iOS, News/Rumors

Dunkin’ Donuts Releases Mobile Payments App

Dunkin’ Donuts coffee lovers can now pay for their favorite coffee and for other baked goodies using their iPhone, iPod touch or Android smartphone. The company couldn’t afford to let the mobile payments area only for its rival, Starbucks, and launched the Dunkin’ Donuts app for iOS and Android.

If you are also a Starbucks coffee lover, then you should be used to such an app; the Dunkin’ Donuts app works the same as the Starbucks app. First load some cash and connect with your online account, and then save the QR code that will be scanned in shops. The app has support for American Express, Visa, Mastercard, Discover and PayPal.

Yet, unlike the Starbucks app, the Dunkin’ Donuts app allows you to send virtual Gift Cards to other mobile phones via text, email or Facebook. Also, you can check for nutritional information of any coffee or baked goodie. Otherwise, both apps have a good-looking, friendly interface.

Dunkin’ Donuts fan should not have a sugar rush though, or at least not yet. Taking into account that the app is freshly released, it will take a while until all the shops will be supplied with the QR scanners.

Accessories, iPhone 4S

Geode, the secure digital wallet for iPhone

Change your bulky wallet stuffed with various credit cards from stores and banks with a special iPhone case that works like a safe digital wallet. The mobile payments area gets revolutionized with Geode.

Geode is a fingerprint protected e-wallet that adapts to your iPhone in the shape of a protective case. It offers a special black card that replaces all your other credit, debit and loyalty cards; just imprint the data from your other credit cards on Geode card and scan the barcodes from your loyalty cards with your iPhone’s camera in order to create profiles for each of them in your smartphone’s memory. Geode also has an E Ink screen and a fingerprint scanner that locks the e-wallet.

The following video will explain with lots of details and in an amusing way how Geode works.

News/Rumors

Make payments with Siri in seconds

It seems that Siri can help you with more things that you have imagined so far. The fellows from Seconds Test showed that if you are hungry Siri can provide you with a delicious sandwich in seconds; just name what you want to it and Siri will automatically pay it for you.

There’s no doubt that behind this charming story is hidden Siri’s access to your credit card. But wouldn’t it be more convenient to let our personal assistant pay our tabs just by mentioning a dish. I can’t but to imagine that I am working and that just by saying that I would like to eat a pizza from whatever restaurant, my order will be paid in seconds and ready to be delivered.

Take a look at how Seconds Test managed to get some help from Siri.

Apple, News/Rumors

Apple wins patent for iWallet

Apple was granted on Tuesday a so called “Parental Control” patent which establishes a set of guidelines concerning methods of electronic payment transactions along with a detailed description about how future devices could implement credit card based system with iTunes backend.

Starting with 2010, Apple implemented many “iWallet” patents concerning mobile device payments, including NFC system. These new rules show the actors and the use cases of these transactions, offering a tight financial control for end users.

“A method, comprising: defining one or more rules using a handheld electronic device, wherein the one or more rules establish restrictions on transactions made using a financial account associated with an account holder other than the user of the handheld electronic device; and applying the one or more rules to the financial account.”

The key definition of this specific model involves a primary account for parents, and secondary ones for their kids. This way, parents are given the option to control their child’s mobile transactions by setting up some limits based on the amount, time, location of the transactions and a variety of other variables. The electronic device should be able to offer geo-location data and processing functionality that Apple needs to implement this control system.

I am sure this feature will be welcomed in modern society, especially for families who use shared iOS devices. The future is Apple, isn’t it?

Source: appleinsider

Apple, iOS, iPad, iPhone, News/Rumors

Apple will probably integrate NFC Mobile Payments System in next-gen iPhone

This rumor got the attention once again from an interview given to Fast Company by a MasterCard Chief, Ed McLaughlin. This NFC (near field communication) system works by using a chip to transfer payment data to credit card readers.

NFC and other contactless payment technologies already exist, but smartphone users have not been too receptive in adopting this mobile payments system by now, as Google Wallet service, which incorporates it, wasn’t quite successful. Even so, nobody doubts Apple’s capacity and strategy to revolutionize the markets it enters.

An interesting thing McLaughlin said was that he “doesn’t know of any handset manufacturer that isn’t in process of making sure their stuff is PayPass ready.” When asked specifically whether the contactless payments industry needs Apple, he said:

“Well, anytime someone with a major base moves forward, it advances what you’re doing.” 

Anyway, the MasterCard Chief didn’t mentioned Apple in any of his answers. Apple itself has not announced or revealed anything related to this matter, but there are voices who believe that this technology will be available in the next-generation of iPhone.

I personally, don’t see replacing credit cards in the close future, and I consider this technology might be dangerous for the users’ confidential data and might lead to hacker attacks.

Sources: modmyi , fast company