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Retail

Leak Suggests Android Pay Launch On August 26th

August 25, 2015

Android Pay Launch McDonald's

It seems that Google may want to ensure they beat Samsung Pay to market. A document leaked from McDonald’s (of all places!) pegs Android Pay’s launch date as Wednesday, August 26th…that’s right, tomorrow. We don’t know how reliable McDonald’s internal documents are since obviously there is little precedent. That said, if Android OS Marshmallow (which includes Android Pay) launches tomorrow it would follow Google’s usual Wednesday release cycle. It also wouldn’t be surprising that Google is not making a lot of noise around the launch. When Apple Pay launched last October, it did so rather quietly – likely a move to ensure there were minimal launch issues. Even with a launch tomorrow, you probably shouldn’t rush out to pay with your phone at Bloomies through, these updates usually take a while to percolate down to your specific handset.

But perhaps things aren’t so binary; there could be a third option besides ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ The document also lists an August launch for Samsung Pay. While Samsung Pay does not officially launch until September 28th, the service opened to select users in the US (read: beta) on August 25th. If tomorrow comes and goes with no general release of Marshmallow, the August 26th date for Android Pay could be indicative of the start of a wide beta test of the service.

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by Doug Parker
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Verizon Blocks Samsung Pay
Retail

Not All Carriers Ready To Support Samsung Pay

August 24, 2015

Verizon Blocks Samsung Pay

With the official launch of Samsung’s mobile payment service just over a month away, not all US carriers are onboard. Samsung has revealed that Verizon, the country’s largest wireless provider, has yet to announce support for Samsung Pay. For Verizon’s part, all the company will say is that they are “in the process of evaluating” the service. Yes, there is still ample time for Verizon to join hands with Samsung (and the other US wireless carriers) in offering the mobile payment method, but given Verizon’s pledge to support Android Pay immediately after it was announced, I am skeptical. Verizon has a history of blocking proprietary features that only a few handsets would benefit from; the company blocked Google Wallet for years. It will be interesting to see if Samsung might be pushed to support Android Pay (in the US at least) if Verizon doesn’t allow the handset maker’s proprietary payment system.

The news of Verizon blocking a service to users on its network may make you wonder how that is possible. Anytime there is a software update to a mobile device, the carrier needs to test and approve it before it launches. Whether an Android or iOS device,  

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by Doug Parker
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Wearable Technology

Samsung Details Samsung Pay Launch And New Wearable

August 13, 2015

Samsung Pay Gear S2

Besides announcing some very large phones today, Samsung used their Unpacked 2015 event to offer up details on the upcoming Samsung Pay launch and show off a new smartwatch. The smartwatch is called the Gear S2. It is a metal, round faced watch that appears to run on the company’s custom Tizen OS platform. If the watch does run Tizen, it likely will not be compatible with non-Samsung devices. From the short glimpses shown today, it appears that Samsung is trying to improve the look of their wearables and corresponding software. Interestingly, we aren’t sure whether or not the Gear S2 is supposed to be a follow up to the original Gear S; it shares very little stylistically with its namesake and likely doesn’t have the S’s internal cellular connection. Samsung has promised to release more details about the wearable next month at IFA.

Samsung Pay also received some stage time today. With CurrentC exclusivity expiring, Apple Pay and other NFC based mobile payment systems are ready to make big leaps. Android Pay is expected to launch this Fall and we now know when Samsung Pay will come the US. The official US launch of Samsung Pay is September 28th, but select users will be able to beta test the service beginning August 25th. Slightly different from its competitors, Samsung does not require a NFC enabled pay terminal. Instead their technology also allows you to transmit a magnetic signal from your phone to swipe-based credit card readers. It will be interesting to see how practice the technology proves to be, especially since some pay terminals have a touch time reading cards that are actually physically swiped. Samsung hopes to bring its mobile payment service to the UK, Spain, and China next.

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by Doug Parker
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Samsung Pay Trial
Retail

Samsung Begins Testing Samsung Pay In South Korea

July 16, 2015

Samsung Pay Trial

Samsung’s slightly delayed mobile payment system seems to be back on the tracks for a late-summer launch. Samsung has begun testing Samsung Pay on select Galaxy S6 phones in South Korea. The service is similar to Apple’s NFC based payment system but also includes a technology acquired from LoopPay. The tech, called Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST), allows Samsung Pay to be used anywhere there is a magnetic card reader. Simply stated, a magnetic field emitted from the phone tricks the payment terminal into thinking you just swiped your card. While this sounds like an incredible solution to ensure widespread usability of mobile payment, early reports claimed that the MST tech was fairly finicky. Magnetic fields are directionally dependent and CNN found that the phone needed to positioned in a certain way to work. While we aren’t holding our breath on MST, anything that continues to push the adoption of NFC payments is fine by us! CurrentC, we are still waiting.

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by Doug Parker
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Is CurrentC Against The Ropes - Featured
Retail

Is CurrentC Against The Ropes Before It Launches?

June 18, 2015

CurrentC Against The Ropes

It is rare for consumers to want a new technology to die, but every now and then a tech emerges that everyone can smell a mile away as being bad for the consumer. One of the clearest examples of this over the past 20 years was Divx. No, Millennials, we are not referring to the video codec, but instead a self destructing DVD developed by now-defunct Circuit City. The $4/disc product was clearly aimed to capitalize on the ignorant and ill-informed.

Last year consumers found a new technology to loath. Called CurrentC, the mobile payment system was designed by a consortium of retailers (MCX) to answer all of their needs and seemingly none of the consumers’. The system was designed from the ground up to minimize hardware investment, increase data capture of the consumer (including personal details, i.e. weight), and reduce processing fees. In case you need a quick refresh, here is how it works.  

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by Doug Parker
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Retail

Mobile Wallet Update: Apple, Google, Samsung, CurrentC

June 17, 2015

Mobile Payments Summary June2015 Samsung Android Apple CurrentC

The march towards making mobile payments part of our normal lives continues at a slow pace. Given expense of the required infrastructure updates, it is not surprising. But the good news for the end user is that things are continuing to improve and move forward.

Both Google and Samsung have announced new / improved mobile payment systems, unimaginatively called Android Pay and Samsung Pay. At Google’s I/O conference the other week, the company detailed their new Android Pay platform, superseding Google Wallet for most mobile payments. While Google Wallet requires a virtual debit card which is refilled, Android Pay works similarly to Apple Pay; Google has worked with credit card issuers to allow the cards to be loaded onto the device and then charges are made anonymously with a tokenized card number. Android Pay is expected to launch this Fall with the Android M update. Having Apple and Google utilize a similar system is great news for the consumer as it will likely push the adoption of NFC terminals at retailers.

Samsung announced their Samsung Pay system this Spring as part of the Galaxy S6 unveiling.  

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by Doug Parker
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