Mastercard

Visa, Mastercard fail Web shoppers again

commentary Internet shoppers once again have reason to question whether Visa and MasterCard are the best means for buying online.

People have taken to Twitter and online forums to express shock about a compelling expose published in The New York Times on Friday. The story focused on an online retailer with a dubious history of customer service that included responding to complaints from unhappy patrons by allegedly threatening their lives. The newspaper reported that Vitaly Borker, a resident of New York, had generated so many complaints from selling eyewear on his site, DecorMyEyes.com, that all the negative comments had … Read more

MasterCard MoneySend like PayPal for BlackBerry

It's no surprise that everyone wants in on PayPal's successful payments strategy, and MasterCard is no exception. On Wednesday, the credit card giant launched a version of its MoneySend mobile app for BlackBerry.

Similar to the iPhone version, MasterCard MoneySend for BlackBerry can settle peer-to-peer balances by sending money to friends and family, and purchasing goods from an informal vendor. The app's tool lets you request cash (via text message) that others owe you and receive credit and debit card payments made to your account.

Since MoneySend operates as a form of prepaid credit card, you can … Read more

Easy iPhone jailbreak

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Easier way to jailbreak an iPhone? Windows Phone 7 devices shipping soon Pocket Camcorder includes 3D webcam, no glasses required AT&T, Verizon & T-Mobile team up to challenge Visa and Mastercard Barnes & Noble's new store experience will include Nook E-readers for demo display

Yahoo gets social abroad

Yesterday I wrote about Yahoo's lack of social networking. Today Yahoo announced that it is acquiring a location-based social network called Koprol. It's a start!

Koprol is an Indonesian social network that sounds a lot like FourSquare, only it gives you the option to photograph and review locations that you check in to. 

Will Yahoo use this in all of its mobile products moving forward or is this just a strategic acquisition for the Indonesian market? For what it is worth, I think they should add social features to all mobile products moving forward. I'm not … Read more

Free, but 'Priceless' it ain't

Expanding on the theme of its well-known "Priceless" campaign, MasterCard's Priceless Picks pairs GPS and 3D maps to show you local deals, dining, and other points of interest in your immediate vicinity.You soar around the map in quasi-street view or bird's-eye view, identifying locations as the color-coordinated bubble pops up. Red for dining, blue for shopping, orange for "Priceless" items, and so on.

MasterCard hopes that local vendors will post constantly updating deals in the few words contained within each bubble, and that you'll also post your own local tips--best spot for … Read more

Hardly 'priceless': MasterCard's iPhone app

Updated 7/22/09 at 11:45am PT: MasterCard's first iPhone app, ATM Hunter, debuted last April.

On Friday, MasterCard jumped again into the iPhone fray with its second corporate iPhone app. Expanding on the theme of its well-known "Priceless" campaign, the free application, Priceless Picks, pairs GPS and 3D maps to show you local deals, dining, and other points of interest in your immediate vicinity.

How, other than the branding, does it differ from Google Maps, Yelp, and the squads of similar user-rated map apps? Not by much. You soar around the map in quasi-street view … Read more

Panel: Mobile payments misunderstood in U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO--The media are responsible, in part, for the lack of greater adoption of mobile payment systems in the United States, a panel of payment leaders said here Thursday at the fall 2008 CTIA.

"I think the media, because they don't understand the technology, and consumers, because they don't understand the technology, have created a hysteria around this," said Barry McCarthy, president of Mobile Solutions for First Data. "I think it's entirely unfounded."

Contactless payment systems use near field communication (NFC), an extension of the ISO 14443 proximity-card standard that allows mobile devices … Read more