Collen Kriel
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Google confirms Android Pay, mobile payments war escalates
Last week rumors surfaced that Google Inc. will introduce Android Pay, a new payments API to power in-store and in-app payments for third-party Android apps. In an announcement made yesterday at Mobile World Congress, taking place in Barcelona this week, Google SVP Sundar Pichai confirmed that Android Pay is a real project. The Android Pay ...
PayPal acquires Paydiant, recommits to mobile payments war
On Monday, PayPal announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire Paydiant Inc., a mobile payments company that provides technology that enables retailers to create their own branded mobile wallets. While PayPal has not disclosed the deal value, anonymous sources have told Re/code that the eBay payment unit will fork over in the ...
BlackBerry reveals cross-platform ‘BlackBerry Experience Suite’, expands Samsung partnership
BlackBerry Ltd. announced yesterday that it is expanding its cross-platform software strategy. Scheduled for availability later this year, the “BlackBerry Experience Suite” will deliver the company’s security, productivity and communication tools to smartphones and tablets running iOS, Android as well as Windows. Among other BlackBerry features, the suite will include their BlackBerry Hub messaging portal, ...
Apple-IBM partnership is more than a simple hardware distribution deal
The past week saw IBM host its annual cloud and mobile conference, InterConnect, in Las Vegas while the company’s CEO, Ginni Rometty delivered the annual investor briefing to Wall Street. Both events reaffirmed that the Apple-IBM partnership is an important part of IBM’s growth strategy and not merely a distribution deal for Apple hardware. At ...
Apple’s iOS dominated enterprise space and smartphone profits for Q4 2014
Looking at overall smartphone market share for 2014, you’d be forgiven for thinking Google Inc.’s Android operating system is winning the race. Android took 81.5 percent market share compared to its nearest competitor Apple Inc.’s iOS that only took 14.8 percent. Looking at enterprise activations of smartphones and smartphone profit share for the fourth-quarter (Q4) ...
Softcard confirms termination of Android, Windows Phone apps following Google deal
On Monday, Google Inc. announced that it had purchased “technology and intellectual property” from Softcard to improve its own mobile payments service, Google Wallet. At the time, it was unclear what the deal would mean for Softcard’s customers. The company simply stated that users could continue to use the Softcard app and that further information ...
Apple sets March 9 ‘Spring Forward’ event, likely to show off Apple Watch
Apple on Thursday sent out invitations for its press event, “Spring Forward”, scheduled to take place on March 9 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco, while also updating the Apple website to announce the event to Apple fans and users. It is widely expected that the event’s main focus ...
Android for Work: Google’s enterprise play
On Wednesday, Google Inc. announced its Android for Work program in an effort to tap into the “business and innovation potential” of the more than one billion Android smartphones in use. Google claims that for many Android smartphone owners the devices have become essential tools in their day to day lives, both personal and professional. ...
Report: Apple, Samsung loses tablet market share to generic brands
The top two tablet makers, Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., lost market share to generic brands in 2014, according to two new reports from research firm Strategy Analytics. Combined, these generic brands accounted for 70 million devices or 29 percent of tablet shipped in 2014 while Apple and Samsung only accounted for a combined 43 ...
Google tipped to launch Android Pay, intensifies effort to compete with Apple Pay
Google Inc. is apparently preparing to introduce a new payments API, dubbed Android Pay, to power in-store and in-app payments for third-party Android apps. Anonymous sources familiar with Google’s plans told Ars Technica that the search giant intends to launch Android Pay at its upcoming I/O conference in May. Android Pay will enable developers of ...