Turns out, AT&T is now being asked to pay $2 million as part of a civil settlement for violating a pair of court orders related to the acquisition. According to a petition filed by the Department of Justice, the carrier failed to fulfill its obligations when divesting mobile wireless businesses in three rural service areas (two in Kentucky and one in Oklahoma). In essence, AT&T personnel reportedly obtained "unauthorized access to the divested businesses' competitively sensitive customer information, and in some situations used it to solicit and win away the divested businesses' customers," and it doesn't take a lawyer to understand how sketch that is. Tsk, tsk, AT&T.[Via RCRWireless]
MasterCard fires up mobile payment trial in Canada
Hey, here's an idea: let's trial phone-based NFC payment systems. Then, let's trial them again. Then let's trial them a few more times -- but let's not actually launch them on a wide scale so that they're usable, and let's certainly make sure they're not marketed heavily enough to garner widespread consumer interest. That seems to be the attitude financial institutions, manufacturers, and carriers are taking in North America, where countless tiny trials have popped up and died across the US over the past couple years; now, Canada gets in on the action thanks to MasterCard with an adaptation of its PayPass system. The trial, which only (and inexplicably) runs from now until November, loops in Bell Mobility will allow users to pay for $1.29 red blobs sold in sterile, all-blue convenience stores where ghastly silhouettes roam in the background simply by tapping their issued handsets against MasterCard's already installed PayPass terminals. Can we please just get a trial that turns into a commercial product this time, or is that too much to ask?[Via MobileSyrup]
NVIDIA pays Transmeta $25 million for LongRun technology
A select bunch of Transmeta investors may not completely agree with how the outfit is being managed, but one thing's for sure: it's bringing in some serious coin on this deal. During a brief timeout from counting those stacks of Benjamins handed over by Intel, it decided to license its Long Run and LongRun 2 technologies (among "other intellectual property") to NVIDIA for a cool $25 million. Additionally, the agreement grants NVIDIA a "non-exclusive and fully paid-up license" to all of Transmeta's patents and patent applications. Unfortunately, it's still unclear how exactly this will end up affecting NVIDIA fanboys (and girls), but we'll go out on a limb and suggest that a mobile GTX 280 with a remarkably low power draw is just around the bend.[Via SlashGear]
The Daily Grind: Now how much would you pay?
For many, the cost of a game -- the initial purchase plus the monthly fee -- is simply assessed once, then never considered again. You have to pay something, after all, and you don't really have a choice if you want the content. Obviously, this doesn't take into account free-to-play games, but some people believe that you get what you pay for.But there is also the consideration of value over time -- was it worth that fifteen dollars for the month if you didn't enjoy the gameplay? If not, then why not? What would be worth that fee? Is it fair to say that sometimes you have to absorb the cost of a game you disliked to find out for yourself that it wasn't worth playing? Are there any games that you're happy to pay for, knowing you're helping ensure the maintenance and further development of the title?
Your Consortium bribe, uh payment is ready
Just a friendly reminder for those of you who have Friendly or better reputation with the Consortium that it's that time of the month again to collect your gems. I just got back from my run to Nagrand to hit up Mr. Swirlybandages for my bag. I was particularly excited because I had just hit Honored with that faction. And you know what I got? An Azure Moonstone and a Shadow Draenite. Uh...okay. I guess I'll try not to spend the 40s I'm gonna get for these on the AH all in one place. Hope you all get luckier this month.
Contactless payment trial goes live on San Francisco's BART
We knew full well that a contactless payment trial would soon be underway in the city by the Bay, and now it's finally ready for use by 230 guinea pigs. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of details on the Samsung handsets and the technology itself, but we do know that the program is being closely watched in hopes of it operating quite smoothly. If indeed that happens, it could be "expanded," presumably allowing others in the area to have their bank account dinged with the swipe of a cell each time they need a lift. Furthermore, a video clip at CBS5 shows the pilot phone being used to snag some totally nourishing grub from Jack in the Box. Hungry for more? Hit up the read link to take a peek yourself.[Thanks, Hans]
USB flash drive payment system hits South Korea
We've definitely seen some outlandish attempts at improving or outright replacing the humble credit card, but South Koreans will soon be able pay for purchases using the most easy-to-lose system we've seen yet -- by inserting a special USB flash drive into a slot. The system, which is being rolled out by Shinhan Card and Visa, also lets users pay for online purchases by sticking the drive into their computers' USB ports, and Shinhan is also rolling out new terminals that will enable contactless payments using the device as well. Of course, the drive itself is locked down tighter than a drum, but we still aren't convinced a bulky flash drive is a better option than phone-based or biometric payment systems.[Via The Raw Feed]
Trains and burgers: Sprint launching NFC trial in Bay Area
For whatever reason, phone-based contactless payment systems have been incredibly slow on the uptake stateside, while others -- those on NTT DoCoMo's well-received Osaifu-Keitai system, for example -- have had no qualms about turning their handsets into wallets. Every so often we catch wind of a trial in the works, though, which gives us hope that we'll eventually all be able to whip our cellies out of our pockets and clog our arteries in one deft motion. Case in point: Sprint has teamed up with Jack in the Box and San Francisco's Bay Area Transit Authority to offer fare and food payments with a tap of a phone in a trial that runs from January through May of next year. Strangely, the pictured phone appears to be the somewhat ancient A920 clamshell, so we're guessing Sprint is modifying the devices for the trial; Boost Mobile customers should be able to get on the action in some capacity as well. If you live in the area, ride BART at least once a week, and are willing to sacrifice that Touch for a trial phone, go sign yourself up -- just take it easy with the bacon burgers, k?[Thanks, Allan]
Sony, NXP get official with Moversa joint venture
Chances are, you had forgotten all about Sony and NXP's little initiative to cooperate on a NFC (near-field communications) standard, but the two seem to have finally worked out all the kinks and are ready to move forward. The joint venture, dubbed Moversa, will seek to "drive global adoption of contactless smart card applications in mobile phones," and it's already planning to develop, produce and market a Universal Secure Access Module (U-SAM) that "incorporates both MIFARE and FeliCa operating systems and applications." Essentially, the duo is hoping to accelerate the adoption of integrated contactless support, which would enable users to make payments (among other things) easily via their handset. If you're curious about availability, we're hearing that samples should be shipped out in mid-2008, but commercial deployments aren't scheduled to happen until the end of next year.[Via Yahoo / Reuters]
"Wave-and-pay" system headed to Canada
Oh, Canada! If all goes to plan, you Canucks up north will soon be able to take advantage of technology that is already in use in many corners of the globe. Reportedly, the Royal Bank of Canada and Visa Canada will be teaming up to launch a pilot program that enables users to purchase goods by just waving their cellphone in front of a reader. The handsets will sport an embedded microchip to pass along payment information, and similar to PayPass setups, it'll require no pin / password / signature for transactions under $25. Anne Koski, head of payment innovations at Royal Bank's cards division, noted that it was still too early to say which mobiles would eventually feature the built-in technology, but hopefully we'll be finding out sooner rather than (even) later.[Image courtesy of USATech]
Chicago Shell stations trialing biometric payment systems
Simply swiping one's credit / debit card at the pump is probably sufficient for the bulk of us, but for certain Shell customers in Chicago, paying for gasoline is getting even quicker. Ten stations in the Windy City are trialing biometric payment systems -- crafted by California-based Pay By Touch, which has units in a variety of other stores already -- that enable customers to scan their fingerprints, fill up and cruise off. The machines are purportedly linked directly to checking or credit card accounts, which customers initiate at the store or online. Unfortunately, we've no idea if Shell plans on expanding this to other locales after the pilot program has concluded, but Chris Susse, Shell's manager of global refueling innovations (nice title, eh?) did note that he hoped the initiative would increase customer loyalty at the very least.
UK comes together on mobile micropayments
Carriers in the UK have started to roll out PayForIt, an industry-standard solution for micropayments -- charges totaling less than £10 (about $20.16) in this case -- to their subscribers. Though there are already plenty of ways to pay for odds and ends likes games and ringtones through cellphones, that in itself is a problem; with payment services like premium-rate text messages, customers are left with a confusing experience that leave them wary of the whole process and less likely to use it again. PayForIt, on the other hand, leaves buyers with a standard receipt page regardless of what they're purchasing along with some semblance of assurance that the system is secure. Purchases show up on the next month's phone bill, at which point purchasing 650 ringtones may seem like a distinctly poorer plan (not to say we've ever done that or anything). No word on when we might see the service outside the British Isles; companies involved over there seem to be pretty amped, though, so if everything pans out, we imagine a broader launch will be in the cards.
Slippery Rock University intros RFID payment system for mobiles
And you thought going away to college was the first step to freedom. Au contraire, students (and faculty, no less) entering Pennsylvania's Slippery Rock University will actually be faced with an RFID tag made for their handset, which will "allow them to pay for everything from laundry and copier services to movies and groceries in the surrounding town of Slippery Rock." The 13.56MHz tags were developed by Heartland Payment Systems and utilize NFC to make spending their parents' cash all the more simple. Of course, high rollers should be aware that their guardians can log in at any time and view their purchasing habits, so we'd be careful before pulling out the long face and car trouble story. The cards will reportedly cost around $1 apiece, but will be "available for free" to all of the SU students.[Via Textually]
Voice Pay enables secure vocal transactions
In the continual quest to make depleting your wallet entirely more convenient, Voice Pay's online payment system actually expects you to vocally confirm your next decrease in fundage. Dubbed the "world's first payment system interlinked with advanced voice biometric technologies," the system records and stores your "vocal fingerprint" so you can phone in a payment or purchase products on-site that support it. Of course, it's entirely likely that you'll be repeating all sorts of random numbers, passwords, and mother's maiden names in public in order to get that bill paid, but we're sure the hardcore yappers won't mind a bit.[Via Textually]
GSM Association gets everyone together for phone e-wallets
With services like NTT DoCoMo's FeliCa-based Osaifu-Keitai in Japan and Mifare deployed through much of Europe, perhaps one of the last great hurdles to widespread acceptance of phone-based e-wallets is a lack of standardization. Either that, or most people don't feel the need to pay for things by tapping their phone on various devices, but we digress; the point is that the GSM Association has now taken up the cause of getting everyone on the same page with its global "Pay-Buy Mobile" initiative. We really mean global, too -- among a slew of carriers, AT&T, NTT DoCoMo, Vodafone, and KTF are on board, representing the US, Japan, Europe, and South Korea, respectively, and the manufacturer camp counts Nokia, Samsung, and LG as its members. The first Pay-Buy Mobile trials are schedule to kick off this October, a schedule that is probably helped along by the availability of existing software and chips from Sony and NXP and the GSMA's pledge to build off financial institutions' existing NFC initiatives. We can't promise we'll use it -- but yeah, if it's secure, go ahead and build it into our phones, folks.[Via Phone Scoop]
