Software : PayPal launches high street payment app |
- PayPal launches high street payment app
- Google's All Access music streamer hits Google Play in the UK today
- Video on Instagram no longer limited to in-app shooting
| PayPal launches high street payment app Posted:  PayPal has developed a mobile phone app for consumers to use in retail shops, with the first trial just gone live in 12 shops in Richmond. The online payment service has made the app available free of charge through the relevant stores for iOS, Android and Windows Phone. It highlights nearby shops and restaurants that accept PayPal, the customer checks in by clicking on the retailer and pays by sliding a pin down in the app. Once they have checked in their name and photo appears on the shop's payment system, and when they have agreed on the amount the cashier charges by clicking the image. Rob Harper, Head of Retail and Hospitality for PayPal UK, told TRPro that it is a secure process as no information is stored on the phone; all of it is in the PayPal cloud. Also, there is no spending limit on the app. He said Richmond was chosen for the trial because it is the location for PayPal's UK headquarters. There are no plans for similar trials in other areas, but the company is talking with a number of retail chains about the making the service available in their shops. "Our strategy now is to work with the brands to roll it out across high streets around the country," Harper said. He also predicted that by 2016 the "wallet-less high street" would be a reality in the UK. |
| Google's All Access music streamer hits Google Play in the UK today Posted:  Google's All Access music streaming app lands on the UK Google Play store today. You may remember Google Play Music All Access from such launches as that time it launched at Google I/O back in May as a US-only music streaming service. But it is available in Britain on Android from today, with a free month for all and an early bird deal to boot. The streamer works in a similar way to Spotify - there's a vast library of songs from major labels and indies available to either stream online or cache to your Android phone or tablet so you can listen without an internet connection. You can also sync your music library up to the service - as long as you don't have more than 20,000 songs to store online and then stream to your phones and tablets. Stream teamGoogle's also pushing its interactive 'radio stations' that build playlists based around songs you like so that you can discover exciting new bands and artists - at least, that's the plan. If Spotify's engine is anything to go by, this might need some time to "bed in" before it really becomes useful. Announcing the UK launch, Paul Joyce, product manager for Google Play, admits that Play hopes to become "your ultimate digital entertainment destination". If you sign up before August 31, you'll get a month free and then pay £7.99 a month for All Access after that. If you wait until September or beyond, you'll still get a free month but your monthly cost will be £9.99 once that's up. No word on an iOS app for the UK yet - but given that Google said it would land on iOS in the US "in a couple of weeks" back in May and it's yet to arrive, we won't be holding our breath. |
| Video on Instagram no longer limited to in-app shooting Posted:  Creating masterful Video on Instagram content just became a lot easier thanks to an update that allows users to import pre-shot video clips into their filtered, 15-second montages. Instagram 4.1 for iOS and Android includes the ability to call on footage from the Camera Roll or Gallery apps, rather than having to shoot clips on the fly and in chronological order from within the app. Instagram videographers can now, to cite one random example, stitch together their favourite clips from their day at the beach, just by calling them up, and dropping the snippets into the timeline. Access to pre-shot footage also gives users more control via the new trim tool or other editing apps to obtain frame-by-frame precision, remove rough edges and ensure each segment is of perfect length. Users will also be able to choose how to square crop their footage, just like they can with photos, which will make it easier to create well-framed video clips. Easy does itIt can already be argued that creating great looking videos on Instagram was easier than Vine thanks to a tool that allows users to delete the last clip they shot (rather than start over again) and the more flexible time parameters (15-seconds maximum compared with 6-seconds on Vine), Today's update, although arguably removing a lot of the skill required when crafting great clips, makes it even easier for Instagrammers to end up with a polished product. "Video Import from libraryhas been one of the most requested features from the community since the launch of Video on Instagram," the Facebook-owned company wrote in a press release. "With the ability to import video from their library, we're giving people more creative control and broadened the scope of moments they can share, even if they already happened. In addition, we're providing a powerful and simple to use video editing tool." Other improvements within Instagram 4.1, which is rolling out today, include a photo straightening tool for the iOS app and video support for Android phones running the Ice Cream Sandwich flavour of the OS. |
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