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PayPal Launches Mobile Payments App for Pebble Smartwatch

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MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,553
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PayPal today announced that its popular iOS and Android mobile payments app will be available for the Pebble Smartwatch (via VentureBeat).

The PayPal app has let users pay for purchases in certain locations for a while now, and integration with Android Wear has allowed users of Android-powered smart watches such as Samsung's Gear 2, Gear S, and Gear Fit to make payments via their watches since earlier this year. With the new Pebble app, iOS users can now get a taste of the functionality, which allows them to check into stores and pay for their purchases at locations where PayPal is readily accepted, all without need of using a phone.

Customers can pay for purchases one of two ways: with an auto-generated payment code used when checking out or, with certain PayPal accepted retailers, by checking into a store inside of the PayPal app. If using the latter payment method, the app will automatically communicate with the merchant's point of sale during the check-out process.

paypal_pebble.jpg
PayPal's integration with these smart devices in some ways mirrors Apple's own burgeoning payment system Apple Pay, which is slowly rolling out just now, although the two systems have some significant differences. Despite early rumors of a possible partnership between the online payment giant and Apple earlier this year, the talks reportedly came to a halt when PayPal inked a deal with Samsung to allow users to make PayPal payments with the Galaxy S5's fingerprint sensor.

PayPal was subsequently excluded from any integration into Apple Pay. PayPal, in response, launched an ad targeting the public release of certain private celebrity iCloud photos and simultaneously promoting its own intense security.

The PayPal app for the Pebble Smartwatch can be downloaded now for free. Its features can also be taken advantage of in the PayPaliOS app [Direct Link].

Article Link: PayPal Launches Mobile Payments App for Pebble Smartwatch
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/11/18/paypal-pebble/
pdaholic

pdaholic

macrumors 68000
Jun 22, 2011
1,842
2,550
The pebble platform is really maturing on iOS. Several nice apps and watch faces now. I'm sure it will be long forgotten when apple watch comes out, though. It's a shame because the watch is always readable with the led display, has a great battery life, and is waterproof, all benefits over the apple watch.
 
SockRolid

SockRolid

macrumors 68000
Jan 5, 2010
1,560
118
Almost Rock Solid
pdaholic said:
The pebble platform is really maturing on iOS. Several nice apps and watch faces now. I'm sure it will be long forgotten when apple watch comes out, though. It's a shame because the watch is always readable with the led display, has a great battery life, and is waterproof, all benefits over the apple watch.
Click to expand...

Yet more proof that the hardware is the easy part. Just an empty shell.
The UX, OS, SDK, App Store, ecosystem, and infrastructure are vastly harder.
And attaining mindshare, the ultimate goal, is the hardest of all.
 
G

genovelle

macrumors 68020
May 8, 2008
2,102
2,677
citi said:
I love Apple, but the design of the Apple Watch leaves a lot to be desired too.
Click to expand...

I actually like it a lot. Will I buy one next year? No I don't where the watches I have.

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pdaholic said:
The pebble platform is really maturing on iOS. Several nice apps and watch faces now. I'm sure it will be long forgotten when apple watch comes out, though. It's a shame because the watch is always readable with the led display, has a great battery life, and is waterproof, all benefits over the apple watch.[/QUOTE
]
The problem is most people don't want a monochrome screen that looks like windows 1.0
Click to expand...
 
APlotdevice

APlotdevice

macrumors 68040
Sep 3, 2011
3,145
3,861
genovelle said:
The problem is most people don't want a monochrome screen that looks like windows 1.0
Click to expand...
Most people seem to judge a product only be how it looks in pictures or in store, not realizing how much they're going to be straining their eyes to see those fancy OLEDs outdoors.

As far as I'm concerned, the smart watches coming from most major manufacturers today are just a reincarnation of this:
10598336385_b0be55a9c2.jpg


LED watches as seen above were quickly replaced with LCD ones once the technology had matured. Hopefully something similar will happen with smartwatches once practical high-contract color ePaper displays hit the market.
 
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G

GWIM2

macrumors member
Sep 21, 2011
56
4
Scotland
Probably won't use it, but interesting

I love my Pebble, use it every day, particularly good for keeping up with notifications while driving, and seven day battery life ....

I suspect that no-one round here will be set up for the payment system tho'
 
0098386

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
This doesn't seem too useful to me... even though I love my Pebble watch and won't be getting the Apple Watch.

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genovelle said:
The problem is most people don't want a monochrome screen that looks like windows 1.0
Click to expand...

I did, because I understand that the only way to get good battery life today is to go for an e-ink type display. I find it incredibly easy to read as well without any colour, just a nice sharp highly contrasting display to tell me the time, notifications, or remote buttons for my iPhone music app :).
 
V

Voytech

macrumors member
Jul 6, 2010
62
71
Had my Pebble for a year now and I can't imagine the Apple watch taking its place. Once you get used to never taking it off (short of charging... which takes 2 hours from 0% to full), you sort of take for granted the full water resistance and days of battery life.

Of course the Apple Watch can do more... but at the same time it's crippled in very obvious ways. I'm waiting for all the cries when people do water damage to their $350 watches by washing their hands. What's the point of a watch that you have to remember to take off for regular daily activities?

And I know I'm coming off as a Pebble fanboy, but I truly am a fan of it. It's hard to deny its usability in the real world.
 
A

Aniseedvan

macrumors 65816
May 14, 2012
1,251
402
UK
Voytech said:
Had my Pebble for a year now and I can't imagine the Apple watch taking its place. Once you get used to never taking it off (short of charging... which takes 2 hours from 0% to full), you sort of take for granted the full water resistance and days of battery life.

Of course the Apple Watch can do more... but at the same time it's crippled in very obvious ways. I'm waiting for all the cries when people do water damage to their $350 watches by washing their hands. What's the point of a watch that you have to remember to take off for regular daily activities?

And I know I'm coming off as a Pebble fanboy, but I truly am a fan of it. It's hard to deny its usability in the real world.
Click to expand...

Amazon UK has it on a lightning deal at noon today. If it's a steal, I might get one - so would you say the connectivity, etc has vastly improved? I wanted to like the watch but got put off by the complaints that it wouldn't stay connected, or wouldn't reconnect if you wandered away from your phone.
I currently have notifications working well on my Garmin fenix, but it is a battery killer. Handy for the odd time, but not what it was intended for - to be fair..
 
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