Boy, oh boy, what do we have here? Finally, Google is taking the Play Store to the next level by introducing Gift Card support. Android users have been waiting for this moment since they first opened the Android Market on their G1s. Lack of gift card support has been the Achilles heel of the Play Store and the main reason why Android has been unable to touch the App Store when it comes to paid content consumption. That’s all about to change thanks to a few hidden gems found within the updated Play Store apk.

Round 3 of the Android Humble Bundle has landed and we couldn’t be happier. Not only do you get to pay-what-you-want, but you also get to support charity and the great devs who have donated their games. All game included in the Humble Bundle are multi-platform, DRM-free, and independently developed games. There are currently four games listed along with a fifth “bonus” game for those who pay more than the average (which is $6.03 at the time of this post).

It’s starting to look like Verizon will hit its 400 market goal well before the end of the year. With plans to unleash yet another wave of 4G LTE rollouts, Verizon will hit the 371 mark by tomorrow. While some markets are already seeing 4G LTE, tomorrow’s scheduled rollout aims to add 34 new markets and expand LTE in another 38 markets. At the very least, this news reminds me why I’m still on Verizon.

Major retails join forces on mobile payments system to fend of Google, PayPal, Isis, and other potential digital wallet competitors like Apple.

In a move that makes the Square/Starbucks partnership announced last week look like small potatoes, a group of national and international retailers announced plans to develop their own mobile payment network complete with mobile apps and digital wallet functionality. The move seems almost certain to shake up the nascent mobile payments market where a wide range of companies and organizations have been trying to figure out the secret sauce that will turn mobile payments into a mainstream retail system for the past couple of years.

The Merchant Customer Exchange or MCX, as the new company is known, plans to deliver a solution that offers convenience in both making purchases and in receiving customizable offers from retailers. Development of a mobile app and payment network are underway, but MCX has yet to announce any details about either the app or its network.

I woke up this morning to find my credit card billed for my VIZIO Co-Star preorder. Previously, my order was in processing limbo, but now it looks like VIZIO might be ready to start shipping its $99 Google TV set-top box. I immediately checked my order online at the VIZIO store and was disappointed to find that it still said “Processing,” but I’m going to remain optimistic and hope to see that change to “Shipped” within the next day or two.