Square Cash

Square-Cash-on-iPhone

From Square Press Release:

SAN FRANCISCO – October 15, 2013– Today Square, the company making commerce easy for everyone, introduced Square Cash; a new service that makes sending money as simple as sending an email.

With Square Cash, individuals no longer need to write checks, pay ATM fees or wait for forgotten loans from friends. Customers simply send an e-mail to the person they’re paying, and after the recipient enters their debit card number, money is directly transferred to their bank account.

…….

Square Cash is free to send and receive, and there is no signup process. Funds are directly deposited into the recipient’s bank account, rather than held in a stored balance account.

To send their first payment, customers simply compose an email by filling in the following fields:

  • To: [email address]
  • Cc: cash@square.com
  • Subject: $ [amount]
  • Send!

Customers then receive an email prompting them to link a debit card to fund their first payment. To accept a payment, the recipient enters their debit card number once, and will automatically receive funds to their debit card thereafter.

Square Cash is also available for Android and iOS.

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One question: “What would happen if someone hijacked the initial email to link the debit card?”

By the way Gmail users can also send money through email using Google Wallet.

Apple Hires Angela Ahrendts as Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores

From Apple PR:

CUPERTINO, California—October 14, 2013—Apple® today announced that Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry, will be joining Apple in a newly created position, as a senior vice president and member of our executive team, reporting to CEO Tim Cook.

Back in September 2013, Apple gave Burberry several units of iPhone 5s ahead of its release date to capture Spring/Summer 2014 Runway Show. In hindsight, Apple must have been considering Angela Ahrendts as its new retail chief for a while.

Interestingly, TechCrunch’s Josh Constine mentioned both Apple and Burberry in one article.

Burberry was able to save itself by hiring a new CEO, Angela Ahrendts, who led an effort to buy back 23 of its licenses and fight counterfeiters.

It seems that Angela Ahrendts is the right person to take on the title Apple Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores.

Apple-Logo-splash

Angry Birds Toons: Pig Plot Potion

Angry Birds Toons episode number 32 is now playing at your local Angry Birds Toons. “Pig Plot Potion” features, Red, the Eggs, Chef Pig, King Pig and a snail.

Angry Birds Toons Pig Plot Potion

Next week episode “Tooth Royal” is coming soon.

Amazon.com to the Rescue

I received a call from a client who was having issues with the newly purchased Epson WorkFoce WF-2540 All-in-One printer. Upon inspections, I noticed the data ribbon was damaged by the ink cartridge carrier.

Epson WF-2540 Mangled Data Ribbon

The printer was delivered from Amazon.com a few days earlier, so it is still under manufacturer warranty. I tried calling Epson customer support, unfortunately no one was available to answer the call on Saturday.

I then called Amazon.com customer service and within 10 minutes they emailed the return label for the defective unit and dispatched the replacement.

Changes to Google Privacy Policy

Google will be taking its new Terms of Service into effect on November 11, 2013.

We are updating the Google Terms of Service. The new Terms will go live on November 11, 2013 and you can read them here.

Because many of you are allergic to legalese, here’s a plain English summary for your convenience.

We’ve made three changes:

  • First, clarifying how your Profile name and photo might appear in Google products (including in reviews, advertising and other commercial contexts).
  • Second, a reminder to use your mobile devices safely.
  • Third, details on the importance of keeping your password confidential.

To opt-out of the “Shared Endorsement“, Google+ users need to lbe logged in and uncheck the box for “Based upon my activity, Google may show my name and profile photo in shared endorsements that appear in ads.”

Google-Privacy-Opt-out-20131011