Ever since Google launched the Samsung Nexus S that has a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip, there has been speculation about whether Google would have a mobile payment system. Today in partnership with Citi, Mastercard, First Data, and Sprint, Google announced the Google Wallet, an app that uses NFC to make payments, effectively turning Android smartphones into wallets.
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Apple and Google are headed for a showdown over mobile payments startup BOKU, according to reports. The two tech giants are both in private talks with the San Francisco-based company about a possible acquisition or partnership.
Over the past several weeks, BOKU CEO Mark Britto and co-founder Ron Hirson have held meetings with the head of Apple’s iPhone division, but the company has also been talking with Michael Morrissey, the head of Google Mobile Services for the company’s Android platform, according to TechCrunch.
Exactly what those talks were about, no one is saying. Google might be exploring a full acquisition, or a partnership. Apps on Google’s Android store can already accept BOKU in-app payments.
BOKU’s deals with mobile carriers such as AT&T and Vodafone UK reportedly give it access to 1.6 billion potential customers. And if a bidding war for BOKU does break out, an acquisition price could hit nine figures, TechCrunch speculated. According to one of it’s sources, Apple is prepared to spend between $250 million and $450 million. BOKU was valued at just over $100 million back in January, and has already raised $38 million in funding.
If you’re addicted to Starbucks and have an iPhone, you can now pay for your caffeine-related purchases through the company’s iPhone app. Called Starbucks Card Mobile, the app has actually been in limited availability since last Fall at 16 standalone stores, and now lets you pay for cafe purchases at over 1,000 Starbucks-within-Target locations in the U.S.
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SponsorPay, a Berlin – Germany based virtual goods monetization startup, has acquired GratisPay, a European competitor developing a similar service.
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Merchants, are you tired of losing online sales because you only take payment by credit card? Mobile First, a provider of premium SMS text messaging services, just announced their Mobile Payment processing solution. Your online customers can now make purchases using their text messaging-enabled cell phones – a method that Mobile First claims has at least 8x the conversion factor, at least in the USA.
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