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NYC Taxis in Square Mobile Payment System Pilot Program

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The Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) of New York City has given the go-ahead for Square Mobile Payment system to conduct a pilot program.

The approved pilot program will involve 30 NYC taxicabs (the city has a total of 13,237 taxis) and will run for one whole year. The taxis under the program will be installed with iPads in the backseat, replacing the Creative Mobile and Verifone Taxi TVs. Aside from the iPad, the drivers will also access an iPhone that is installed within their easy reach. The iPhone will help in processing credit cards, looking at traffic data and other types of information. [Read more…]

Google Wallet: How it works

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Google has been consistently coming out with a lot of new products that have met with a lot of success. One of the most ambitious Google projects to be unveiled to the public is Google Wallet, which could be considered a highly effective payment platform using smartphones. So how does Google Wallet work?

Google Wallet uses an embedded near-field communications or NFC chip that allows users to use their credit cards, debit cards, coupons, store loyalty cards and other payment or discount products without having to physically use the card. With the use of the NFC chip, all the user needs to do is to use their smartphone and tap it onto a payment receiver to initiate and complete the transaction. Bigtime brands like Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express have already thrown their support for Google Wallet and will become part of the whole Google Wallet system. [Read more…]

The Journey of Amazon

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Amazon is the oldest and largest online retailer in the US. It initially started life in the mid 90’s selling books but now sells a variety of products from DVD’s to toys and even furniture. Below is a graphical representation of their growth and success over the last 15 years.

Enjoy this great Infographic from our friends at Infographiclabs

Square Rolls Out Credit Card Payment App for iPhone, iPad and Android

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Are we now looking at the future of credit card payment solution? I mean, does the Square credit card app which is now available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices the future of mobile commerce?  It could possibly be, depending on the success of Square’s credit card payment system which just got out into the open, ready to offer an alternative payment solution not just for small entrepreneurs but big businesses as well.

How Does Square Work?

First, how does Square work really? What do you need to start accepting credit card payments using your iPhone and iPod Touches, iPad or Android devices. Of course you need any of those devices. Then you also need Square’s credit card swiper which you attach to your device’s headphone jack. The credit card swiper is free and even comes with an online dashboard to let you keep track of what you’ve sold.

Once connected to the device, you can now swipe the credit card, and the application will process the transaction.  After swiping you let the customer sign the transaction using a finger. Customers can opt to add a tip before entering their phone number or email address. Transaction receipts are delivered via SMS or email on the customer’s mobile device.

“With Square the goal is to get people in immediately, and make the transaction as smooth and simple as possible,” says Jack Dorsey, the brains behind Square and the cofounder and chairman of Twitter.

Will  It Take Off?

Right now, there are around 1,000 users who are testing the Square card swipers. Dorsey hopes to distribute it to millions more in three months. Some people are actually using the system now out of the pilot program.

The band Spoon for instance is using the Square app for selling their merchandise while on the road. Tipping Point is currently using 25 iPod Touches for taking donations at fundraising events.

Democratic congressional candidate  for New York, Reshma Saujani has been using Square to accept donations for her campaign.

Surely, Square’s credit card app is taking off. But it’s success will still depend on customer acceptance. It’s going to be a change of mindset which is pretty hard to achieve.

eBay Releases Two iPhone Apps, iPad App Coming On April 3

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Through the years, eBay has proven itself as a very viable e-commerce site providing consumers with fast and reliable platform for both selling and buying consumer goods. But that’s just eBay’s web interface.

Today, eBay is taking its selling business on mobile, specifically on the iPhone with the release of two new apps – eBay.com global marketplace and the new  eBayClassifieds.com site.  Both these iPhone apps allows you to take photos of an item that you want to sell, upload it to Ebay.com or EbayClassifieds and wait until someone notice and buys it.  A pretty simple and quick way of transacting sales online, with the help of the iPhone.

“The eBay Selling app makes it easy for sellers to bring even greater value and selection to eBay and offer more great deals for buyers. Whether selling or shopping, we’ve put the world’s largest online marketplace in the palm of your hand, and we’ve introduced a great new option for consumers who prefer to sell and buy in a trusted, family friendly local classifieds format,” said Lorrie Norrington, president of eBay Marketplaces.

True enough both the Ebay Selling App and Ebay Classifieds app lets you do the following:

For eBay Selling Ap – point, shoot and click to list an item from their iPhones in 60 seconds or less, research sales trends and price ranges on eBay and list similar items for sale, easily and clearly view the status of items for sale, share listings with Facebook and Twitter social networks and quickly link to other eBay and PayPal iPhone apps.

For eBay Classifieds App – free ad postings in less than a minute with up to eight photos, either from the iPhone’s photo library or its camera, fast and simple search by keyword, location, price range and other attributes and single-page ad view with reply, watch, and share features – all while on the go.

And before I forgot, if you ordered the iPad, you’d be among the first users who will enjoy the upcoming eBay app for the iPad.

Here’s a demo of the eBay Classifieds iPhone app: