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VeriFone's new Payware Mobile Enterprise for Tablets looks a little Square
VeriFone added a new wrinkle to its ongoing battle for mobile payment supremacy yesterday, with the announcement of Payware Mobile Enterprise for Tablets -- a peripheral that will allow retailers to process transactions directly from any slate. Much like the company's Payware Mobile system, VeriFone's latest product involves a magnetic card reader and accompanying app that can turn any iPad or Android tablet into a handheld checkout unit. Geared toward larger enterprises, the new device also supports PIN verification for debit cards and NFC payments, rendering it compatible with Google Wallet, though it likely won't see a widespread release until 2012. Perhaps more intriguing is what this move could mean for the company's notoriously heated rivalry with Square. By explicitly targeting bigger retailers, VeriFone seems to be distinguishing itself from the small business-focused Square, despite the fact that its new product looks a lot like one of Jack Dorsey's creations -- or, as some CEOs would call them, "skimming devices."
VeriFone Payware Mobile iPhone now available in Apple retail outlets, your CC weeps
It's a little past January, but it's not like you've had too much trouble burning through your credit limit these past few months anyway, right? VeriFone -- that company responsible for the other iPhone credit card accessory -- has just announced that its slip-up case is now available in Apple retail stores. For those unaware, this card reader works on all iPhone 3G and 3GS handsets, and there's a built-in stylus for capturing signatures from those arguably shady street-corner transactions that you'll be engaging in. Best of all, the device and app are totally free assuming you agree to a 2-year service contract and a $49 "activation fee," but we'd caution you to read through the fine print under "merchant fees" before tossing away too much of that profit margin.
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]
VeriFone Payware Mobile iPhone peripheral looking ready to square off with, er, Square
Sure, it's not quite as elegant as a little cube jutting out of one corner of the iPhone à la Square, but it looks like the Payware Mobile could certainly double as a pretty sturdy case should it drop. More importantly, the backing of VeriFone means this mobile payment peripheral has some pretty important backing and should be able to hit the ground running. That magical date should be January 15th of next year, free on a 2-year Payware Connect contract, and pre-orders are now live on the website for those who want to join in on the phone. Just one word of advice: when you hand the iPhone over for someone to sign as proof of purchase, make sure you're able to outrun the chap. Just in case. [Thanks, Jason]
