Square now processing $10 billion in payments annually

Jack Dorsey can do the Dr. Evil impression 10 times over

Square, the mobile payments startup founded by Jack Dorsey, is now processing $10 billion in payments annually.

Since Dorsey is also the co-founder of Twitter, the announcement of this milestone came not from a press release, but from a tweet.

"Today we're processing $10 billion in payments annually, an amazing and humbling milestone," said Square, Inc. on Twitter.

Rounding out the 140 character limit, the company credited its users, saying, "To the small businesses growing with Square, thank you."

Square talks

Square spokeswoman Faryl Ury added to that small business-focused sentiment.

"We've seen growth across the board," Ury told TechRadar, "from small food trucks and coffee shops, to retail stores and larger brick and mortar merchants."

A jolt expected from Starbucks

While Square may have a growing user base of small and medium-sized businesses, it's about to add a much larger client with 7,000 national stores: Starbucks.

Starbucks is scheduled to start accepting the Square Wallet this month following the coffeehouse chain's $25 million investment in the startup.

Square faces growing competition from PayPal Here, Intuit GoPayment and Groupon Payments, all of which offer slightly more affordable transaction fees.

However, the company remains the mobile payments leader.

Two months ago, Square reached $8 billion payments processed annually. With the impending addition of Starbucks, the "humbling milestone" tweets should keep on coming.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/square-now-processing-10-billion-in-payments-annually-1112684

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Square now processing $10 billion in payments annually

Jack Dorsey can do the Dr. Evil impression 10 times over

Square, the mobile payments startup founded by Jack Dorsey, is now processing $10 billion (UK£6.3 billion, AUD$965,158,000) in payments annually.

Since Dorsey is also the co-founder of Twitter, the announcement of this milestone came not from a press release, but from a tweet.

"Today we're processing $10B in payments annually, an amazing and humbling milestone," said Square, Inc. on Twitter.

Rounding out the 140 character limit, the company credited its users, saying, "To the small businesses growing with Square, thank you."

Square spokeswoman Faryl Ury added to that small business-focused sentiment.

"We've seen growth across the board," Ury told TechRadar, "from small food trucks and coffee shops, to retail stores and larger brick and mortar merchants."

A jolt expected from Starbucks

While Square may have a growing user base of small and medium-sized businesses, it's about to add a much larger client with 7,000 stores: Starbucks.

Starbucks is scheduled to start accepting the Square Wallet this month following the coffeehouse chain's $25 million (UK£15.7 million, AUD$24,128,950) investment in the startup.

Square faces growing competition from PayPal Here, Intuit GoPayment, and Groupon Payments, all of which offer slightly more affordable transaction fees.

However, the company remains the mobile payments leader.

Two months ago, Square reached $8 billion payments processed annually. With the impending addition of Starbucks, the "humbling milestone" tweets should keep on coming.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/square-now-processing-10-billion-in-payments-annually-1112684

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Windows Phone 8X vs. Galaxy S3 vs. iPhone 5: spec showdown

The biggest representatives of every operating system go head-to-head-.to head. The iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3, and HTC Windows Phone 8X square off in a Spec Showdown. Which phone best meets your needs? Take a look at our comparison and make your call.

Since Apple makes its own products, it’s latest product is the default market leader for iOS. For Android and Windows Phone handsets, however, the field is wide open. The market defines the front runners with their wallets, and there’s the media darlings that manage to snag the hearts of reviewers. The Samsung Galaxy S3 has become Android’s model phone, in part because of an aggressive and enjoyable ad campaign, and because it’s just a darn good handset. With Windows Phone 8 just becoming available, we can’t be certain what the mobile operating system’s chief representative will be. What we can say with confidence, though, is that HTC’s Windows Phone 8X can make quite a case for itself. How do these three heavyweights of the handset world stack up against one another? Take a look at the stat sheet and draw your own conclusions.

Read our full reviews for the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3, and HTC Windows Phone 8X for our extended take on each option. 

	iPhone 5	Galaxy S3	Windows Phone 8X
Size	123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 (mm)	136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 (mm)	132.3 x 66.2 x 10.1 (mm)
Weight	112g	133g	130g
Screen	4.0-inch LCD	4.8-inch Super AMOLED	4.3-inch Super LCD 2
Resolution	1136×640 pixels	1280×720 pixels	1280×720 pixels
OS	iOS 6.0.1	Android 4.0 with TouchWiz UI	Windows Phone 8
Storage	16/32/64GB	16/32GB	16GB
SD Card Slot	No	Yes	No
Processor	Dual-core A6X	Dual-core Snapdragon S4 (US)	Dual-core Snapdragon S4
RAM	1GB	2GB	1GB
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+	Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+	Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+
Camera	Front 1.2MP, Rear 8MP	Front 1.9MP, Rear 8MP	Front 2MP, Rear 8MP
Bluetooth	Yes, version 4.0	Yes, version 4.0	Yes, version 3.1
Battery	1440mAh	2100mAh	1800mAh
Charger	Lightning connector	Micro USB	Micro USB
Marketplace	Apple App Store	Google Play Store	Windows Phone Store
Price	$200+	$200+	$100+
Availability	AT&T, Sprint, Verizon	AT&T, Sprint, T-Mob, Verizon	AT&T, T-Mob, Verizon

What it means: You can sit and compare the processing power and pixel-per-inch count on each device and come to a conclusion about which phone is most technically sound. That said, the biggest and most glaring difference between these three handsets is in one category: the operating system. Apple’s iOS is streamlined and smooth, like everything Apple; Google’s Android OS is in a seemingly constant state of upgrade, but rarely are the changes met with complaints; Windows Phone 8 brings the complete implementation of Live Tiles, and we’ve already started to see that Microsoft may be on to something. The deciding factor may come down to your other devices and computer. If you own a Mac, sticking with the Apple theme may be best for the purposes of continuity. PC users that sprung for Windows 8 should consider snagging the Windows Phone 8X to get the full functionality of the OS. Android devices can work with Mac, Windows, or even Linux, and the NFC features like S Beam make the Galaxy S3 appealing if your friends of co-workers also own the device. Luckily, if you are making your choice from this group, it’s hard to pick wrong.

(Specs by Jeffrey Van Camp)

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/spec-showdown-windows-phone-8x-vs-galaxy-s3-vs-iphone-5/

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Square raises $200m and touts a $3.25bn valuation

Square mobile has been a huge success

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey's mobile payment service Square is now worth a reported $3.25 billion (£2bn) following a recent injection of cash.

A round of funding has raised $200 million (£125m), which will see the company expand beyond the United States later this year, according to AllThingsD.

Significantly, a large chunk of that sweet investment dollar came from Starbucks, which will now switch to using the Square technology and allow customers to pay for coffee using the Square app.

Boost for small businesses... and Starbucks

Square has been a huge boon for small business owners allowing them to take credit card payments, simply by plugging a white dongle into the headphone jack of an iOS or Android devices.

Square is now processing $8 billion a year in credit and debit card transactions.

Once Starbucks starts using the service, those numbers are likely to go through the roof.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/software/square-raises-200m-and-touts-a-3-25bn-valuation-1098030

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