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Google reportedly wants to turn the Pay app into a shopping portal
Google Shopping already exists, but let's not go there
Google Pay is the primary method of contactless payments on Android devices, but Google might have greater ambitions for the app than just storing all your credit cards. A new report from The Information claims the app could become a shopping portal, if retailers and delivery companies sign on.
As the WalMart of the Internet age, Amazon has its fair share of detractors, and for some of the same reasons. With tens of thousands of vendors using Amazon as a storefront, to say nothing of millions of products the company sells directly, sometimes its wares can be a bit on the obscure side. A new system from the retailer is trying to offer a bit of transparency, showing consumers where the products they've ordered were made and packaged. The app is appropriately titled Transparency.
Unlike some of my colleagues in the tech media, I don't have any particular beef with Walmart. Yes, they sell cheap imported crap, and yes, they under-pay their employees, stiffing both the people who make stuff and the people who sell stuff. But if you object to that strongly enough to actually change your buying habits, you'll soon run out of places to buy things. I do, however, object to the idea of a mobile payment system that works at exactly one store. That's taking the biggest problem with mobile payments as a whole, the lack of inter-operability, and turning it into a selling point.
Pity the poor electronics retailer: with Amazon and others offering low prices and fast shipping in locations all over the world, it's getting harder for old-fashioned brick-and-mortar locations to turn a dime. In North America the only electronics store that seems to be surviving is Best Buy (often by renting out the inside of its own stores to the likes of Samsung and Apple). Today the big-box giant announced that it would be either closing or re-branding all the remaining locations of Future Shop, a Canadian electronics store that's been around since 1982.
Update: Google says that the Nexus Player is also available from TigerDirect. The official Nexus Twitter account also mentions Wal-Mart and Fry's Electronics, though it isn't available from their online sites, so it may only be on sale in brick-and-mortar stores. Staples' online store is also mentioned, but as of noon Monday, the Nexus Player isn't listed. Amazon now has an official listing from Asus available at the standard price with free Prime shipping.
Last week's update to the Motorola Connect support app showed off the "Keylink," an accessory we hadn't seen before. Based on the shots of the app, it looked like a simple Bluetooth gadget that lived on your keyring and made it easy to find your keys from your phone, or vice versa. Now it looks like Motorola has officially launched the Keylink: one of our readers spotted at least one T-Mobile retail store selling it for $24.99.
Google's pre-order sales of the Nexus 6 on the US Play Store have been, to put it delicately, crap. By my estimate all four storage and color variants of the phone have been available for ordering for a grand total of about twenty minutes over the last two weeks, and Motorola hasn't fared much better selling them on its own site. If you're waiting for the retail release of the Nexus 6... prepare to be disappointed.
Before today, the official Starbucks app was perfectly serviceable - in fact, I'd say it was better than most retail apps. You can store pre-paid Starbucks cards in the app and pay with them, see your rewards for being a loyal customer, and find coffee shops with the built-in map (in case you can't see one by turning your head from side to side). But today's sizeable update from version 2.4 to 2.7 adds some neat stuff, most notably the ability to tip your coffee minion. I mean, your barista.
UK Retailer Phones 4u Closes Its Doors After The Last Carrier Backs Out, Total Shutdown Seems Likely
You won't find a Phones 4u store anywhere on Main Street USA, but our United Kingdom readers are probably quite familiar with the mobile-focused retailer. Alas, they might not be seeing them for long. The BBC reports that the company is in administration (similar to bankruptcy) after UK carrier EE decided not to renew its contract with Phones 4u stores on Friday. EE was the last carrier to remain as a partner following Vodafone's exit earlier this month.
At this point there's little doubt that Motorola will be unveiling the "Moto E" at its event next week. In addition to a leak on Facebook comparing the phone to the low-end Moto G, some new information and a promotional image has come out of FastShop, a Brazilian Internet retailer. According to the specifications that briefly appeared on the site, we're looking at a phone that's very similar to the G with a redesigned case and budget-minded specs.
Amazon's big Fire TV announcement yesterday left us a bit perturbed that there's still no way to get Amazon Instant Video on standard Android devices, but the retailer is continuing to support the more conventional side of its business. Take the Amazon For Tablets app for example: the latest update adds some handy features, most notably support for the Amazon Fresh grocery service. But since Amazon Fresh is still only active in parts of California and Seattle, that won't effect a large percentage of users.
OK, Indian readers, we know you've been waiting a long time for this. Earlier today Indian online retailer Flipkart posted an ad for the Moto X, announcing that it would be available starting tomorrow, March 19th. The price starts at 23,999 rupees for the 16GB in five colors, according to this Flipkart tweet. That's at least in the same ballpark as the US version - it's just north of $390 USD.
The retail slugfest that is Black Friday is almost upon us, and several stores are eager to get in a few punches before the bell. That includes Staples, which is reviving its well-received off tablets coupon from earlier this year. The coupon is valid online, in stores, or over the phone (people still shop over the phone?) but it will expire after today, November 27th.
Standing opposite HTC's One X, the Galaxy S III is one of this year's most hotly anticipated devices. If you're overly eager to get in on the pre-order action, Amazon has pre-orders available from several retailers. It's worth noting that the "Featured Merchants" among them include names like TechnoTradingHouse.com or BLUTEKUSA. Relatively unknowns, but they've all popped up in very close succession.
It's worth noting that Amazon has a policy of not collecting payments on pre-orders until the item has shipped. So, if you just can't wait to get your name on the list, but you're hesitant to trust the unfamiliar names on the list, at least you can take a small bit of comfort in knowing that Amazon is providing a small bit of consumer protection.If you just can't wait to reserve your device, head down to the source links below to place your order.Update:Expansys also has pre-orders for Samsung's shiniest new toy on its site for $694.99, absolutely demolishing all of the above retailers prices. As always, they're available in both blue and white. It's not through Amazon, but hey, at least we recognize Expansys' name.Source: Amazon (Blue), (White) via OLED-Info
Official word from Asus is that they can't make enough Transformers to keep up with demand, something that's perhaps not surprising given that the tablet maintains high-end specs but a low-end price. Luckily for some users, keeping a hawkish eye on (r)etailer's websites has allowed them to snatch one up when the seller was lucky enough to get a few in stock. Now, however, there's an easier way, called NowInStock.