Showing posts with label up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label up. Show all posts
Thursday, May 7, 2015
How to Set Up Apple Pay and How To Use it
What is Apple Pay
Apple Pay is a mobile payment and digital wallet service that lets users make payments at retail and online checkout, the process done just by a simple touch on iPhones Touch ID sensor after you held your device up near a contactless reader. Apple Pay is depending on NFC antenna (Near Field Communication), which is existing in iPhone 6, 6 Plus and upcoming Apple Watch, but the feature will also compatible with iPhone 5, 5s, and 5c, those can exploit the feature through an Apple Watch. In this case a users skin beneath Apple Watch and a PIN code entered when the watch is first put on will be replace the iPhones Touch ID.
How to set up Apple Pay
Once you have installed iOS 8.1, so you can pay with your iPhone, you have to add your credit or debit card to Passbook, that by adding your cards from iTunes account to Passbook by simply entering the card security code, as you can also add new cards by using camera to enter your card information, or type it in manually.
After that, a verification process will begin which usually takes just few seconds for most cards that currently working with Apple Pay, then immediately you can pay with your iPhone. While some cards require other verification steps like phone calls and emails.
By default the first card you add becomes your default payment card, but you can select any other card to be the default from Passbook and Apple Pay Settings, as you can pay with a different card whenever you want through Passbook.
Passbook & Apple Pay section which can be joined from Settings app contains all cards that you have added to Passbook, along with Transaction Defaults like billing address, shipping address, email, and phone number.
When you tap on one of the cards you will get specific information on the card, allowing you to see the last digits of the card number, the last digits of the Device Account Number that replaces the card number in transactions, and contact information for the bank behind the card.
As you can also see a list of recent transactions that you have made with Apple Pay, and with some cards you will also see the transactions made in stores that dont support Apple Pay feature alongside Apple Pay list. You can also from this settings area remove a card from Apple Pay.
How Apple Pay it work
After Apple Pay being set up, now your iPhone 6 or 6 Plus is ready to pay with it within stores without open any app or even to wake display, just hold it near the contactless reader with your finger on Touch ID. You dont need to look at the iPhones screen to know your payment information was successfully sent, you will know that by a subtle vibration and beep.
How Apple Pay is secure
One other strong point in Apple Pay in addition to its simplicity, is its security, so your credit card that you add in Passbook will store in the Secure Element, with other generated and encrypted codes.
Every time you hand over your credit or debit card to pay, your card number and identity are visible. With Apple Pay, instead of using your actual credit and debit card numbers when you add your card to Passbook, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted, and securely stored in the Secure Element, a dedicated chip in iPhone. These numbers are never stored on Apple servers. And when you make a purchase, the Device Account Number, along with a transaction-specific dynamic security code, is used to process your payment. So your actual credit or debit card numbers are never shared by Apple with merchants or transmitted with payment.Once your iPhone is ever lost or stolen, in this case you can use Find My iPhone feature to suspend Apple Pay, that through put it in Lost Mode or wipe your iPhone clean completely, without needing to cancel your credit cards.
Up to now Apple Pay only work in the United States, though Apple plans to expand to other countries. According to Apple, Apple Pay initially will work with more than 220,000 participating vendors that support contactless payments, including department stores Macys and Bloomingdales, restaurants Subway and McDonalds, drugstores Walgreens and Duane Reade, and other retailers including Target and Whole Foods. Apple Pay also works for purchases made in participating apps like Uber, Groupon, Panera Bread, and Apples own Apple Store app.
Sources: Wikipedia, Apple, MacRumors
Read also:
- A Comprehensive List of iOS 8 Hidden Features and Changes and how Can Be Accessed
- How to Use Find My iPhone Pre and After the Losing of Your iPhone or iPad
- Take a Look of New Features in New Apple Products; iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Apple Pay, and Apple Watch
- Photos App in iOS 8
- iOS 8 Brings New Option "Send Last Location" To Find My iPhone or iPad
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
LG G3 Beat With Laser Autofocus Camera up for Pre Order at Rs 24 999
LGs new G3 Beat smartphone is now up for pre-order via a third-party online retailer in India, at a price of Rs. 24,999.
Notably, the online retailers listing clearly notes that the handset will be available on September 13, indicating that the official India launch of the LG G3 Beat will be around the same time in mid-September.
It must be pointed out that the LG G3 Beat might not officially arrive in India with the price quoted by the online retailer. Much like the LG G3 Beat, the flagship G3 was also available for pre-order on third party retailer ahead of any official announcement.
(In Comparison: LG G3 vs. LG G3 Beat)
Initially announced in July, the LG G3 Beat features the same Floating Arc Design as seen on the LG G3, featuring smooth curved sides and gradually tapered edges. The highlight of the G3 Beat is its 8-megapixel rear camera which comes with the Laser Autofocus feature seen on the G3, while there is a 1.3-megapixel front camera as well.
As the LG G3s mid-tier variant, the G3 Beat comes with a 5-inch IPS display offering 294ppi pixel density. The company has dropped the screen resolution from QHD (1440x2560 pixel) on LG G3 to the considerably lower HD resolution of 720x1280 pixels on the LG G3 Beat.
The smartphone runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat much like the G3, and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor clubbed with 2GB of RAM. It comes with 8GB of inbuilt storage with microSD card expansion and is backed by a 2540mAh battery.
Some of the preloaded software features on the G3 Beat from the flagship include Touch and Shoot, which allows a touch anywhere on the display to focus and shoot; Gesture Shot, which begins automatic three-second countdown before the picture is snapped by just a hand gesture; Smart Keyboard, and QuickMemo+, an overhauled note taking app.
Connectivity options on the LG G3 Beat include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPRS/ EDGE, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC, Micro-USB, 3G and 4G LTE support. The phone measures 137.7x69.6x10.3mm and weighs 134 grams. It is available in Metallic Black, Silk White, and Shine Gold colour variants.
The LG G3 Beat is currently up for pre-order in Gold, Silk White and Metallic Black colour variants on Infibeam.
Panasonic Toughbook 31 up to 27 hours of battery life for portable rugged
The portable rugged family of Panasonic Toughbook is updated with the new Intel Core i5 processor with architecture Broadwell, managing to get to 27 hours of battery life on a second additional battery
Panasonic updates its Toughbook 31 laptop with a new Intel Core i5 fifth generation (Broadwell). The characteristic allows it to offer 18 hours of autonomy of single charge (the model of the previous generation came to 14.5) and up to 27 hours continuously by the use of an optional second battery. We speak of a system rugged able to withstand drops and environments among the most varied and difficult.
Panasonic Toughbook 31 offers, according to the manufacturer, a significant performance boost mixed with an improved battery life. Is guaranteed to support a protocol Wi-Fi faster (802.11ac dual-band), while it was removed the configuration option with discrete GPU. It is a feature probably shortly sought on a product of this type and having destinations of use so specific.
Under the shell we find an Intel Core i5 vPro 3MB of cache and operate at a frequency of 2.3GHz, able to reach up to 2,9GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology. The GPU integrated into the processor is an Intel Graphics 5500, more than able to handle the display resolution 13.3 “: the antiquated 1024×768. Among the configuration options are a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 16GB of RAM DDR3L- 1600, a hard-disk 500GB 7200RPM with integrated heating system and SSD 128 to 512GB. Available through the bodyshell a Gigabit Ethernet port and four USB ports including a 3.0.
A product of this type is not so interesting for the specific hardware, as for those of design. The structure is certified IP-65 for resistance to intrusion of liquids, dust or debris, and reaches the toughest MIL-STD-810G managing to withstand drops from 1.8 meters. There are also some typical characteristics of the product family Panasonic: a hard disk shock resistant quick release, a touchscreen visible even in sunlight, and a magnesium alloy chassis with built-in handle.
As it is easy to imagine the rest, are definitely important dimensions of the Toughbook 31, they speak of a thickness of 7.37 cm, while the weight is around 3 pounds when you insert the second optional battery. Panasonic Toughbook 31 will be available in February from $ 3,699 with a warranty of three years of purchase, with both Windows 7 Professional (via downgrade) and Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit.
Panasonic Toughbook 31 - up to 27 hours of battery life for portable rugged
Monday, March 30, 2015
WeChat Helps Apple Rack Up Bonus Points in China
Apple Inc has a lot for which to thank people like Deng.
A Beijing-based quality analyst, she gave only her surname as shes embarrassed by how much money she spends playing mobile games on WeChat, a hugely popular messaging app developed by Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd.
"The most expensive time was when I spent 68 yuan ($11.08) on a leopard on Tiantiankupao," said Deng, an avid iPhone user, referring to Tencents hit game - called Timi Run Everyday in English - where characters run through obstacle courses. Having a leopard as a pet gives the characters extra power, helping players beat their friends.
Deng and tens of millions like her have made China Apples third-largest market for software sales, and a huge chunk of that comes through WeChat. Known locally as Weixin, WeChat had 438 million monthly active users globally, mostly in China, at the end of June, and has rapidly evolved from a messaging tool into a digital Swiss Army knife, allowing users to send messages, play games, book taxis and shop online.
The app has proved a winning formula in getting people in China, a market notorious for not paying for software, to connect their bank accounts with their phones and pay for virtual goods like extra lives and power-ups in mobile games.
Apple takes a 30 percent cut on all sales.
"Were seeing some substantial strength there," Apple CEO Tim Cook said of China in a July earnings call. "The thing thats actually growing the most is the iTunes, Software and Services category, which has the App Store in it. That area is almost doubling year over year."
Apples Greater China revenues, which include Hong Kong and Taiwan, soared 28 percent in April-June from a year earlier to $5.9 billion, and globally, iTunes, Software and Services sales were the companys second-fastest growing product category, up 12 percent year-on-year to $4.5 billion.
Tencent was the top game publisher for Apples iOS operating system in China by revenue for both June and July, according to App Annie, a company that measures app usage. Apple is this week expected to launch its new iPhone - with a gamer-friendly larger screen.
"A very virtuous cycle"
Apple makes all software sales on the iPhone go through its App Store. Typically, the Cupertino, California-based company will take its 30 percent of the sales, while the rest goes to an apps developer or publisher.
WeChat, which itself hosts apps and games made by other developers, is no different. The cash from any products sold on the app are split between Apple, Tencent and the developer.
"By far the biggest factor driving App Store revenue in China is WeChat," said Ben Thompson, who writes about technology at stratechery.com. "WeChat has driven app download and usage, which drives people to want to buy stuff, which drives them to connect their payment information. Its been a very virtuous cycle."
Growth has also been helped by increased smartphone sales since China Mobile, the countrys largest carrier, began offering the iPhone in January.
A big part of WeChats success has been with casual games - highly addictive hits like Candy Crush Saga and Temple Run that are often free to download but let users pay for in-game upgrades. WeChat has its own stable of games, and also publishes Candy Crush in China.
Games integrated with WeChat and Tencents other mobile social network, Mobile QQ, generated revenues of 3 billion yuan ($489 million) for Tencent in April-June, up from around 1.8 billion yuan in January-March.
"If you look at whos playing Temple Run and Candy Crush, a lot of these were non-gamers five years ago," said Junde Yu, App Annies vice president of Asia Pacific. "With the advent of smartphones, the ease of use, they started to download apps, and because theyre very casual and fun they start playing games. It hooks them and encourages them to start making payments."
Repeat purchases
China is unique in another way that helps push up spending on smartphones.
Both Apple and Tencent have tried to drive the adoption of mobile payments on their platforms, but Chinas banking payment system is complex at best, and makes it difficult to carry out any kind of online payment with ease.
Apple uses a top-up system for its App Store in China, with a 50 yuan ($8.15) minimum value, said Yu - for those using Chinas national bank card payment network rather than international credit cards. "This leads to a lot of repeat purchases as people arent likely to spend 50 yuan on one purchase," Yu said. "After the first time, they wont stop but will keep purchasing and playing games."
iPhone users themselves are a big draw for app developers, and some value them more highly than people using smartphones operating on Google Incs Android system.
"Id pay six times the price for an iOS user compared to Android," said Peng Tao, chief executive of breadtrip, a Beijing-based travel app. Part of the reason, in China at least, is that Androids Google Play app store isnt accessible, so dozens of smaller, less curated app stores have sprung up.
"On the iOS App Store front page apps are chosen by merit, whereas in China for Android theyre chosen by who pays," said Peng. "Android users just like to download things, no matter the need. They see its free and download it, so they shift apps quickly - download and delete, download and delete."
Uneasy allies?
For Apple, though, WeChat may turn out to be a Trojan horse.
While the U.S. company is earning good money through WeChats success, there is some concern that Tencent may want Apple to see less of that.
"WeChat made the market, Apple didnt, and its becoming so powerful on mobile in China that, broadly speaking, its a threat to Apple," said stratechery.coms Thompson. "If Tencent want to flex their muscles and keep more of that revenue, I could certainly see them leaning on the government to help them and keep a bigger percentage of the sales theyre driving."
Chinas ruling Communist Party is no stranger to heavy-handed regulation. Last week, a U.S. business lobby said foreign companies are increasingly concerned they are being targeted by Chinese regulators, charges the regulators deny.
Apple itself has repeatedly come under fire from Chinese state media - more frequently since former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowdensrevelations about U.S. government cyber-espionage conducted through private companies including Apple, Google and Microsoft Corp.
In July, Chinas state broadcaster branded the iPhone a national security threatbecause of its ability to track and time-stamp user locations, and government mouthpieces have called for severe punishment, accusing Apple of providing user data to U.S. intelligence agencies.
Some of WeChats rivals in messaging apps have also fallen by the wayside in China because of the government.
Chinese authorities said in August they blocked South Korean firm Kakao CorpsKakaoTalk and Naver Corps Line as part of efforts to fight terrorism, according to the Korean government, explaining service disruptions in China that had begun a month earlier.
"The biggest danger for Apple in China is always the uncertain regulatory environment," said stratechery.coms Thompson. "Its very plausible to see the government moving against Apples App Store policy."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)