Google poised to let users buy Web content with Google Wallet
by Casey Newton October 2, 2012
Micropayments, a long-discussed way of supporting content on the Web that has yet to catch fire with users, is about to get a big boost from Google.
The company confirmed today that users will soon be able to pay for Web content using Google Wallet, buying individual articles for an average of $0.25 to $0.99 each. Once users buy the page, they will own it forever, Google said. The project is expected to launch later today or tomorrow.
A draft post announcing the new project appeared briefly in the RSS feed for the Google Commerce blog, where CNET found it. The company later confirmed details of the launch and unveiled a web page for the product.
"Users love free content, and so we expect that advertising will remain the most effective monetization model for most content on the Web," the company said in the post. "However we know that there is more great content that creators could bring to the Web if they had an effective way to sell individual articles that users can find with search."
Google calls the project an experiment -- one "designed to help content creators bring more of this high-quality content to the Web."
If it works, it will mark the first significant success in a space that has seen countless efforts come and go. As Walter Isaacson wrote in Time in 2009: " If you remember Flooz, Beenz, CyberCash, Bitpass, Peppercoin and DigiCash, it's probably because you lost money investing in them."
Theories for why micropayments have failed to date run the gamut. In the past, they have required users to install new software, hand over sensitive credit card information, navigate complicated interfaces, and make uncomfortable bets on whether a given article will be worth the dollar they have been asked to pay for it. There's also the fact that in a world where the vast majority of content is free, getting users to pay is difficult.
Compared to its predecessors, at least, Google starts from a position of strength. Google Wallet already has thousands of users, and offers a suite of services that could lure millions over time. (Although it has been slow going to date, as Bloomberg noted earlier this year.) Paying for Web content gives users one more reason to sign up their credit card with Google Wallet -- and gives existing users a new way to use the product.
To encourage readers to shop, Google built an "instant refund" into the product. Users who aren't happy with the articles they purchase can get a refund within 30 minutes of their purchase. The company said they would guard against individual users seeking excessive refunds.
Publishers can create long previews of their articles, with the remainder made opaque so as to still give readers a sense of what they will get with their purchase. They can also continue to run ads with the content, so they get credit for ad impressions even if users don't purchase the article.
For publishers, enabling Wallet payments requires installing some code on their servers. Readers with Google Wallet accounts can purchase articles by clicking the Wallet button on the page.
For starters, Google is hand-picking the partners it is working with on micropayments. In time it expects to open it up to many more publishers, and release plug-ins for popular content management systems. Publishers who are interested in participating can visit this page.
Partners announced for the launch include book publisher Pearson and Oxford University Press, which will post 80,000 reference articles available for purchase. Web sites GigaOm and Motley Fool also plan to sell content using Wallet, the post said.
Presumably, Google is taking a cut of these payments, but the company wouldn't disclose what their fee is.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
YouTube and Google+? Who's using Hangouts and why.
YouTubers Adopting Google+?
By Panah On October 3In
Google Plus News
Not everyone who makes a couple of videos for YouTube is considered a pro YouTuber. But there are some folks who are making a very decent living out of producing their own videos. For Google+ to become even more popular than it is already, more of these superstar YouTubers need to adopt it. The good news is many are already doing it. At least, that is what the Wall Street Journal is reporting.
More YouTubers are now understanding how powerful Google+ Hangouts are. Considering that more than 400 million people have already signed up for a Google+ account, more of those top YouTube users are expected to get active on G+. “GirlsGuideTo” is just one of many YouTube shows expected to use the Hangouts feature more often. Google has made the process of joining Hangouts pretty easy too.
YouTube and Google+ are both going to be a big part of Google’s social plans in the future. The investors may not have high expectations for Google+ at this point. But things can change quickly.
Tagged as: google+, youtube
By Panah On October 3In
Google Plus News
Not everyone who makes a couple of videos for YouTube is considered a pro YouTuber. But there are some folks who are making a very decent living out of producing their own videos. For Google+ to become even more popular than it is already, more of these superstar YouTubers need to adopt it. The good news is many are already doing it. At least, that is what the Wall Street Journal is reporting.
More YouTubers are now understanding how powerful Google+ Hangouts are. Considering that more than 400 million people have already signed up for a Google+ account, more of those top YouTube users are expected to get active on G+. “GirlsGuideTo” is just one of many YouTube shows expected to use the Hangouts feature more often. Google has made the process of joining Hangouts pretty easy too.
YouTube and Google+ are both going to be a big part of Google’s social plans in the future. The investors may not have high expectations for Google+ at this point. But things can change quickly.
Tagged as: google+, youtube
Addiction and the Internet. Or is that Internet addiction?
Science Home Pictures Gadgets Gifts and Toys Store Login Find a Job M&S Wine Our Papers Feedback Wednesday, Oct 03 2012 3PM 5°C 6PM 14°C 5-Day Forecast
Internet addiction to be added to the list of serious mental disorders following alarming rise in children who cannot log off
'Internet-use disorder' to be logged as mental illness to disorder 'bible' DSM-IV
Experts report children as young as 12 suffering for internet and video game addiction
By EDDIE WRENN
PUBLISHED: 12:14 GMT, 2 October 2012 | UPDATED: 13:15 GMT, 2 October 2012
Comments (32)
Share
Children addicted to the internet could soon be classed as having a serious mental illness, it has been claimed.
According to the Sun-Herald, 'internet-use disorder' will be included in the DSM-IV - the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - from May next year.
The diagnosis will include those who are addicted to their smartphones as well as using tablet computers or desktop machines.
Australian experts joined the Australian Psychological Society in submitting the classification to the international manual, and added an inclusion of internet gaming addiction.
Rise of the machines: With internet access becoming cheaper and more accessible, 'internet-use disorder' will be classified as a mental illness
From next May, the internet-use disorder will be listed as as a condition 'recommended for further study'.
The addiction is said to be part of the fall-out over the 'always on' mentality that has engulfed many countries over the last decade, with the prevalence of cheap access and the rise of the smartphone.
Psychiatrists warn of rising numbers of children becoming addicted to games
Mike Kyrios from Swinburne University of Technology, who helped author the APS submission, told the Sun-Herald that, once more research is invested in the disorder, it will allow health professionals to diagnose children with addictive behaviours from technology over-use, leading to the correct treatment.
He said: 'With kids, gaming is an obvious issue. But overall, technology use could be a potential problem.'
Another psychologist, Emil Hodzic, who runs a video game addiction treatment clinic in Sydney, said he was concernedcbecause of what he saw as growing demand from frustrated parents and damaged children.
He said he was seeing clients as young as 12 addicted to the internet and video games.
''The most typical sign of addiction is anything that looks like withdrawal symptoms,'' he said.
'So any expression of distress, frustration, irritability when they don't get to play.''
He added that 70 per cent of his clients were children and teenagers and added: 'a lot of kids I have coming into the clinic have difficultly in being able to tolerate distress without zoning out via the internet or via the games.'
Psychiatrist Rhoshel Lenroot gave a note of caution to the newspaper, saying: 'I think [it] can be dangerous in not learning how to pay attention in a focused way, but in balance there is nothing wrong with technology.'
HOW DITCHING EMAIL CAN REDUCE YOUR HEART RATE
Many of us struggle to go more than a few minutes without checking our email inboxes.
But new research suggests ignoring messages altogether can reduce stress by having a positive effect on the heart.
Scientists who attached heart rate monitors to office workers found they remained in a state of 'high alert' throughout the day if they had constant access to email.
Now University of California informatics professor Gloria Mark has given her verdict on email after running an experiment in which 13 volunteers ignored their 'you've got mail' chimes for five days.
She said:'We couldn't see a discernible trend on days 1 and 2. But at day 5, the pattern started to become clear: People became less stressed after being away from email.
'We used monitors that measured the heart rate and also the intervals between heartbeats to obtain a common measure for stress called heart rate variability.
'People reported that they were more productive. They said they were able to focus on tasks longer. That was borne out by the data.
'On average, people with email switched windows about 37 times per hour. Without email, that was cut in half to 18 times per hour.
'With email, they spent an average of 394 seconds on any particular window. That went up to 568 seconds without email. This may not seem a lot, but in the world of multitasking it's a huge difference.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2211710/Sign-times--Internet-addiction-added-list-mental-disorders-following-alarming-rise-children-log-off.html#ixzz28FYK2DNP
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Internet addiction to be added to the list of serious mental disorders following alarming rise in children who cannot log off
'Internet-use disorder' to be logged as mental illness to disorder 'bible' DSM-IV
Experts report children as young as 12 suffering for internet and video game addiction
By EDDIE WRENN
PUBLISHED: 12:14 GMT, 2 October 2012 | UPDATED: 13:15 GMT, 2 October 2012
Comments (32)
Share
Children addicted to the internet could soon be classed as having a serious mental illness, it has been claimed.
According to the Sun-Herald, 'internet-use disorder' will be included in the DSM-IV - the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - from May next year.
The diagnosis will include those who are addicted to their smartphones as well as using tablet computers or desktop machines.
Australian experts joined the Australian Psychological Society in submitting the classification to the international manual, and added an inclusion of internet gaming addiction.
Rise of the machines: With internet access becoming cheaper and more accessible, 'internet-use disorder' will be classified as a mental illness
From next May, the internet-use disorder will be listed as as a condition 'recommended for further study'.
The addiction is said to be part of the fall-out over the 'always on' mentality that has engulfed many countries over the last decade, with the prevalence of cheap access and the rise of the smartphone.
Psychiatrists warn of rising numbers of children becoming addicted to games
Mike Kyrios from Swinburne University of Technology, who helped author the APS submission, told the Sun-Herald that, once more research is invested in the disorder, it will allow health professionals to diagnose children with addictive behaviours from technology over-use, leading to the correct treatment.
He said: 'With kids, gaming is an obvious issue. But overall, technology use could be a potential problem.'
Another psychologist, Emil Hodzic, who runs a video game addiction treatment clinic in Sydney, said he was concernedcbecause of what he saw as growing demand from frustrated parents and damaged children.
He said he was seeing clients as young as 12 addicted to the internet and video games.
''The most typical sign of addiction is anything that looks like withdrawal symptoms,'' he said.
'So any expression of distress, frustration, irritability when they don't get to play.''
He added that 70 per cent of his clients were children and teenagers and added: 'a lot of kids I have coming into the clinic have difficultly in being able to tolerate distress without zoning out via the internet or via the games.'
Psychiatrist Rhoshel Lenroot gave a note of caution to the newspaper, saying: 'I think [it] can be dangerous in not learning how to pay attention in a focused way, but in balance there is nothing wrong with technology.'
HOW DITCHING EMAIL CAN REDUCE YOUR HEART RATE
Many of us struggle to go more than a few minutes without checking our email inboxes.
But new research suggests ignoring messages altogether can reduce stress by having a positive effect on the heart.
Scientists who attached heart rate monitors to office workers found they remained in a state of 'high alert' throughout the day if they had constant access to email.
Now University of California informatics professor Gloria Mark has given her verdict on email after running an experiment in which 13 volunteers ignored their 'you've got mail' chimes for five days.
She said:'We couldn't see a discernible trend on days 1 and 2. But at day 5, the pattern started to become clear: People became less stressed after being away from email.
'We used monitors that measured the heart rate and also the intervals between heartbeats to obtain a common measure for stress called heart rate variability.
'People reported that they were more productive. They said they were able to focus on tasks longer. That was borne out by the data.
'On average, people with email switched windows about 37 times per hour. Without email, that was cut in half to 18 times per hour.
'With email, they spent an average of 394 seconds on any particular window. That went up to 568 seconds without email. This may not seem a lot, but in the world of multitasking it's a huge difference.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2211710/Sign-times--Internet-addiction-added-list-mental-disorders-following-alarming-rise-children-log-off.html#ixzz28FYK2DNP
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Toxicity and your smartphone.
http://thenextweb.com/gadgets/2012/10/03/analysis-finds-lower-toxic-chemical-composition-in-newer-smartphones-like-apples-iphone-5/
Analysis finds less toxic chemicals in newer smartphones like Apple’s iPhone 5
October 3, 2012 - Josh Ong
Chemical analysis conducted by iFixit and HealthyStuff.org has tracked a decline in hazardous and toxic chemicals in smartphones over the past few years, with new devices like the iPhone 5 representing some of the safest and most environmental handsets yet.
The study took apart 36 mobile phone models and studied them using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to check their chemical composition.
“The researchers then rated and ranked the phones on a scale of 0 – 5, lowest being best, in three ways: by chemical (for each of 12 commonly found hazardous chemicals, such as bromine, mercury, and lead), by component (case, screen, solder, circuit board, etc.), and overall,” iFixit noted.
Six phones got a low enough score to be considered of “low concern”: the Motorola Citrus (2.56), iPhone 4S (2.69), LG Remarq (2.69), Samsung Captivate (2.71), iPhone 5 (2.75) and Samsung Evergreen (2.81).
24 of the phones were rated as “medium concern”, and six handsets were marked as “high concern.” The six highest scores all came from devices made before 2010 and included the original iPhone, which received the maximum score of 5.00, the Palm m125 (4.58), the Motorola Renew (4.56), the Nokia N95 (4.50), the BlackBerry Storm 9530 (4.41) and the Palm Treo 750 (4.26).
Although the iPhone 4S scored slightly better than the iPhone 5, the study did show steady improvement from Apple over the years.
“The iPhone has undergone a steady, gradual toxic chemical improvement in the last five years: the iPhone 2G received the worst overall score of all ranked phones, but the iPhone 4 and 5 are now among the top ten percent of phones,” the report read.
To delve deeper into the analysis, check out the reports from iFixit and HealthyStuff.
On its product page for the iPhone 5, Apple describes the device as embodying its “continuing environmental progress.” Accordign to the company, the device has the following environmentally-friendly features:
Mercury-free LED-backlit display
Arsenic-free display glass
Brominated flame retardant-free
PVC-free
Recyclable aluminum enclosure
Power adapter outperforms strictest global energy efficiency standards
Earlier this year, Apple came under fire after voluntarily removing itself from the EPEAT green electronics certification program. Apple SVP Bob Mansfield subsequently reinstated all eligible products and issued a letter acknowledging that the decision was a mistake.
Image credits: iFixit
Analysis finds less toxic chemicals in newer smartphones like Apple’s iPhone 5
October 3, 2012 - Josh Ong
Chemical analysis conducted by iFixit and HealthyStuff.org has tracked a decline in hazardous and toxic chemicals in smartphones over the past few years, with new devices like the iPhone 5 representing some of the safest and most environmental handsets yet.
The study took apart 36 mobile phone models and studied them using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry to check their chemical composition.
“The researchers then rated and ranked the phones on a scale of 0 – 5, lowest being best, in three ways: by chemical (for each of 12 commonly found hazardous chemicals, such as bromine, mercury, and lead), by component (case, screen, solder, circuit board, etc.), and overall,” iFixit noted.
Six phones got a low enough score to be considered of “low concern”: the Motorola Citrus (2.56), iPhone 4S (2.69), LG Remarq (2.69), Samsung Captivate (2.71), iPhone 5 (2.75) and Samsung Evergreen (2.81).
24 of the phones were rated as “medium concern”, and six handsets were marked as “high concern.” The six highest scores all came from devices made before 2010 and included the original iPhone, which received the maximum score of 5.00, the Palm m125 (4.58), the Motorola Renew (4.56), the Nokia N95 (4.50), the BlackBerry Storm 9530 (4.41) and the Palm Treo 750 (4.26).
Although the iPhone 4S scored slightly better than the iPhone 5, the study did show steady improvement from Apple over the years.
“The iPhone has undergone a steady, gradual toxic chemical improvement in the last five years: the iPhone 2G received the worst overall score of all ranked phones, but the iPhone 4 and 5 are now among the top ten percent of phones,” the report read.
To delve deeper into the analysis, check out the reports from iFixit and HealthyStuff.
On its product page for the iPhone 5, Apple describes the device as embodying its “continuing environmental progress.” Accordign to the company, the device has the following environmentally-friendly features:
Mercury-free LED-backlit display
Arsenic-free display glass
Brominated flame retardant-free
PVC-free
Recyclable aluminum enclosure
Power adapter outperforms strictest global energy efficiency standards
Earlier this year, Apple came under fire after voluntarily removing itself from the EPEAT green electronics certification program. Apple SVP Bob Mansfield subsequently reinstated all eligible products and issued a letter acknowledging that the decision was a mistake.
Image credits: iFixit
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
AgileBits updates 1 Password Pro for iPhone 5.
1Password Pro Has Been Updated With iPhone 5 Support
Posted 24 minutes ago - 763 views - 0 comments
AgileBits has updated 1Password Pro with improved support the iPhone 5 and VoiceOver support on the iPad.
1Password will securely store your important information and can automatically log you into websites with a single tap. There's no need to remember the username, password, or even the website address.
FEATURES:
� Includes user interface for both iPhone and iPad.
� Securely store your website names and passwords so you never forget them again
� Save important information like credit cards and membership numbers
� Jot down other notes too sensitive for stickies or bar napkins
� Synchronize it all with 1Password for Mac via Wi-Fi (sold separately, available at http://1password.com)
� Synchronize multiple devices and computers using Dropbox service (NOTE: Dropbox syncing has to be configured on a computer first, it can be done using a free trial version of 1Password for Mac or Windows available at http://1password.com)
� Automatically log into Web sites on iPhone and iPod touch to avoid remembering and typing usernames and passwords
� Hardware-accelerated AES encryption and Auto-Lock keep your data protected even if your iPhone is lost or stolen
� All cryptographic operations are performed using standard iOS libraries to ensure there are no security gaps or backdoors
� Two-layer defense with Unlock Code and Master Password to combine security and convenience (iPhone only, single Master Password protection on iPad).
� Folders for better organization (currently iPhone only and requires the desktop application - sold separately)
� Data Backup & Restore option available on Mac, Windows and Linux.
What's New In This Version:
* Improved support for iPhone 5.
* Improved VoiceOver support on iPad.
* Added ability to browse generated passwords on iPad.
* Bug fixes.
You can purchase 1Password Pro from the App Store for $14.99.
Read More
Posted 24 minutes ago - 763 views - 0 comments
AgileBits has updated 1Password Pro with improved support the iPhone 5 and VoiceOver support on the iPad.
1Password will securely store your important information and can automatically log you into websites with a single tap. There's no need to remember the username, password, or even the website address.
FEATURES:
� Includes user interface for both iPhone and iPad.
� Securely store your website names and passwords so you never forget them again
� Save important information like credit cards and membership numbers
� Jot down other notes too sensitive for stickies or bar napkins
� Synchronize it all with 1Password for Mac via Wi-Fi (sold separately, available at http://1password.com)
� Synchronize multiple devices and computers using Dropbox service (NOTE: Dropbox syncing has to be configured on a computer first, it can be done using a free trial version of 1Password for Mac or Windows available at http://1password.com)
� Automatically log into Web sites on iPhone and iPod touch to avoid remembering and typing usernames and passwords
� Hardware-accelerated AES encryption and Auto-Lock keep your data protected even if your iPhone is lost or stolen
� All cryptographic operations are performed using standard iOS libraries to ensure there are no security gaps or backdoors
� Two-layer defense with Unlock Code and Master Password to combine security and convenience (iPhone only, single Master Password protection on iPad).
� Folders for better organization (currently iPhone only and requires the desktop application - sold separately)
� Data Backup & Restore option available on Mac, Windows and Linux.
What's New In This Version:
* Improved support for iPhone 5.
* Improved VoiceOver support on iPad.
* Added ability to browse generated passwords on iPad.
* Bug fixes.
You can purchase 1Password Pro from the App Store for $14.99.
Read More
When will the real economic engine get the breaks it needs?
Editorial: Square gets the attention, but credit cards rule
BY BRAD HILL
POSTED OCTOBER 2ND 2012 2:00PM
Lower Manhattan, Pearl Street, the Financial District. A Starbucks with broad windows, great for people watching. Sipping my $5 flavored coffee, I watched a homeless man sit on the sidewalk. I liked him immediately: his sharp gaze and thoughtful expression. When I left, I squatted down next to him and put five bucks in his jar, contributing the cost of my first-world coffee to the man's case for survival.
We talked. He knew his tech, this man of no possessions, describing his favorite productivity gadgets of the past decade, scorning Apple for form over function. He had been living on the street day and night for two years. My five dollars was "huge," he said. I knew that was true only microcosmically. He liked cigars. That's where the cash would go.
Meanwhile, Starbucks had recently cut a deal with Square, one of the hottest startup stories of the season, so that people with five dollars to spend on coffee needn't pull out a wallet and ponder their privilege.
The deal
It's interesting to note that while media coverage of the Starbucks / Square deal heralded the end of cash, Starbucks was already a cashless experience for many customers. Company CEO Howard Schultz refers to Starbucks as "the largest retail mobile payment platform in the US." In fact, 25 percent of all transactions are made via the Starbucks Card, either by swiping plastic or using the card-enabled iOS and Android apps.
Starbucks would prefer to avoid touching your grimy dollar bills. (And perhaps a cashless society would be a healthier one for the reduced germ circulation.) But the main reason for any business to encourage adoption of a wholly digital, and ideally wholly owned payment system, is the reduction of cost on the back end. However the advantage of Square is debatable in this regard, since Square takes 2.75 percent of the transaction, in line with the revenue share enjoyed by credit cards. As a transaction enabler, Square helps merchants with the setup stage of accepting credit cards. But it is really card fees, cutting into slim margins, which prevent about 55 percent of small businesses from accepting plastic.
Transaction fees imposed at the cash register serve as the fulcrum in an immense and long-running battle between merchants and banks. Settlement of a recent lawsuit pitting small businesses against Visa and MasterCard allows merchants to charge an inflated price for credit card payments, passing the fee to customers. That settlement is merely a bugle call to further battles soon waged over the question of whether banks exercise monopoly power at the (increasingly misnamed) cash register.
The real value of Square, as a mediating enabler of cashless purchases, kicks in for a non-traditional small business such as an artist who sells paintings at regional art shows. That person might capture formerly lost purchases via Square that make the underlying fee a trivial, high-ROI cost.
One reason Starbucks is an operational leader in payment technology is that in many transactions Starbucks owns the credit card (the Starbucks purchase card). In that context, the deal with Square is an odd step backward for Starbucks. Square is also an unfavorable payment choice for existing Starbucks Card holders, who receive card membership benefits they wouldn't get by using Square at the register. It might therefore appear that the Starbucks / Square deal is weighted toward Square, but there is an equity piece to it. Starbucks invests $25 million in Square and Schultz also joins Square's board of directors. Those factors help balance the weight.
Square is positioned as a B2B provider, and the consumer proposition is weak. It is based mostly on cool. It streamlines a payment process that is already nearly frictionless -- using a credit card. It makes us feel like we've leaped into the future, living in a science fiction movie, when in fact nothing much has changed. Talk about form over function.
But the Square platform has received massive affirmation from a global retail chain. Now ensues a race for critical mass. Platforms beg for adoption: the bigger the platform adoption among businesses, the more useful it is to customers. And the more a platform is used by customers, the more demand there is for platform extension among businesses. Square is dearly hoping for the day when small business customers complain if they can't pay with Square's smug hand-in-pocket method, as they complain now to merchants who don't accept credit cards.
The state of cashlessness
My household is mostly cashless. My wife and I use a credit card for all normal purchases, mainly because it makes household accounting and budgeting easier. She doesn't carry cash at all. I do, but as I sit here thinking about it, I can't remember why. We write checks so rarely that it is a crisis when we must -- the checkbook is buried under some long-forgotten pile. Our lifestyle is fairly common: 43 percent of Americans live cashlessly for at least a week at a time.
The credit card system is the primary vehicle for digital personal finance. Short of a national program for attaining complete digitization of money, as Sweden has, there are two main obstacles to universal adoption of virtual money. First, as noted, it is expensive. Credit card companies mediate cashless transactions, and intermediaries add friction in the form of service expenses -- those fees that small businesses despise. I can get into the New York City subway system without dollar bills (buying a smart MetroCard from a dispensing machine that taps into my credit card), but I can't buy a candy bar from a newsstand on the platform with anything but cash. Oh right; that is why I carry cash. I love my Snickers.
If business reliance on cash is the practical roadblock to complete digitization, the conceptual hurdle is privacy. That MetroCard I use in the subway keeps track of where I enter and exit, enabling free transfers between some unconnected stations. That scenario might not threaten many people, but truly effective offline tracking that records real-world movements from purchase to purchase, the way web cookies chart our link paths from site to site, would be creepier and more seriously intrusive. As always with privacy battles, government and law enforcement agencies would argue for the broad social advantages of exposing crime, while individuals and privacy groups would counter with the right to spend money anonymously. Whatever the disadvantages of cash, it is anonymous. Cash is hacker currency.
There is no question that for people above a certain economic stratum, virtual money is convenient.
Convenience is the leading consumer value. There is a business advantage, too, if you put aside the fees. For merchants currently off the cashless grid, getting into the system can act as a stimulus; some estimates put total lost revenue to small businesses which don't accept credit cards at $100 billion.
And on the consumer side, what of the millions of people off the credit grid? The irony of cashless money, as my homeless companion would attest, is that its quickest adopters are people with the most cash. If there is one characteristic of digital money that idealists might hope for, it is that it would lift everyone's boat. I wonder how much revenue stimulus a homeless fellow would receive in a world where an inconspicuous smartphone gesture could deposit a dollar in his digital bucket. That's the kind of sci-fi future I want to live in.
BY BRAD HILL
POSTED OCTOBER 2ND 2012 2:00PM
Lower Manhattan, Pearl Street, the Financial District. A Starbucks with broad windows, great for people watching. Sipping my $5 flavored coffee, I watched a homeless man sit on the sidewalk. I liked him immediately: his sharp gaze and thoughtful expression. When I left, I squatted down next to him and put five bucks in his jar, contributing the cost of my first-world coffee to the man's case for survival.
We talked. He knew his tech, this man of no possessions, describing his favorite productivity gadgets of the past decade, scorning Apple for form over function. He had been living on the street day and night for two years. My five dollars was "huge," he said. I knew that was true only microcosmically. He liked cigars. That's where the cash would go.
Meanwhile, Starbucks had recently cut a deal with Square, one of the hottest startup stories of the season, so that people with five dollars to spend on coffee needn't pull out a wallet and ponder their privilege.
The deal
It's interesting to note that while media coverage of the Starbucks / Square deal heralded the end of cash, Starbucks was already a cashless experience for many customers. Company CEO Howard Schultz refers to Starbucks as "the largest retail mobile payment platform in the US." In fact, 25 percent of all transactions are made via the Starbucks Card, either by swiping plastic or using the card-enabled iOS and Android apps.
Starbucks would prefer to avoid touching your grimy dollar bills. (And perhaps a cashless society would be a healthier one for the reduced germ circulation.) But the main reason for any business to encourage adoption of a wholly digital, and ideally wholly owned payment system, is the reduction of cost on the back end. However the advantage of Square is debatable in this regard, since Square takes 2.75 percent of the transaction, in line with the revenue share enjoyed by credit cards. As a transaction enabler, Square helps merchants with the setup stage of accepting credit cards. But it is really card fees, cutting into slim margins, which prevent about 55 percent of small businesses from accepting plastic.
Transaction fees imposed at the cash register serve as the fulcrum in an immense and long-running battle between merchants and banks. Settlement of a recent lawsuit pitting small businesses against Visa and MasterCard allows merchants to charge an inflated price for credit card payments, passing the fee to customers. That settlement is merely a bugle call to further battles soon waged over the question of whether banks exercise monopoly power at the (increasingly misnamed) cash register.
The real value of Square, as a mediating enabler of cashless purchases, kicks in for a non-traditional small business such as an artist who sells paintings at regional art shows. That person might capture formerly lost purchases via Square that make the underlying fee a trivial, high-ROI cost.
One reason Starbucks is an operational leader in payment technology is that in many transactions Starbucks owns the credit card (the Starbucks purchase card). In that context, the deal with Square is an odd step backward for Starbucks. Square is also an unfavorable payment choice for existing Starbucks Card holders, who receive card membership benefits they wouldn't get by using Square at the register. It might therefore appear that the Starbucks / Square deal is weighted toward Square, but there is an equity piece to it. Starbucks invests $25 million in Square and Schultz also joins Square's board of directors. Those factors help balance the weight.
Square is positioned as a B2B provider, and the consumer proposition is weak. It is based mostly on cool. It streamlines a payment process that is already nearly frictionless -- using a credit card. It makes us feel like we've leaped into the future, living in a science fiction movie, when in fact nothing much has changed. Talk about form over function.
But the Square platform has received massive affirmation from a global retail chain. Now ensues a race for critical mass. Platforms beg for adoption: the bigger the platform adoption among businesses, the more useful it is to customers. And the more a platform is used by customers, the more demand there is for platform extension among businesses. Square is dearly hoping for the day when small business customers complain if they can't pay with Square's smug hand-in-pocket method, as they complain now to merchants who don't accept credit cards.
The state of cashlessness
My household is mostly cashless. My wife and I use a credit card for all normal purchases, mainly because it makes household accounting and budgeting easier. She doesn't carry cash at all. I do, but as I sit here thinking about it, I can't remember why. We write checks so rarely that it is a crisis when we must -- the checkbook is buried under some long-forgotten pile. Our lifestyle is fairly common: 43 percent of Americans live cashlessly for at least a week at a time.
The credit card system is the primary vehicle for digital personal finance. Short of a national program for attaining complete digitization of money, as Sweden has, there are two main obstacles to universal adoption of virtual money. First, as noted, it is expensive. Credit card companies mediate cashless transactions, and intermediaries add friction in the form of service expenses -- those fees that small businesses despise. I can get into the New York City subway system without dollar bills (buying a smart MetroCard from a dispensing machine that taps into my credit card), but I can't buy a candy bar from a newsstand on the platform with anything but cash. Oh right; that is why I carry cash. I love my Snickers.
If business reliance on cash is the practical roadblock to complete digitization, the conceptual hurdle is privacy. That MetroCard I use in the subway keeps track of where I enter and exit, enabling free transfers between some unconnected stations. That scenario might not threaten many people, but truly effective offline tracking that records real-world movements from purchase to purchase, the way web cookies chart our link paths from site to site, would be creepier and more seriously intrusive. As always with privacy battles, government and law enforcement agencies would argue for the broad social advantages of exposing crime, while individuals and privacy groups would counter with the right to spend money anonymously. Whatever the disadvantages of cash, it is anonymous. Cash is hacker currency.
There is no question that for people above a certain economic stratum, virtual money is convenient.
Convenience is the leading consumer value. There is a business advantage, too, if you put aside the fees. For merchants currently off the cashless grid, getting into the system can act as a stimulus; some estimates put total lost revenue to small businesses which don't accept credit cards at $100 billion.
And on the consumer side, what of the millions of people off the credit grid? The irony of cashless money, as my homeless companion would attest, is that its quickest adopters are people with the most cash. If there is one characteristic of digital money that idealists might hope for, it is that it would lift everyone's boat. I wonder how much revenue stimulus a homeless fellow would receive in a world where an inconspicuous smartphone gesture could deposit a dollar in his digital bucket. That's the kind of sci-fi future I want to live in.
BB 10 Aristo. Leaked specs, details.
BlackBerry 10 Aristo specifications leak, get us excited
02 OCTOBER, 2012
The BlackBerry 10 OS launch is fast approaching and we already got to learn the specs of RIM's upcoming BlackBerry L-Series phone. Turns out, there's a much more interesting device in the pipeline dubbed the BlackBerry 10 Aristo.
Revealed in a leaked specifications slide, the Aristo (Greek for "the best") is rocking some serious processing power under the hood and, if the info is trustworthy, this is set to be quite the beast.
The BlackBerry Aristo is powered by a Qualcomm APQ8064 quad-core Krait processor running at 1.5GHz coupled with 2GB of RAM. The smartphone also impresses with a 4.65-inch OLED display of HD resolution. The screen is said to use OCTA Glass made by Samsung, which eliminates an additional touch screen layer and integrates the touch sensor directly onto the AMOLED panel instead.
As a result, the BlackBerry 10 Aristo will measure just 8.85mm thick. It's not the thinnest device out there, but it's certainly the slimmest in RIM's portfolio. Connectivity is reportedly going to be pretty solid as well with NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, miniHDMI out, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA and microUSB.
Above the display stands a 2MP front-facing camera capable of shooting 720p video, while at the back the Aristo will make use of an 8MP snapper with auto focus and LED flash. Naturally, it will have no problems shooting 1080p at 30fps.
There's 16GB of internal storage, which is expandable thanks to the microSD card slot. The leaked slide also suggests a beefy (but non-removable) 2,800mAh battery.
If the slide hasn't been faked, we might be looking at a device well suited to start RIM's fightback.
Source | Via
02 OCTOBER, 2012
The BlackBerry 10 OS launch is fast approaching and we already got to learn the specs of RIM's upcoming BlackBerry L-Series phone. Turns out, there's a much more interesting device in the pipeline dubbed the BlackBerry 10 Aristo.
Revealed in a leaked specifications slide, the Aristo (Greek for "the best") is rocking some serious processing power under the hood and, if the info is trustworthy, this is set to be quite the beast.
The BlackBerry Aristo is powered by a Qualcomm APQ8064 quad-core Krait processor running at 1.5GHz coupled with 2GB of RAM. The smartphone also impresses with a 4.65-inch OLED display of HD resolution. The screen is said to use OCTA Glass made by Samsung, which eliminates an additional touch screen layer and integrates the touch sensor directly onto the AMOLED panel instead.
As a result, the BlackBerry 10 Aristo will measure just 8.85mm thick. It's not the thinnest device out there, but it's certainly the slimmest in RIM's portfolio. Connectivity is reportedly going to be pretty solid as well with NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, miniHDMI out, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA and microUSB.
Above the display stands a 2MP front-facing camera capable of shooting 720p video, while at the back the Aristo will make use of an 8MP snapper with auto focus and LED flash. Naturally, it will have no problems shooting 1080p at 30fps.
There's 16GB of internal storage, which is expandable thanks to the microSD card slot. The leaked slide also suggests a beefy (but non-removable) 2,800mAh battery.
If the slide hasn't been faked, we might be looking at a device well suited to start RIM's fightback.
Source | Via
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