Verifone’s NFC Terminal Promotes Unity, Supports All Mobile Payment Platforms
Americans have been enjoying NFC-based mobile payments for the past few years. Apple jumped on the bandwagon in fall 2014 with the release of Apple Pay, opening up the ease of mobile payments to millions more Americans.
As mobile payments become more prevalent, and competing solutions began to plant their flags in the ground, it’d be nice to have a single terminal solution that would be able to accommodate everyone. Thankfully, Verifone agrees and just announced its awkwardly named PAYware Mobile e355.
The PAYware Mobile e355 is a jack of all mobile point of sale (mPOS) terminal, supporting both NFC (supporting both Google Wallet and Apple Pay) and EMV. The mPOS also supports traditional magnetic strip credit cards if you’re into that “old hat” technology. It’s also OS-agnostic, meaning that it supports mobile devices running Android, iOS, and Windows Phone. Connectivity options are plentiful, as the mPOS supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and USB connectivity. An optional barcode scanner is also available to scan customer coupons.
Verifone see the PAYware Mobile e355 as an integrated, long-term solution that doesn’t tie retailers to one particular platform. Even more important is the fact that its mPOS won’t be made obsolete when the next generation Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy smartphone rolls off the assembly line; the PAYWare Mobile e355 is for all intents and purposes future-proofed. “The prospect of having to purchase new mPOS devices for sales associates when smartphones and tablets are upgraded has been a major inhibitor to mPOS investment among retailers,” said Mark Shockley, SVP of Mobile Solutions for Verifone.
“Verifone’s single, modular solution will offer the ultimate in mPOS flexibility, allowing it to persist across changes in devices, even if somebody wants to make a complete switch from one OS to another.”
Verifone plans to roll out the PAYware Mobile e355 in late summer, and pricing has yet to be released. However, Verifone is aiming the device at “larger retailers” which no doubt have large pockets, so it may be a while before you you’ll be able to use the system as your local mom and pop restaurant.
