payments

Kickstarter addresses questions about refunds on failed projects

After concerns were raised about where donors' money goes if Kickstarter projects are never finished, the crowd-source funding platform addressed its accountability today.

"The number of creative projects that have been funded and produced on Kickstarter in the past three years is enormous," the company's co-founders, Perry Chen, Yancey Strickler, and Charles Adler, wrote in a blog post today. "But of course not every project goes perfectly. Delays do occur, especially with more complicated projects. Some creators get in over their heads dealing with processes that are new to them."

Ultimately, Kickstarter concluded that the … Read more

Apple user data uncovered by hackers

Tuesday's tech news roundup is cracking the code:

Members of the hacker activist movement AntiSec claim they accessed an FBI agent's laptop and found the unique device identification numbers for 12 million Apple iOS devices. The group posted one million of these ID numbers online. Hackers criticized the data that these UUID numbers can reveal about a user, and called into question what the data could be used for.

These UUIDs are not the same as Apple ID email and passwords used to log into iTunes accounts. Rather, these are unique serial numbers for every Apple device, and … Read more

What the mobile payment craze is really about: Coupons!

Your smartphone is going to get more adept at handling money, but maybe not in quite the way you've been imagining it would.

There's been a lot of talk lately about mobile payments and how new apps or NFC technology will let you pay for things with your smartphone. But the truth is that this market is less about finding a new way for you to pay for things and more about offering you an easier way to carry and redeem coupons and special offers.

What's the most successful mobile payment system to date? It's an … Read more

PayPal for Android completely refreshed

The newest version of PayPal for Android is out, and it sports a refreshed interface, complete with the "Holo" styling typical of apps designed for Android 4.0 and above. All of the main navigation is at the top, with the familiar dotted menu button sitting on the top-right of the Action Bar.

With all of PayPal's core features now split into three tabs -- Account, Send, and Request -- PayPal 4.0 is easier than ever to use. Plus, it now looks and feels more in line with its sibling PayPal Here, the company's answer … Read more

Square adds AT&T to list of card reader distributors

Square has added to its list of retail partnerships with the announcement today that AT&T will begin selling the Square Card Readers at its stores.

The mobile payments startup's credit card reader will be offered at 1,000 AT&T stores, making Square available at more than 20,000 retail locations in the U.S., including at Apple stores, Best Buy, FedEx Office, RadioShack, Target, Walgreens, and Wal-Mart.

"AT&T stores are a convenient retail destination for purchasing Square Card Readers, offering entrepreneurs the ability to purchase all of the devices they need to … Read more

Isis mobile payment venture to launch next month

ISIS, a joint venture between the wireless carriers to usher in a mobile-payment system, is poised to launch in two trial markets in September.

That's according to Doug Bergeron, CEO of Verifone, which makes the payment terminals that most mobile-payment systems rely on. Bergeron confirmed the month to CNET, although he declined to provide a specific date. Bloomberg earlier reported on ISIS' launch time.

Bergeron was optimistic about the prospects for ISIS.

"With the carriers on their side, they stand to have a very good chance to succeed provide the handset makers get NFC-enabled smartphones out as promised,&… Read more

Apple patent points to another step on the road to NFC

Apple has won a patent that adds another piece to the puzzle of mobile payments via near-field communications.

Dubbed "Motion based payment confirmation," the new patent details several ways to help the user confirm that a mobile transaction has actually been completed while using a mobile device like an iPhone or iPod.

One method points to a graphical element on the screen that the user can move to confirm or decline a transaction. Another method cites the use of an accelerometer to sense movement of the device and move the graphical element in response.

Artwork in the patent … Read more

PayPal brings digital wallet to merchants through Discover

PayPal and Discover said today that they will partner to bring PayPal's digital wallet and payment services to millions of merchants in the Discover network.

Under the partnership, merchants in the Discover payment network will be able to accept PayPal payments. PayPal said that consumers would be able to take advantage of its services at these merchants.

PayPal, which has long handled online transactions, has attempted to breach the physical world with several mobile payment initiatives. From exploring the use of physical cards to the use of tap-and-go stickers, and even paying with smartphones, the company wants to be … Read more

Square outage squelches payments

Square was hit by an hour-long outage yesterday evening, stopping some payments being processed.

The outage caused problems for users of the startup's website, Squareup.com, as well as its mobile app, The Next Web reports.

Square spokesman Aaron Zamost told the publication:

"Some users experienced a connectivity issue late this evening, during which time our website was inaccessible and some payments could not be processed. The issue was quickly recognized by our engineering team and has been fixed. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused and we're taking the appropriate steps to ensure … Read more