Retail giants work on own mobile payment system

Several of the largest retail chains in theUnited Statesare working on a payment network that will allow customers to pay via a smartphone. It could challenge similar efforts made by both cellphone networks and tech giants.

The Merchant Customer Exchange has already announced 15 members including 7-Eleven, Best Buy, CVS, Lowe’s, Sears, Target and Wal-Mart. The group estimates that almost everyUSsmartphone owners visits at least one member store each week.


The technology behind the deal is still in development. All that’s official so far is that it will be available on “virtually any smartphone” and that as well as payments it will be hooked up to store offers and promo deals.

It’s not just the use of this payment system in the stores that will matter, but also the fact that it could mean the members choose not to accept rival payment services such as Google Wallet. To lose access to all these major players could mean other services simply aren’t attractive to users.

The retailers may also get a big financial advantage from the system beyond simply picking up extra trade from impulse buyers even if they don’t have cash or cards to hand or don’t fancy waiting in line to make a traditional payment. Retailers running their own payment system will cut out fees from the likes of Google or PayPal, and the sheer market force of those involved could even get a better deal from card companies.

The downside of the sheer size of the project is that it will make security absolutely vital. Having access to the card details of customers across all the biggest retailers nationwide will be an extremely juicy target for cyber criminals. Technical issues aside though, the big question is whether even this array of retailers is enough to make a payment system work. It’s still possible that many shoppers will conclude it’s only worth getting the right phone and sorting out a payment account if they can be sure of using the mobile payment pretty much everywhere

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Aisle411 wants to help you navigate through Walgreens

As grocery stores, Walgreens and Walmarts continue to supersize, finding your way around can be difficult. Different stores within the same chain are set up differently which only adds to the confusion. Just because you know where the the toilet paper is in one Walmart doesn’t mean you can find it in the same place in another. That is where aisle411 is supposed to come in. Just plug in your shopping list for Walgreens and the app should lead you on a simple path to each item.

Aisle411 has been available on the iPhone for a while and is also available in Google Play for Android phones. According to Engadget, aisle411 is now available for Walgreens. All 7,907 drugstores nationwide have been mapped in the app. So far only Walgreens is mapped nationwide. Depending on where you live you might have a larger selection of mapped stores. The application doesn’t have Walmart yet but hopefully its coming.


The application provides more than just a store navigation system. You can create shopping lists within the app and search through recipes. You can create more than one shopping list so that you can hit different stores for different items. For those who do extreme couponing and visit multiple stores to get the best deals, this app could come in handy. It will also show you what coupons are available in different stores. You can save the ones you want to your “grocery savings card” and use it when you check out.

For many of us who don’t live in one of the “select markets” with mapped out stores, the only store we can currently use the app to navigate through is Walgreens. For some people that might be enough of a perk to choose it over say Out of Milk or Grocery IQ.

Some people really like the app and the way that you can use it to navigate through stores. Others find the app to still be a bit primitive when it comes to using GPS to maneuver through stores. Others find that it doesn’t provide necessary options like the ability to rearrange your shopping order or add custom aisles. One big drawback is that it doesn’t seem to be able to distinguish between frozen products and fresh products, for example frozen and fresh pineapple that are almost always on different aisles.

Every app goes through teething issues and hopefully aisle411 is just going through such a phase. The potential to become a killer app is definitely there, it just needs a bit more work.

Now if they could only map out the various Walmarts and Targets, it just might make the top shopping app of all time. Code corrupted. Insert fresh copy.

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Kickstarter projects for Android that you can help fund

For those of you unfamiliar with Kickstarter, it is “the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects.” People post videos of their projects and ask the public to help fund them. This article is only going to focus on projects surrounding Android development and apps. Depending on the level of funding, you can get a variety of different perks from the ability to alpha or beta test an android app or developer kit to ad free versions of the app to T-shirts. Some of these projects will only appeal to the really geeky and others to the more general user.

First from Kickstarter is the libKCE project. The goal is to raise $5,000 by July 11, 2012. So far the project has raised $242 from 67 backers. The project wants to create a quick way for developers to create new applications that will cut overcome the fragmentation issues that currently exist in Android. The toolkit will be offered free once it is up and running.



libKCE is a FREE Android / HTML5 Toolkit that we’ve developed with the primary purpose of transferring the power from the manufacturers, the carriers, the policy makers and other powers that be into the hands of the software developers (the people that make things happen) and on to the people, YOU!

libKCE is a drop-in, plug-and-play library that allows developers to quickly add it to their new and current projects. It offers an Intuitive API that conforms to international programming standards, which allows anyone to be up and running in a matter of minutes.

Second, is List Ninja that wants to combine several apps into one. It’s goal is to raise a more modest $1,500 by July 15, 2012. So far it has raised $90 but it still has 6 days to go and that isn’t a lot to raise in that time. It could replace multiple apps with one. For instance task, grocery, workout, mileage and password lists can all be accommodated in this one app.


List Ninja can replace any "list" type of application on your device. In addition you can customize it to have just the fields you want and the colors you want. Enjoy having things the way you want it, after all you’re not using an iPhone right? The way Android was meant to be
What all can the List Ninja do?

The List Ninja runs on a flexible template engine that allows you to build any type of list imaginable. Here are some examples of lists you can have with List Ninja.
Notes
Tasks
To-Do List
Grocery List
Passwords
Gas/Mileage Tracker
Calorie Counter
Gym Workouts

Basically if it’s some type of a list, where you go and input some data, List Ninja can handle it.

Third, is a very geeky project called the Sensordrone. This includes not just an app but a small device that will provide a variety of readings from temperature, humidity, carbon monoxide level, to stud finding. More uses are expected to be coming soon. The external gadget is small enough to fit on your keychain and can be used in a variety of places. The project has already earned $118,930 of a $25,000 goal but hurry and you may be able to get in on some Kickstarter only perks like a T-shirt and reduced cost of a sensordrone.


Sensordrone can fit on your keychain, monitor your environment, and talk with your smartphone via Bluetooth. Sensordrone already includes more sensors than anything else available, so you can run hundreds of new apps. Apps that are surprisingly useful in your daily life, fun apps, scientific apps, and more.

For example, apps using the capacitance sensor can work as a stud finder, a proximity monitor, or a liquid level monitor. Apps using the pressure sensor can work as a barometer, an altimeter, calculate elevation differences so you can measure the height of a building, be hooked up to a pressure cuff to work as a blood pressure monitor, and more. Humidity sensing is not just for weather, it determines comfort level for infants, finds the optimum conditions for storing foods, and could even help prevent mold from growing in your home

The sensors in Sensordrone don’t just give you data, they guide you to smart decisions. Sensor apps will teach you, help you, and guide you. You’ll be informed enough to demand action. For example, the carbon monoxide sensor will measure carbon monoxide, but combine that with an Air Quality Index guide, and you’ll get much more information than just a number.

Fourth is more of a novelty item. It is the Droidalyzer alcohol detector and developer kit. The goal is to raise $6,500 and has so far raised $332. Unlike the other projects that give you levels from $1 to $2,500 for your investment, the Droidalyzer gives you exactly one – $65. While it is a novelty, if it will keep someone from driving drunk, it would be worth the $65 investment.


The Droidalyzer is an open source, Bluetooth alcohol detector accessory for Android Phones. After pairing the device to your phone using Bluetooth, breathe into the device’s alcohol sensor and then check your alcohol level from your phone.

Note: The Droidalyzer is a novelty device, it is NOT calibrated to be a professional Breathalyzer and/or medical device and is for entertainment use only.

The last project is Craftie™ beer app. Yes there are other craft beer apps out there but most of them have limited abilities. The goal is to raise $48,900 by August 19, 2012. So far they have raised $2,276. I presume that some of that $48,900 will be spend on creating the bottle openers, coasters and other promo items promised with the different levels of contribution.


Our goal is simple: we’re creating the perfect app for craft beer lovers.Craftie™ will be unique because it focuses solely on craft beer, and will house a robust database of the country’s finest breweries and the great craft beers that they produce. Featuring three search options, extensive brewery and brewmaster profiles, and tons of information about the craft beers themselves, Craftie™ will aim to personalize your craft beer drinking experience like never before. You’ll now have your own personal database that allows you to make notes and rate the craft beers you love most, all right at your fingertips. And when it comes to an app, we know users expect an intuitive experience and reliable performance, which is why when Craftie™ is released it’ll be polished and ready to hit the ground sprinting.

So for those of you who want to bring a few more apps and gadgets to the Android universe, here’s your chance. There is a price range for every investor and a perk that comes with most of them. Enjoy browsing other Kickstarter projects as well. There are a couple of 3D printers that look promising. Code corrupted. Insert fresh copy.

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