All Entries Tagged With: "payment"
Apple Introduces New iTunes Connect Payments and Financial Reports Module
Cupertino, California-based Apple announced today on the iPhone Dev Center news room the introduction of a new iTunes Connect Payments and Financial Reports module. The new site was apparently build from the ground up to make it easier for developers to obtain information regarding their payments, earnings, transaction history, sales, payment trends, and more. Everything will be displayed in a new interface, which has been dubbed “Dashboard” by Apple.
According to the company, developers can expect the following changes in regard to their payments:
- Reduction in the thresholds required to be paid, increasing the frequency you will receive proceeds.
- A consolidated single monthly payment for all your proceeds worldwide, reducing bank fees and costs.
- Clearer presentation of amounts earned, amounts owed, and a reconciliation between the reported sales and the amounts paid.
Check out a screenshot of the new interface in the full post. For more information, registered developers can read the iTunes Connect Payments & Financial Reports Guide on the iTunes Connect site.
BlackBerry App World 2.0 Now Available to Everyone
It wasn’t too long ago that Waterloo, Ontario-based Research In Motion made available the new BlackBerry App World 2.0 to select members of the BlackBerry Beta Zone. Well, Erictric has just been informed that BlackBerry App World 2.0 is now publicly available to every BlackBerry smartphone owner. We’re told that BlackBerry users will be notified of the upgrade in the coming hours. However, the update might be available by visiting www.blackberry.com/appworld from a BlackBerry smartphone
As we have reported before, the new BlackBerry App World 2.0 offers users the following features:
- New Payment Options
BlackBerry App World will support new payment options in addition to PayPal. Customers will be able to purchase applications using major credit cards, including Visa and MasterCard, in various countries around the world. Carrier billing may also be supported by certain carriers. - Easier Application Discovery
BlackBerry App World adds new tabbed sections for various lists of applications. Users can horizontally swipe or scroll to quickly view the Top 25 Free Apps, Top 25 Paid Apps and Top 25 Themes, as well as lists of Newest Apps and Recently Updated Apps.
Android Market PayPal Payments Coming As Soon As This Year
Own an Android phone? Likely, the first time you attempted to purchase a paid application, you had some figuring out to do. That’s because current users who wish to buy an application from the Market are required to set up a Google Checkout account with either a credit card, or a debit card. Unfortunately for many, payments via direct transactions with bank accounts [E-Check] are not permitted.
Things may be looking bright, however. A new report published by Bloomberg indicates that both Google and PayPal are in talks to bring PayPal payments to the Android Market — adding an entirely new level of convenience.PayPal currently stands as the top way to make transactions on the web, reducing confusion and friction for first-time Market buyers.
Bloomberg notes that the system could arrive “as soon as this year,” though when asked for comment, Google simply noted that they do not comment on rumor and speculation.
Google Acquisition of Jambool Officially Confirmed
On Monday, Erictric reported that Mountain View, California-based Google acquired San Francisco, California-based Jambool and its Social Gold payment system for allegedly $55 million plus between $15 million and $20 million in earn-out.
With that said, Jambool Chief Executive Officer Vikas Gupta and Chief Technology Officer Reza Hussein, who also founded the company, have officially confirmed on the Jambool Blog that Google has indeed acquired them. According to another post titled “Google / Social Gold FAQ,” all of the Jambool services will remain active and open for registration. The company will also continue to provide 24/7 support to existing and new customers.
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Complete announced available after the break.
Google to Acquire Jambool for Approximately $70 Million
Mountain View, California-based Google has reportedly agreed to acquire San Francisco, California-based Jambool and its Social Gold payment system, which allows developers to build payments into their games and applications. Google is said to pay approximately $70 million, $55 million of which is said to be the purchase price and between $15 million and $20 million to be an earn-out.
The company is rumored to be used against Facebook in the upcoming Google Me social network, as a direct competitor to Facebook Credits. Just last week, Google acquired social game and application developer Slide.
Jambool was founded in August 2006 by Chief Executive Officer Vikas Gupta and Chief Technology Officer Reza Hussein, both of whom were former Amazon employees.
Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, and AT&T Partner Up to Turn Smartphones Into Credit Cards
According to Bloomberg, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, and T-Mobile USA — three of the four major carriers in the United States — have partnered up to try to replace credit and debit cards with smartphones. A move that could pose a threat to major credit card companies such as Visa and MasterCard.
The three wireless carriers are said to initially work with Illinois-based Discover Financial Services and London, U.K.-based Barclays Plc. The new smartphone payment system is expected to be tested at several stores in Atlanta, Georgia along with three other unnamed cities. Sources have stated that the system will allow users to pay contactless with their smartphones, similar to Visa payWave.
Google May Debut Carrier Billing For Android Market
Could carrier billing be coming soon to Google’s Android Market? According to some legal changes on the Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement, it would appear as if Google is planning to incorporate some additional payment options for customers of the market, among which includes “authorized carriers.”
The new system, in essence, would allow consumers to purchase an application, and then add the charge to the customer’s monthly phone bill. It’s convenient, and you don’t have to pay for it right away (not until the bill comes in, anyway). The only carrier that currently does this at present is T-Mobile.
With that information in mind, Google’s giving developers thirty days to agree to the new Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement, signaling the new payment option may be a month or so away.
Google: Pay With Your Android Phone Using Google Checkout
Pretty soon, customers might be able to make payments at some of their favorite establishments using their Android-powered smartphones only. How’s this possible? You see, Google recently announced on The Official Google Checkout Blog the introduction of its new Android Payment Chrome Extension, which allows merchants to easily set up a store and accept payments through Google Checkout and Android. The system will also allow Google Checkout users to purchase goods from their phones.
The service works in the following way: once a customer has decided what to purchase, the merchant can create a cart on their computer with the chosen items. The merchant then click the “Checkout” button with the Android, in which case a QR Code will appear. By scanning the QR Code, customers are redirected them to the purchase page, where they can complete the transaction by paying with their Google Checkout Account on their phone. No need to use cash or credit cards at all.
Apple Acquiesces, Now Allows Cash Payments For iPad
It was reported earlier this week by an ABC affiliate that Bay-area resident Diane Campbell was refused an iPad simply because she wanted to pay in cash. The woman was told by an Apple Store employee that the policy was put in place by Apple to prevent sales in the black market. Ms. Campbell never got her iPad that day as a result.
Thankfully, ABC caught and ran the story, which spread like a cancer throughout the web on Tuesday. The idea that Apple was turning down the very basis of our currency — the United States dollar — aroused curiosity and outrage among many.
As of Wednesday, Apple has now changed their policies thanks to the ABC report, allowing customers to pay in cash for iPads, though requiring they set up their Apple accounts in the Apple retail store.
