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Paypal security chief wants more fingerprints, fewer passwords in future iPhones
Speaking at an Interop keynote last week, Paypal Chief Information Security Officer Michael Barrett hinted that PINs and passwords may be going away when it comes to account security on smartphones. According to a post on CIO's website, Barrett serves as the president of the Fast Identity Online (FIDO) Alliance, an industry group looking for ways to replace the 52-year-old password technology with stronger authentication methods. FIDO combines hardware, software and internet services to provide that higher level of authentication. That hardware can include a fingerprint scanner, a voice reader or something else. Barrett noted in his keynote that FIDO-enabled devices should begin appearing later this year, and he'd love to see Apple and other smartphone manufacturers leading the way to making FIDO mainstream: "It's widely rumored that a large technology provider in Cupertino, Calif., will come out with a phone later this year that has a fingerprint reader on it," he said. "There is going to be a fingerprint enabled phone on the market later this year. Not just one, multiple." Apple, of course, bought fingerprint security firm AuthenTec last year. Whether or not the company plans to incorporate AuthenTec's technology in a phone debuting this year is pure conjecture at this point, but comments by Barrett and other information security executives seem to indicate that FIDO technology will be part of standard smartphone gear sooner than we expect. [via MacRumors]
PayPal's chief information security officer says passwords' days are numbered
Recently speaking at the Interop IT conference, PayPal's chief information security officer, Michael Barrett, stated that passwords and PINs were operating on borrowed time. Barrett hopes to replace online security keys with a setup that's a blend of software and hardware-based identification. He also serves as president of the Fast Identity Online Alliance (FIDO) -- the organization's focus is to combine an effective mix of software (passwords and plugins) and hardware (USB drives and fingerprint scanners) for user authentication. PayPal's technology boss didn't allude to his company adopting these new types of security systems for its customers anytime soon. Instead he announced that FIDO-enabled devices will be hitting the market sometime this year. Progress, yes, but until this hardware becomes more widely available, it's likely that you'll be spending more time getting acquainted with two-step logins.
Tweetwall rebuilt, new iPad app available
Tweetwall is a company that provides Twitter displays for events, allowing companies to show guests the live Twitter chatter about their events. Their clients have included CNN, Yahoo, Intel, PayPal, Microsoft, eBay, the Obama campaign and the Webby Awards. Now Tweetwall has launched a rebuilt version of its service, including a redesign and a new iPad app offering AirPlay support. The iPad app is currently free to download and works with AirPlay or the digital AV adapter to display your feed on a screen. Tweetwall is offering two variations on pricing for their service, a US$49-a-day self-service model where your wall is built from templates and a full service option that has a $1,000 setup, plus $249 per event day. Loading times and stability have been improved, and the service allows filtering to keep your event wall from being spammed with profanity or other keywords. Correction: This article original incorrectly stated the price of the full service option as being $500 a day. The $500 quoted was a test price the company ran to see if pricing drastically impacted the volume of Tweetwalls we were doing per week. According to a company representative in the comments it worked and was the inspiration for the launch of the self service platform. (5/20/13) [via TechCrunch]
PayPal and Discover expand partnership, will reach 2 million stores by year-end
When PayPal saw Square for the first time, we're fairly sure its CEO glumly stared out of the window, said "we're going to the mattresses" and promptly called the CEO of Discover to talk about an alliance. That unholy union has now brought PayPal into 250,000 retail outlets in the US, and the pair is now promising that the figure will be closer to two million by the end of 2013. Merchant acquirers such as Vantiv, WorldPay and TSYS have also signed up, presumably begging the pair not to let Jack Dorsey take the shirt from their backs.
Log In with PayPal simplifies shopping, uses your account on merchant sites
There's no shortage of single sign-on solutions out there. But whereas Facebook, Twitter and Google all have a heavy focus on social (obviously), PayPal's take on the field is built around commerce and privacy. Rather than requiring you to set up an account with every site you shop at, entering the same personal information over and over, the stalwart online payment firm wants you to use your PayPal identity across multiple merchants. It uses the same standard protocols (such as OAuth) as its social SSO relatives, but instead of posting meals or books to your feed it sends payment information to shops through a secure channel. When you feel like snagging yourself a pair of fly kicks, all you'd need to do is enter your username and password, or phone number and PIN. All other data, such as shipping and billing address and payment information, would then be passed on by PayPal automatically -- leaving you with nothing to do but admire what a beautiful pair of sneakers your precious Mr. Cuddlesworth makes. For more, check out the quick demo video after the break.
Skullgirls funding temporarily blocked by Paypal [update: XBLA patch on the way]
Paypal froze Lab Zero Games' account briefly today, due to risk that a significant number of Skullgirls crowdfunding pledges would be revoked. Lab Zero allowed backers to vote on new DLC characters, leading to the theory that if their chosen character didn't make it into the game, some fans would pull their "vote." "Basically, they are terrified of chargebacks," CEO Peter Bartholow told Venturebeat. "If we spend all the money and don't deliver and everyone [requests] chargebacks, PayPal is concerned they will be on the line for [the money]. So, they are effectively treating it as a loan."After discussions with PayPal, the company has "unrestricted" Lab Zero's account, but continues to hold around $35,000, which Lab Zero CEO Peter Bartholow had planned to use for payroll. "They've only got $35k of our money frozen, so we're not in any real danger," Bartholow said on NeoGAF. "It's just an inconvenience at the moment."Update: In other Skullgirls news, Bartholow tells XBLAFans the "Slightly Different" patch should arrive in the next two weeks on Xbox.
LG adds PayPal to its smart TV platform for faster app purchases
Looking to jumpstart interest in its in-house ecosystem, LG is adding PayPal as a software purchasing option for its latest line of smart TVs, making it the first manufacturer to natively use the service. Available now in the US, Canada and UK, this new addition will let you use either a traditional or Magic remote to navigate an onscreen keyboard when buying apps, games or $50 worth of 3D Disney movie rentals. The real potential time saver here is the addition of an optional "remember me" feature which lets users store their PayPal account information for faster purchases. Look for the service to expand to Australia, France, Germany and Italy sometime this month, with other markets set to follow later.
PayPal introducing new iOS SDK, APIs at SXSW
PayPal has announced that it's bringing a new iOS SDK and some new API tools to SXSW next week. As you might expect, the API will allow apps to use PayPal's tools to integrate payment information directly rather than having to go through a separate authorization page. As you can see on the official website, devs will be able to simply use a few method calls to set up PayPal payments, and get proof back that payment has taken place. The API also includes credit card scanning software from Card.io, which PayPal acquired last year. And finally, PayPal's also released some code to work with other platforms and languages, including some Javascript buttons, as well as APIs for REST, OAuth and JSON. So developers will have a lot of new tools to work with PayPal's payment system. It's unclear, however, what Apple thinks of this development -- it seems to me that paying through PayPal from an iOS app gets around Apple's requirement of taking a cut from everything sold on the App Store. But that's something that Apple and PayPal will need to work out. If you're a developer who wants to dive in to what's available here, you can download the PayPal iOS SDK for free right now. Update: PayPal president David Marcus just contacted me via Twitter to say that this SDK is meant for service transactions, not digital sales, so it doesn't fall under Apple's rules. In other words, the tools here are to be used for selling things outside the iPhone with Apple's device, not selling iPhone content or other items directly.
PayPal Here coming to the UK with a chip reader to match (video)
US-born mobile payment methods like PayPal Here and Square haven't had much traction in Europe, due in no small part to the continent's frequent reliance on chip-and-PIN credit cards over North America's (slowly outgoing) magnetic stripes. PayPal is getting around that technical barrier through the most direct method possible -- replacing the reader altogether. PayPal Here's UK deployment swaps out the triangular US reader for a considerably bulkier Bluetooth peripheral that takes the newer payment method. Other elements will be familiar to anyone who's used Here on an Android or iOS device in another country, minus the obligatory changes in currency. In other news today, PayPal also snapped up Paydiant, the company that powers mobile wallets for retailers like Walmart and Target. PayPal is partnering with a handful of UK businesses before launching Here on a wider scale in the summer -- not soon enough for some, but it might save a few Brits from scrounging through their wallets just to buy some ice cream.
PayPal offers preview of much-needed site redesign, finally enters Web 2.0
While PayPal's recently revamped homepage looks fresh and modern, the actual account interface is still mired in the past, seemingly unchanged since the early aughts when the company first hit it big alongside Ugg boots and American Idol. As the online payment giant seeks to reinvent itself however, it's finally bringing the site design into the future. PayPal has offered a sneak peek at the new look, and it's certainly more in line with current design tropes, with a cleaner and clearer aesthetic and improved navigation to boot. The refreshed design also hints at the company's upcoming retail efforts like in-store checkouts and purchasing grace periods where you can buy the item at the store, bring it home and then decide where the funds should come from. We're still not sure when the redesign will roll out, but we're guessing it'll be around when those Discover Network cards come into play. For more screenshots of the new PayPal, take the design tour at the source.
PSA: PayPal now a payment option for North American PSN users
PSN members can now add funds to their virtual wallets via PayPal when using Sony's Entertainment Network site. At least users will be able to use PayPal; every attempt we've made at adding funds has resulted in an error.Either Sony's system recognizes that our PayPal accounts are empty, or it knows we were about to attempt to use the Bill Me Later service through PayPal, since we'll gladly pay them Tuesday for a video game today. When the system starts working again, we'll let you know if that's an option.
VeriFone retreats from mobile payments, says acquiring users 'fundamentally unprofitable'
After joining the mobile payment bandwagon last spring with Sail, VeriFone is ready to scale back its efforts in the venture. "Our experience through 2012 with tens of thousands of these micro-merchants tells us that the standalone economics of micro-merchant acquiring are fundamentally unprofitable," the firm's CEO, Doug Bergeron, said in a quarterly conference call. According to the head honcho, the cost of wrangling up new business users through ads and the like "will never justify the razor thin-margins produced by merchants with infrequent volumes and extremely high attrition." As a result of those costs and the risks of fraud associated with payments, the outfit will be handing off the user recruitment side of Sail to banks and "merchant acquirers," and plans to sell some of the platform's related assets. Despite the company's retreat from mobile payments, Bergeron considers the only way others could survive in the space is to provide merchants with auxiliary services, such as digital wallets, which competitors such as Square have begun to dabble in. VeriFone may have soured on mobile payments, but it's highly likely we'll see others give it the old college try as well.
An interview with PayPal president David Marcus: as offline / retail prominence grows, a renewed focus on customer service
One doesn't have to look far to find my true feelings on just about any company. PayPal, in particular, has been on the wrong end of many examples of customer service gone horribly wrong. After lambasting the payments outfit once more following a gaffe I discovered while interviewing Infinitec co-founder Ahmad Zahran, I did something I rarely do: I reached out to the company's president on Twitter. A few hours later, the 39-year old David Marcus responded. At the time, I was floored to get anything more than a passing sigh, but after visiting his new home - a nondescript office at PayPal's headquarters in San Jose, Calif. - I learned that my experience wasn't a unique one. Marcus, a tall, handsome chap who was absorbed into eBay after a $240 million acquisition of mobile-payments provider Zong, was bestowed with the herculean task of running PayPal not long after Scott Thompson departed for Yahoo. Upon walking up to his office, it becomes immediately clear that he's aware of it -- his room is labeled "GSD," which the clever among us would recognize as "Get Sh*t Done." Outside of a few tall windows, there's little more here than a desk, a striking Nixie clock and a personal coffee machine -- seemingly, the bare essentials needed to achieve the three-lettered goal he sees each time he enters. Under Thompson's guidance, PayPal had grown at a rate seen by only a handful of other companies in the world, notching double-digit profit increases like clockwork. As it turns out, Thompson had little choice but to focus almost entirely on risk management and investor relations during his tenure - with millions in transactions pouring in by the hour, and new nations and currencies being added by the month - it simply had to be all about the numbers. Now, PayPal finds itself thrust into a new era. It's an era led by a startup junkie, tasked with getting a 13,000-plus-member team to buy into an entirely new culture. It's a culture that realizes how sensitive consumers are to financial taboos, how vital it is to iterate before rivals can even plan and how irreparably damaged PayPal's brand could become if customer service isn't a top priority as it soldiers into the world of offline payments. %Gallery-172861%
Distro Issue 69: Can David Marcus fix PayPal's reputation?
It's no secret that PayPal has had its fair share of speed bumps, but can a change in leadership help usher in a new era? The online payment outfit's new president, David Marcus, seeks to do just that and we offer a look at said task inside our weekly. As far as full-length reviews are concerned, we put both the Galaxy S III Mini and Acer's $199 Chromebook through their respective paces. IRL is back with another look at our personal gadget stash, Recommended Reading examines the Lytro and The Almost's Jon Thompson takes a run at the Q&A. The requisite download links reside below, leaving you mere clicks away from some relaxing weekend e-reading. Distro Issue 69 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro APK (for sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Microsoft talks up Dropbox, Twitter, ESPN and PayPal for Windows 8
There's plenty of excitement surrounding the release of Windows 8 here at Build. The general consensus around the operating system, however, holds that the key to the OS's success is all about the apps, and CEO Steve Ballmer had no shortage of news on that front. The green-polo-shirted exec made mention of an official tweet from Twitter, noting the service's development plans for a Windows 8 app coming "in the months ahead." Also on the slate is Dropbox -- the popular storage service has an app "coming soon," according to Microsoft's own official blog. ESPN got a little face time at the event, showing off an app that'll deliver news, scores and video to Windows 8 users. Paypal, meanwhile, took the opportunity to talk up an API that'll bring its commerce services to Windows Store apps. More info on the new apps can be found in the source link below.
PayPal Here goes on sale at AT&T stores: like a one-stop shop for account hiccups
PayPal Here, despite all its focus on in-store transactions, hasn't really been available to buy in a US store -- that's been the domain of the seemingly ubiquitous Square reader. eBay's payment wing has at last established that retail beachhead through a deal with AT&T. About 1,800 of the carrier's stores are now carrying PayPal Here readers, and they'll keep the service's big rival from hogging the spotlight at a time when most aren't even aware that there's any competition. If you're still cynical, you can look at the AT&T move as a matter of convenience: at least this way, all your account headaches will come from one place.
Storific, PayPal to improve iPhone mobile payment
Mobile payment services are the next big thing for smartphone owners, with some analysts predicting that smartphone-based payments will become a $617 billion industry by 2016. Big name companies like PayPal are offering mobile payment solutions and working with app developers to get this fledgling industry off the ground. The latest venture pairs PayPal with Storific, a Paris start-up that wants you to buy your lunch using your iPhone. According to VentureBeat, the service works with small restaurants and cafes to help them streamline the online ordering process. Storific offers an iPhone app that lets customers order ahead and pay for their food without waiting in line. Food establishments receive the order and prepare the food while the customers makes his or her way to the restaurant. Payment is handled via PayPal wallet, which will deduct the money from the customer's account and automatically send it to the merchant's account. PayPal charges restaurant owners the standard transaction fee that anyone pays when they receive a PayPal payment. Storific started in December 2010 and is available in about 80 locations across the US and Europe.
The extremes of technology customer service: how common sense and empathy create unmatched loyalty
Allow me to explain how two discussions started off in very similar ways, and ended... shall we say, differently. This is me, attempting to muster any sort of pleasantness in my voice at some ungodly hour of the morning on a Google Voice connection from Dubai back to the US: "Hey! I'm having to cut a trip short due to an emergency back home. I actually purchased a trip protection plan when I checked out online -- would it be possible to provide a refund for this flight now that I need to cancel it?" From here, I was told that this was too vague. That I would need medical proof of an injury or illness, and that if it were a pre-existing condition -- something like reoccurring cancer -- that simply wouldn't do. Oh, and if it's a home emergency, you'll need proof from your home insurance company that your abode is "uninhabitable." "So... I'm basically hosed here? This trip protection plan doesn't really protect very much, does it?" "... Do you want to file the claim?" "No. That's okay. Thanks for your time." It doesn't have to be this way.
PayPal arrives on Windows Phone devices running version 7.5 or higher
eBay's money-exchanging service has brought its payments platform to Windows Phone 7.5 handsets. PayPal's new app lets you send and request cash and check your account details (hopefully while laughing maniacally at your own affluence). A "local" feature will also direct you toward vendors who accept the standard, just remember that NFC supporting handsets don't get here for another few weeks.
PayPal updates Android app with revamped UI, better account management
PayPal's been keeping itself quite occupied in the most recent months, with its newfangled Discover partnership and Card.io acquisition being at the forefront of it all. Today, however, it's something aimed at the Android crowd: the Google-approved application's hit a novel numerical version. So, what's new exactly? Most notably, there's a complete user interface facelift, which, according to PayPal, vastly improves the overall design and navigation within the app -- not to mention, it's taken on darker-colored theme. In addition to the fresh UI, the eBay-owned service now makes it easier to scan payment cards while on the go, as well as giving users an improved overview of their available, pending and total balance. Now, if only this took care of all those famed frozen account woes, we'd be all set.
