cards

Business owners looking to turn their mobile devices into credit card machines can now purchase the Square Card Reader at Walgreens, Staples, and FedEx stores across the U.S., according to a Market Wire press release.

The card reader enables anyone with a mobile device, like a smartphone or a tablet, to accept credit card payments.

Square, the company that makes the Square Card Reader, announced today that the technology is now sold in more than 7,000 Walgreens stores, 1,500 Staples stores, and 1,500 FedEx Office stores, making the product available at more than 20,000 retail … Read more

Those of you shopping for iTunes gift cards can grab them at a healthy discount at Best Buy.

The retail outlet is offering the full range of iTunes gift cards for 15 percent off the usual price. So a $15 card is selling for $12.75, a $25 card for $21.25, a $50 card for $42.50, and a $100 card for $85.

Buyers can opt to purchase online so the code is delivered via e-mail or pick up a card at their local Best Buy store. No returns or refunds are allowed on the iTunes gift cards, but … Read more

An Apple design did indeed prevail in a standardization struggle over a design for next-generation SIM cards, the tiny chips that let mobile phones identify themselves to wireless networks.

Apple had been duking it against Nokia, Research in Motion, and Motorola over the design of a fourth-generation, smaller SIM (subscriber identity module) card. On Friday, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) settled on the design for this fourth form factor (4FF) SIM card, but it didn't say whose design won.

In an interview today, SIM card maker Giesecke & Devrient said Apple's design, unchanged since last year, is … Read more

Those hoping for a chance to dine with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak will have to settle for an Apple gift card instead.

Computer memory maker Crucial today made a significant change to the grand prize in the Mac-centric contest it launched earlier this month. Instead of offering a dinner with Wozniak in San Francisco, the company said that "due to unforeseen circumstances," the new prize has been changed to a $10,000 Apple gift card.

"We apologize to our customers for the change in the grand prize, and hope entrants will understand that we were trying to … Read more

RightMark AudioAnalyzer is a free audio testing tool that takes the place of a bench-top full of equipment, including spectrum analyzers, tone generators, and test records. It can test the analog and digital signal paths of most any audio device, especially sound cards but also CD and DVD players, MP3 players, and recording devices. Using your sound card as a reference, it can evaluate other sound cards as well as audio devices connected to your sound card's inputs and outputs. It can even self-test audio cards that can handle separate inputs and outputs simultaneously. Several of its modes require … Read more

Have you ever received an e-mail with a link to an e-card and wondered whether it was legit?

Those of you who send or receive e-cards via American Greetings now have an extra layer of protection against phony phishing e-mails.

Working with security company Agari, American Greetings has put in place a new spec called DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) geared toward protecting its users.

DMARC is a verification system that can determine whether e-mails are coming from legitimate senders or imposters trying to coax people to click on malicious links. The system shares feedback among companies to … Read more

In today's show, we test Google's new operating system, chirp goodbye to Nextel, and pay our Russian bills with green pigs:

The reviews are out for Samsung's new Chromebook and Chromebox, running on the newly updated Chrome OS. And the bottom line is that it's better than the last version, but still not all that impressive. (Especially since the Chromebook has limited capabilities and costs more than a tablet.)

The Nextel network will officially be killed-off in June of 2013, and Sprint is pushing Nextel customers to use Sprint Direct Connect devices.

There's a new … Read more

PayPal announced today it is partnering with 15 more U.S. retailers aiming to get shoppers to use PayPal's offline payment system.

"Consumers are relying on technology now more than ever to simplify their lives when it comes to shopping and paying, and retailers must adapt to this shift or risk becoming irrelevant," PayPal President David Marcus wrote in a blog post. "Innovative retailers everywhere are looking for ways to improve the shopping experience, extend loyalty programs and better engage with their customers."

The new retailers include, Abercrombie & Fitch, Advance Auto Parts, Aeropostale, American … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--Think there are too many digital wallets out there? MasterCard would disagree.

The No. 2 payments processor today unveiled PayPass Wallet Services, its own take on the digital wallet. Initially, it will pop up in the form of a payment icon at merchant Web sites. The wallet will allow users to store all of their cards, and MasterCard plans to distribute developer tools to allow other wallets to work with its network. The move is an attempt to broaden PayPass beyond contactless payments and into something more ubiquitous.

MasterCard is just the latest to be lured in by the … Read more