Paypal

You can now buy iTunes vouchers through PayPal

The online payment giant PayPal today announced an interesting new service which allows U.S. PayPal account holders to buy Apple's iTunes Gift Cards or gift them to loved ones.

This is especially useful if you live outside the United States yet have a U.S. iTunes Store account for instant access to all of the best apps, movies, TV shows and other content that's often unavailable in local iTunes Stores due to regional restrictions.

Previously, you had to wire cash to someone in the United States who's willing enough to buy an iTunes Gift Cards from the Online Apple Store or directly from the iTunes Store, on your behalf...

PayPal refreshed with iOS 7 design, bar code payments, Wallet improvements and more

PayPal has long had a nice albeit somewhat limited iPhone application available in the App Store. Back in September, they gave the software a much-needed redesign while expanding on feature set with useful new capability like the ability to pay at local shops, save offers and order ahead, to name a few.

Today, the team followed up with another feature-laden update. PayPal 5.2 for iPhone does away with skeuomorphism in favor for a much cleaner look that fits nicely into the overall iOS 7 aesthetics. More importantly, you are now free to withdraw cash, pay using QR codes and more...

Major PayPal iOS update: new UI, pay at local shops, save offers and order ahead

It's been months since PayPal issued any significant update to its iPhone client. Today, the company took to the official blog to announce a brand new version of PayPal for iPhone, a major step up compared to the previous basic version.

In addition to the revamped interface, the refreshed software features front and center a new Shop section which makes it easy to find shops or restaurants nearby that accept PayPal payments. That's just scratching the surface: the new build finally lets you check out at your local stores, pay at table, order ahead and even browse for local offers.

As a bonus, the application now makes it possible to switch payment methods on the go to make sure you get reward points from a particular card. Another useful capability: the popular Bill Me Later payment option has been added. I've included additional information and PayPal's promotional video past the fold...

German online Apple Store now accepts PayPal

Although Apple has long offered PayPal as a payment option in the United States for both digital consumer sales on iTunes and volume software purchases by education customers, the firm never instituted paying for online store purchases using PayPal.

That's ostensibly changing now as users in Germany now report being able to complete purchases on their localized online Apple Store using their PayPal account.

It remains unclear why exactly Apple enabled the feature in Germany (could be part of the broader Apple Store changes), but the move could signal a staggered worldwide roll-out...

PayPal hopes the next iPhone will obsolete passwords, once and for all

In a tell-tale sign that passwords had had their day in the sun, PayPal CISO Michael Barrett took the stage at Interpo today to spell doom for existing verification methods, predicting that more robust authentication protocols based on an open standard will replace passwords. While two-step verification can bolster account security - Apple recently enabled it for Apple ID accounts - PayPal alludes that secure authentication technologies said to make their way into Apple's next iPhone may announce the impending end of passwords...

PayPal outs in-store payment software for iPad

eBay-owned PayPal operates in 190 markets and in 25 currencies around the world and has more than 123 million active accounts.

The company has had the PayPal Here iPhone app available on the App Store since March of last year. The free software has now been released on the iPad, marking PayPal's first tablet app ever.

Essential to merchants who prefer PayPal and want to get paid directly at the point of sale, the program works in conjunction with a free credit card reader to let you scan an item’s barcode for faster checkout, wirelessly connect to a cash drawer and printer, track sales activity and more...

PayPal button coming to your favorite apps

If you're a heavy PayPal user, good news: the company last Friday at SXSW 2013 announced a software development kit for Apple's registered iOS developers to integrate PayPal's mobile payment solutions into their apps for iPhones, iPods and iPads. As a result, those developers who choose to implement the new PayPal SDK will be able to provide a PayPal button for frictionless payments. And if a user wishes to use her or his credit card, they will be able to scan it in-app to make the payment...

Major US carriers, Google form mobile payments alliance, Apple not on board

In another sign that the industry has high expectations for mobile payments, four major carriers in the United States along with Google and a bunch of other players have struck a mobile payments alliance called Mobile Payments Committee.

The initial members include carriers AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile USA, but also Google, Isis, VeriFone and PayPal, in addition to financial institutions Wells Fargo and Capital One plus credit card giants American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa.

Apple is conspicuously absent from the list, as is mobile payment startup Square, which last week announced an interesting partnership with Starbucks. The iPhone maker, of course, is believed to be putting NFC circuitry inside the next iPhone and just recently acquired NFC and smart sensors maker AuthenTec for $356 million...

Apple’s most underrated WWDC announcement

Looking back at it, there was no shortage of announcements during Apple's WWDC keynote on Monday. An all-new MacBook model, major updates to its desktop and mobile operating systems, and a new Maps app — not bad for an afternoon.

But amongst all of the oohs and ahhs of the new products and updates, there was one particular announcement that sort of flew under the radar. According to Apple, it now has more than 400 million active credit card-linked iTunes accounts...

Geohot Has a Successful First Round of Donations for His Fight Against Sony

Geohot has updated his blog, "Geohot Got Sued" with the results from his first round of donations for his legal fight against Sony.

In case you missed it, Geohot is entering a legal battle with Sony because he cracked the DRM on the PS3. Sony claims that Geohot broke the law by jailbreaking the PS3, and they are seeking financial retribution for Geohot's exploit.

A few days ago, we posted that Geohot put a plea out to his followers asking for donations via PayPal to fund his legal fees for the upcoming trial with Sony. He has closed the first round of donations from over the weekend, and he made bank.

Why is Web Browsing Declining on the iPhone?

When the iPhone was introduced back in 2007 Steve Jobs made it known that he thought the phone's best feature was the ability to browse the internet in its entirety. To his credit it was the first device to even come close. As Jobs' idol, Bob Dylan sang, "The times they are a changing".

The Bango Blog offers some insight regarding their newest web browsing statistics that show a decline in web traffic as it relates to content viewed from the iPhone. Should the decline be attributed to the influx in platforms that offer the same style of browsing? Some would argue that systems like Android offer a more comprehensive experience strictly due to their support of Flash...

Fraud Warning: Your iTunes Account Might Be at Risk

A couple of months ago we reported that the App Store had been hacked, resulting in a massive fraud whereby hackers would get into people's iTunes accounts and buy their own apps. At the time, Apple issued a weak statement, the App Store got hacked again, and we never heard anything about this matter until today.

A TechCrunch article reveals what seems to be a major security flaw in iTunes accounts linked to Paypal.