Home › News ›

PayPal's Beacon Offers Mobile Payment Alternative

Article Comments

Sep 9, 2013, 7:05 PM by Eric M. Zeman

PayPal today announced Beacon, a plug-and-play device that retailers can install in their stores to enable automatic smartphone payments. In designing Beacon, PayPal said it wanted to make in-store payments easier than using a credit card. The system uses Bluetooth Low Energy and prompts smartphone owners to check in when they enter the store. PayPal said that customers will have control over what data of theirs is tracked by the device, such as location and payment methods. "Simply walking in a store will trigger a vibration or sound to confirm a successful check in," explained PayPal in a post on the company's blog. "Your photo will then appear on the screen of the Point-of-Sale system so you can be greeted by name. Paying only requires a verbal confirmation, and you're done. No wallet. No card. Nothing to do. Not even touching your phone." PayPal did not provide too many specifics about how Beacon works with smartphone apps behind the scenes (such as how items are scanned and added to a virtual shopping cart), but did say that today's announcement is more for developers than anyone else. It will be up to developers to use the PayPal mobile in-store API to add mobile payment services to their own apps and stores. For example, PayPal envisions that with Beacon, customers will trigger a preset order at their favorite deli just by walking through the door, as well as permit self check-outs to avoid paying at the register. The Beacon which plugs into a regular electrical outlet, is expected to be available for stores and retailers for about $100 later this year. PayPal's announcement of the Beacon follows a recent update to its mobile application that also enables real-world payments from smartphones.

Wall Street Journal »

Related

iPhone 14 Plus Offers a Big Screen For Less

Sep 7, 2022
Apple has revealed the iPhone 14 series, with new features, improved specs, and new size options. In place of a Mini option, the iPhone 14 will come in the same 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screen size options as the Pro models.

Qualcomm Taps Iridium for Satellite Connectivity

Jan 5, 2023
Qualcomm has revealed Snapdragon Satellite , the company's solution for connecting Android phones directly to satellites for truly global coverage. The feature uses the Iridium network, a satellite constellation that has has been in operation for 25 years.

Samsung Updates Watch, Buds

Aug 11, 2021
Samsung today announced new smartwatches and Bluetooth earbuds: the Galaxy Watch4 series and Galaxy Buds2. Both feature a long list of small improvements over their predecessors.

Auracast is the New Name for Bluetooth's New Broadcast Audio Feature

Jun 8, 2022
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has created a new brand for the broadcast audio feature of LE Audio: Auracast. LE Audio is a complete revamp of the audio component of Bluetooth, enabling better performance and many new features.

Apple Watch Goes Ultra

Sep 7, 2022
Apple has refreshed its Apple Watch lineup with Series 8, a new Watch SE, and added a larger, more rugged Apple Watch Ultra for athletes and extreme adventurers. Apple Watch Series 8 has two main upgrades over Series 7: temperature sensors and Crash Detection.

Comments

This forum is closed.

This forum is closed.

No messages

Page 1 of 1