Google Wallet has been dealt more blows than Rocky Balboa but it just won’t quit (even though some of its engineers will). Today, Google announced the acquisition of technology company TxVia and hopes their expertise will “accelerate innovation towards our full Google Wallet vision.” TxVia has worked with advanced processing technology for prepaid cards and emerging payments since 2008 and has supported the management of more than 100 million accounts. Google Wallet could use all the help it can get right now and I’m betting TxVia’s connections with major payment networks will come in handy.
The latest distribution numbers are out and it appears Ice Cream Sandwich is gaining momentum. In a 14-day period ending on April 2, 2012, Android 4.0 appeared on 2.9% of devices accessing the Google Play Store. Yes, that’s still a pretty paltry number, but compared to last month’s data, it’s up 1.3%. That’s good news for an operating version that has been mostly stagnant since its release back in November of 2011. We’re finally starting to see OEM’s and carriers roll out the Android 4.0 update to their phones and this latest data is reflective of that.
Customers in the U.S. have been able to purchase various versions of the Google TV for about a year now from various OEMs, but according to a new report, the Google TV is launching in Europe this September. The first devices across the pond will be from Sony and will include a €200 ($266) set-top box and a €300 ($399) set-top box featuring a Blu-Ray player.
When downloading a new app from the Google Play Store, the first thing many customers tend to do is look at the app’s rating and user submitted reviews. However, you might want to take into consideration that some app developers might be hiring people on the cheap to cheat these reviews with false 5-star ratings. We’re not saying many are doing it, but one developer has been caught red handed.
A new Israeli start-up on the scene named ZooZ has founded a new SDK, which allows developers to implement an in-app payment system into their apps easier. To get the system implemented, all developers have to do is add three lines of code into either an Android or iOS app, which will then get things rolling. From there, customers who would like to purchase something from within the app can use Paypal or a credit card with ZooZ’s system. Check it out:
