Commerce

• Apple Pay
• Tech Industry
• Samsung
• acquisition
• Commerce

Samsung acquires Apple Pay competitor LoopPay to accelerate its mobile commerce effort

From 9to5Google: 

Samsung announced in a press release this evening that it has purchased LoopPay, an Apple Pay-like mobile payment company. LoopPay turns existing magnetic stripe card readers into secure, contactless receivers. This means that, in an ideal world, LoopPay would be available in nearly every retailer that accepts magnetic strip cards. A specific acquisition price is unclear at this point.

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• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• Square
• business
• email
• mobile payments

Square Cash now lets you send money over text messages, add notes to payments, more

Square launched its app Cash last fall making the process of sending money from your bank to other people over email, and today the company is introducing the next major version of its app. Square Cash 2.0 introduces a list of new features including the ability to now send a transaction over text messaging in addition to email and attach notes to payments for adding context to a transaction. Below you can see the full list of changes in the new version.

What’s New in Version 2.0

Everything is better in Cash 2.0!

• Send cash to any mobile phone number via text message.
• Faster, optimized sending interface.
• Import your address book for quick contact selection.
• Add a note to your payments.
• Pick a profile picture.
• Choose push notifications, text messages, or email notifications.
• Manage all of your email addresses and phone numbers in one place.
• Quickly approve incoming requests from a push notification or text message.
• Invite friends via text message and get $1 when they join.

Square Cash 2.0 is available for free on the App Store.

 

• Apps & Updates
• Apps
• iPad
• eBay
• Auction
• Commerce

eBay’s iPhone app gets new interface, quick sign-up with Drivers License scanning, iPad app gets enhancements

eBay’s iPhone application has received a significant update that affects both the user-interface and some core features.

Notably, the application’s interface has been tweaked for simplicity and features an improved bidding process for soon-to-be-ending auctions, larger photo views, and the ability to checkout multiple items simultaneously in the United States and United Kingdom.

Perhaps the most interesting and handy feature, though, is the ability to quickly sign-up for an eBay account by scanning your Drivers License with the iPhone’s camera. eBay owns high-profile barcode scanning technology, so perhaps that is used to make that new feature a reality. The free update is available on iTunes. 

eBay’s (separate) iPad app also got a notable update today: release notes below.

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• AAPL Company
• Apple News
• Tim Cook
• china
• Shanghai

Report: Apple’s rumored R&D center confirmed to open in Shanghai this summer

Following reports earlier this month that CEO Tim Cook’s most recent visit to China included talks about a new R&D center in China, new reports have claimed the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce confirmed the facility will open this summer. Today’s report came from Chinese news website yicai.com and was translated by BrightWire:

Apple has registered three firms in three buildings in Pudong, Shanghai, and one of them will be dedicated to procurement management and R&D, according to documents on the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce’s website.

(via MacRumors)