Intuit GoPayment is the New Smartphone Credit Card Processor in Town

February 17, 2011 by BrothaTech

Recently announced, Intuit (the company behind QuickBooks) has released a smartphone credit card precessing service for small businesses called GoPayment that allows you to accept and swipe credit cards with your smartphone. The GoPayment service consists of the GoPayment app and a free card reader for low-volume businesses that attaches to your phone via the headphone jack.

What makes GoPayment so attractive for small businesses is instead of monthly fees, you are charged a transaction fee per swipe. The GoPayment transaction fees are very competitive at 2.7% of the total transaction + 15 cents for swiped transactions and 3.7% + 15 cents for manual (keyed in) transactions.

The GoPayment service is almost identical to the already established Square service where you also get a free reader and the basic per transaction fees mirror each other. Where GoPayment changes the game is if you do manage to do some heavy transaction volumes. With GoPayment, you can opt for a $12.95 monthly fee drop down to 1.5% + 30 cents for swiped transactions and 2.7% + 30 cents for manual transactions. Additionally, up to 50 users can use one account if you have multiple people accepting credit cards on your company’s behalf. GoPayment still isn’t any sort of Square killer, because you do need a merchant account to use Intuit whereas Square is merchant-account free.

Regardless of which one you choose, services like this are a Godsend for small businesses who don’t do enough transactions to justify the regular credit card processing fees; but needs to adapt to their clients “I don’t have any cash/checks on me” mentality that comes with the popularity of using plastic for all things financial these days.

GoPayment is available for iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry (as well as some tablets) and the app and card reader are free when you sign up.

via: SlashGear

Customer Support On the Go with Zendesk for iPad

February 15, 2011February 17, 2011 by BrothaTech

Customer Support requests can come in at ANY time. As a small business owner, your clients may or may not recognize your “regular business hours of blank to blank.” So the ability to at the very least respond to requests is essential, even if a solution won’t be provided until you get back to your office.

Zendesk helps mobilize your customer support portal with its suite of mobile apps for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. With more screen real estate to play with, the iPad app now joins that group with added functionality, and to give your eyes a rest. Features include:

View Current Ticket Activity: Get real-time updates and receive notification on tickets assigned to a team member through the ticket activity stream – An exclusive iPad feature.

Complete Ticket Work-flow: Act on tickets immediately, or bookmark a ticket to respond later. With the iPad app, users can create macros to send pre-defined responses to frequently asked questions.

…Not mention the coolness of using your iPad to handle customer support requests if you decide to do a little work while on vacay. Zendesk plans start at 10 bucks a month and the mobile apps (including the iPad) are free. As quick and easy it is to start handling tickets like a pro with Zendesk, it is now equally as fast to get started answering customer requests, no matter where you are, with Zendesk for iPad.

…Your eyes will thank you too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enexL56_NvM&feature=player_embedded

Google Adds security for Consumer Market

February 14, 2011 by Justin Alcon

Every day, more and more of our personal information flies around on the Internet and so data security becomes increasingly important. Unfortunately for average Joe the web user, security has been stagnant for years; you pick your username and password, and you take your chances.

Fortunately, Google is making some authentication and security options much robust for those who want it. Enter “two-factor authentication” which was available to Google Apps customers since September and is now rolling out to everyone. The interface is a bit confusing, and the set-up process is cantankerous, but it’s well worth looking into if you’re looking to up your security quotient. You can activate this new security option by hitting the ‘two-step verification’ link on this page.

So, what exactly does it do? Well, when you login to your Google account, you’ll need to enter both your existing password and a second passcode — one that you can’t write down, memorize, or lose, because it’s always changing. Because the second passcode is dynamic, it’s nearly impossible to phish. This second password is generated by new mobile app called ‘Google Authenticator’ which is available for Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry. The code can be generated with a non-smartphone by having Google call or send a text message to the phone number that you enter during the feature setup. Much like Agent Maxwell Smart, your generated password will only be good for a short period of time.

It’s not as work intensive as it sounds, because you can elect to only require this second password once per computer. This is enough to prevent phishing, but doesn’t mean you’re generating new passwords each time you log on. In order to save passwords in most desktop apps, you’ll have to generate a unique app-specific password for each application that you would like to protect. But again, you can save this in your key chain so you only have to do it once per app.

So, maybe you’re thinking “that’s great, but what if I change phones for some reason?” Well, you can designate a second, backup phone number to which the passcodes can be sent. Two-factor authentication isn’t a new idea. Business folks probably remember getting a code off of their key fob to access the office VPN for years now. However, giving consumers access to this same protection is a big win for security of personal information.

BlackBerry PlayBook Will Support Android Apps?

February 11, 2011February 11, 2011 by BrothaTech

Word on the street is that RIM plans to give PlayBook users access to the rapidly-growing Android app library, but the apps reportedly will be developed internally and run on the BlackBerry OS.

Now this news if just rumor for now, but in my opinion, it would be a strange, weird, but smart move for RIM. If you ask me, apps are what make today’s mobile OS shine. If a platform doesn’t have the support of the developer community, it will have a hard time getting enough steam to make an impact. And let’s face it, BlackBerry app development is hanging in at Number 3 behind Apple (iOS) and Google (Android). If HP Palm can revive WebOS in the next couple of months, BlackBerry will fall even further behind.

With a great deal of effort behind the BlackBerry PlayBook, it would behoove RIM to get as many apps on it as possible, or at least offer accessibility to a larger library of apps found on Android devices.

But what do you think? Should RIM focus solely on improving their own developer relations, or should it jump on the juggernaut that is the Android app library?

via: Bloomberg

Tumblita for iPad

February 11, 2011 by Justin Alcon

The iPad’s MobileSafari is a big pretty browser which allows users to use the full version of most websites as opposed to a mobile version or a separate application. Facebook notably did not make a special app for iPad stating that the browser was powerful enough to support a full Facebook experience. However, iOS’ limitations often cripple the iPad’s browser, especially when it comes to uploading media. Often great sites are slow to produce an app, leaving unreliable 3rd parties to fill the hole. Tumblr is one of these sites that has left iPad users in limbo, sure there is an app designed for iPhone, but it just does not do justice to the 10 inch tablet. In steps Tumblita to bring sexy back to your iPad Tumblr experience.

Tumblr, for the uninitiated, is Twitter for blogs, it was even created by the same folks that created Twitter. Tumblr is without a doubt my favorite and most used social networking service. Tumblr is a very powerful social networking tool that is perfect for startups. It is by far the most social of the blogging platforms because of it’s unique feature of letting you reblog others posts. Tumblita lets you view your Tumblr dashboard in a ‘river of information’ style interface seen in many mail applications and RSS readers. There is a large view of a single post which is dynamic, and a static list of other posts, positioned to the side in landscape mode, and as a pop out list in portrait mode. Tumblita also supports posting new media to your blog, the main feature that was missing when using the mobile browser. You can also easily schedule posts for the future, add tags, and more. There are still more features that regular Tumblr users would like to see, like asking questions and replying to posts, but Tumblita is still the best Tumblr experience on iPad to date. With some work this application could be truly great.

My HP Palm Tablet Has a First Name…

February 9, 2011February 9, 2011 by BrothaTech

…It’s T.o.u.c.h.Pad

(lame, but you got it).

HP plans to announce several WebOS-powered devices at a special event later today. Word on the street is that two smartphones and its long-awaited tablet will be announced.

PreCentral sent some folks over to cover the event, and while standing too close the “huddle” (I still have football on the brain), they overheard some rehearsals wherein the HP TouchPad name was mentioned (previously code-named Topaz). They were also able to get the scoop on some dimensions (1.5 pounds and 13mm thick), which mirrors the Apple iPad, but were “detained” before they could overhear any more goodies…When I say detained, they were probably just told to leave the area, but my way sounds better.

With all of the iPad 2 and Android Tablet news running ramped, will there be room for HP Palm to get some shine on their new tablet device? Even though the WebOS platform was well received and I think will be on par with the other platforms wrapped up in a tablet We will just have wait and for an official announcement.

Scan (and Create) QR Codes with QRDroid

February 4, 2011February 17, 2011 by BrothaTech

Seriously, there are TONS of QR code readers out there. For Android, the simple and trusty Barcode Scanner app works just fine for Android devices. But if you want to actually create a QR code of ANY information using your smartphone, that drastically reduces the number of quality QR apps.

QRDroid on the other hand, is a complete QR code reader/generator that will not only scan QR codes from your camera, decode them from images saved in your device or from URL of images stored on internet sites; but also creates QR codes in less than one second from your contacts, bookmarks and installed applications.

You can also create a code for calendar events, phone numbers, geo-locations, sms, or any text you want. Once you generate the code, it will display on the phone’s screen so another person with a QR code reader can scan it; or you can send the code via text, email, or IM. The ability to scan QR codes found while surfing the web on your Android device is enough of an incentive for me.

But allow me to provide a real-world business application: You are at a networking event and during your pitch you mention your website. The other person is pretty tech-savvy, so they whip out his/her smartphone to type in the address. Instead of you both of fumbling around with correctly pronouncing and accurately typing in your lengthy URL (that you KNOW you should have changed), you can use QRDroid to generate a QR code that he/she can scan and immediately to be sent to your site.

It also works well if you run out of business cards and you know that very next person you talk to is going to ask for one. If they have a QR Code reader, simply take a couple of seconds to create a code so you will be ready when they extend their hand to receive your business card (that will probably end up filing away anyway).

You can get QRDroid as a free app, or you can donate $1.50 to get the ad-free version. Hit up [the new and improved] Android Market for more information/download

…or scan this QR code with your Android device

NFC coming to IOS

February 4, 2011February 4, 2011 by Justin Alcon

There are always lots of rumors flying around in the tech world, but this time the “hot new thing” seems to be more than vaporware. Richard Doherty of the Envisioneering Group cites “engineers who are working on hardware” for Apple’s latest project as evidence that NFC capabilities are being built into the upcoming generation of iOS devices. NFC stands for “Near Field Communications”, and enables the short-range transfer of data through a device. Sounds boring? Well, imagine having the ability to tap your phone against an enabled pad to pay for things (with the credit card data transferring through your sim card) and this technology becomes much more exciting. Payments via NFC have seen both increasing press coverage and increasing adoption among big name retailers in the west, and this technology is already commonplace in Japan. Doherty also predicts that Apple will make its move into the field with some new hardware and an accompanying update to iTunes. Apple’s concept would allow iTunes gift card balances and credit card information stored with Apple to be used as payments at compatible retail outlets… just by waving your phone close to the register. It also appears that Apple is planning to entice users away from competitors with loyalty credits and points. There are already a couple of software patent applications from the company detailing other potential uses for the technology. All of this could mean absolutely nothing, rumors being what they are, but this sure does walk like an NFC duck and quack like an NFC duck…so don’t worry about making an educated guess here.

Android Market is now Online

February 2, 2011 by BrothaTech

And I quote:

“Personally, I think Google’s first order of business would be to greatly improve its own Marketplace on the web and give people the option to buy and “push” apps directly to their phones, but that’s just me.”

That was me yesterday taking shots at the shotty Android Market site in the “Google Apps Labs is hiring” post. Well Google stepped their game up and expanded their Android Market site that lets visitors browse apps, read reviews, and install apps directly their Android device.

So now, instead of squinting at your Android device to decide whether or not to install a particular app (even with the huge screens like the HTC Evo), now you can search apps (keyword search, categories, featured, top paid, top free), view app descriptions, read user submitted reviews, check compatibility, and more from the comfort of you much larger laptop screen or desktop monitors.

Signing in to your Android Market account gives you the ability to view your download history and buy and download apps directly to your smartphone. All apps also offer QR Code so you can scan the app and start a download to your phone as well.

Nothing fancy (they could work on the design work a little), but beggers can’t be choosers, so as an initial attempt at providing Android users a “real” online home to find apps to download, the new Android Market site is looking pretty good.

Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments section.

Mario Armstrong

TV Host and Motivator for the Modern World

Category: Small Biz Go Mobile