New Wave of Mobile Payments Speeds Up Profits
Contactless payments create a whole new field of payment options for merchants. Contactless payments are quick, simple and pave the way for greater profits. A smart computer chip, with data and an antenna is embedded into a credit card, debit card or fob. When the card or fob is tapped on a radio frequency reader, the reader sends out a radio signal that activates the card, the information on the card is read and the payment is processed without a signature for purchases less than $25.00 with no chargebacks to the merchant.
"Merchants don't need to worry about compatibility with their present systems or security" said, payment consultant Mohamed Khan, President and Founder of ViVOtech, Santa Clara, Calif.- based developer of contactless software, transaction management systems and readers.
"We have been working closely with processors, card issuers and terminal providers to create an open system using the IS0 14443 standard. It uses secure encryption technology. The contactless card doesn't leave the customers' hands therefore it is more secure and there's no skimming of data," assured Kahn who sees contactless as a great opportunity for merchants to increase revenue. He envisions contactless payments as a replacement for cash because they are faster, more convenient and cost less due to less shrinkage and less labor involved.
There are two types of contactless readers available: Peripheral Contactless Readers (PCRs) that plug in to existing POS terminals, and Integrated Contactless Readers (ICRs) that replace traditional readers and offer both magnetic-stripe- and contactless-reading capabilities. Merchants can purchase either type of reader. The PCRs usually cost around $150. Some merchant service providers such as Acies, however, are offering deals competitive plans and free readers with terminals.
David Robertson, Publisher of The Nilson Report (Carpinteria, Calif.) estimates that there are 12 million contactless cards currently in circulation in the U.S. He predicts that first contactless successes will be at the brand name retailers and then merchants in the areas where cards are deployed will follow suit when their customers ask to use their contactless cards.
Customers are asking for contactless in the New York Metro area where many cards have been dropped, says Oleg Frier CEO and President Acies, Inc, a New York City-headquartered national payment processing and financial services provider. Other areas where there are substantial contactless readers and cards include Atlanta, Philadelphia, Denver, Dallas and Orlando, says Khan.
Mobile marketing studies show the speed and added value of contactless payments because typically when someone does not pay with cash the amount of the transaction increases. Visa trials showed their contactless card transactions were 25% faster than cash. MasterCard PayPass trials showed an increase in transaction amounts and 12 to 18 second reductions in payment times for drive-thru transactions. Aite Group reports that CVS, the drug store chain, has found the average contactless transaction takes 12.5 seconds, versus 26.7 seconds for magnetic-stripe card payments and 33.7 seconds for a cash transaction.
Merchants who have a small time frame to service customers, such as fast food restaurants, coffee houses, movie theatres, drug stores, convenience stores and drive-thrus can benefit greatly from contactless payment methods. McDonald's, AMC Theatres, CVS, Meijer, Duane Reade, Regal Entertainment, Ritz Camera, Arby's, Cold Stone Creamery, Eckerd, Carl's Jr., Good Times Burger, KFC, RaceTrac, Subway, Sonic (Drive-In Restaurants) and Walgreens have installed contactless readers. Convenience stores are gearing up to accept contactless payments. Contactless readers are being installed in 5,300 7-Eleven stores and 350 Sheetz stores. WaWa markets is installing over 2000 readers in its 540 stores co-branded with a credit card and loyalty program.
Card associations are also gung-ho for contactless payments.
"It takes a village to launch a new technology, at Visa, we have an absolute commitment to assure success of contactless payments," said Elvira Swanson, Visa spokeswoman. Visa, with four million Visa Contactless cards in circulation, offers collateral materials, online demos, and merchant support teams to help educate merchants.
"This is the real thing. Contactless is beyond the 'chicken and egg' concept stage now, when you look at how many financial institutions have made the decision to offer contactless and the number of national merchants accepting it," said T.J. Sharkey, Vice President, Business Development, U.S. Acceptance, MasterCard International. MasterCard is supporting contactless in many ways. Merchants who accept contactless payments are listed at the MasterCard Web site where there are demonstrations on how their Tap N Go, PayPass cards work. Television commercials illustrating their PayPass cards are airing nationally.
Banks issuing contactless cards include Citibank, MBNA, HSBC (debit cards), JP Morgan Chase, Key Bank (debit cards) and Citizen.
There have been several pilot contactless programs in sports stadiums including San Francisco, Seattle, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Recently, another form factor of contactless has been added into the mix, with the trial of NFC (Near Field Communications) contactless payments or mobile payments from cell phones at the Philips Arena in Atlanta. Season ticket holders with Chase-issued Visa credit accounts and Cingular Wireless accounts can make contactless payments by simply holding their Nokia mobile phones equipped with Philips' NFC semiconductor chips and ViVOtech software near one of the 150 terminals. NFC is compatible with ISO 1443 readers has other features such as the ability to transmit a coupon to a reader.
"Contactless payments are the wave of the future and will change the way the world pays for purchases," Khan said enthusiastically.
Google Home Page USA Review
Google, Google, Google that is all you ever seem to see on the Internet these days and there is a reason why. It has the largest directory of just about any and every site that can be found. Try it, go to a Google search and see if there is something you cannot find! That is a tongue twister, sorry. (wink)
Google homepage USA is the search engine I use for everything. Forget about Yahoo! You have to pay for stuff with them while Google offers nearly everything for free. Want to build your own web site and don't have any money? Google will give it to you for free. You may not have noticed it yet, but if you look in the upper right corner of your Google homepage depending on your computer settings, it will say "iGoogle" and "sign in". It won't give one way links though, but that's pretty much the only limitation.
If you do not have an account, after clicking sign in you can register for a new account and then up where you signed in, click the "my account" button. From there you can set your profile up and at the bottom you should see a list of stuff to try. Want your own blogger account, get it there. Get webmaster tool, analytics, Gmail, sites, Picasa web photo album etc...
It basically has everything you could possibly need to either build your own web site, get in touch with other people with Talk (Google instant messenger) and even have online meetings with Google Docs... again it is all for free. I am a full on Googleholic! I get my news updates from CNN, weather alerts, Einstein quote of the day, Bible verse of the day, Things to ponder, current moon phases, a clock (lol) and Google translator. C'mon, I even get to customize the theme on my homepage. Right now I am using the "rainforest theme".
Besides Google being the top search engine on any web browser, it also makes making money on the internet easy. Sign up for Google Adsense. From everything thing that I have tried Adsense actually pays and then they give you suggestions on how to make your web site better and get more traffic which translates to more money. They offer so much that it is hard to turn away.
Now personally, Google if you are reading this sorry, I am loyal but there are some things I think could be better. Like Gmail. I don't really like Gmail and the instant messenger is weak because you can't use a webcam. Other than that it is definitely the best search engine in the world and I don't think I am exaggerating.
Before I switched to using iGoogle my internet use pretty much consisted of checking my mail and I don't remember what I use to use as my search engine but I do know that my internet use has increased and I have even become my own webmaster and I did it all for free, well... accept for the stuff I would bump into that I found on the web that I couldn't resist. Let's face it... I think Google even put a tracker in my head because I think they know me better than I know myself. This is why Google is so successful.
How Can Someone Check out Peoples Criminal Convictions Online
Anyone must be grateful that the freedom of info act has been implemented for the safe and sound among the general public around the world. California arrest records history are meticulously compiled to provide the individuals with reliable facts which they can use for whatever purposes. Looking on public files is a tremendously important move to do in the effort of resolving certain issues. Such reports could simply be just a source of info in conducting a criminal record search on someone.
Perhaps you have just had a new neighbor move in, and they look quite suspicious? So, you will want to find if they have any sort of criminal background because for all we know You will could be residing next door to a murderer. Or maybe we have babies, also, you expect to make sure that you're not necessarily dwelling near any child molesters? Whatever your reason for wanting to uncover the truth about anyone's past, you've come to the right place.
For some reason, researching for the public documents in conjunction with the government could be incredibly tedious because of all the paper requirements that were required to be followed before processing your information request. Everything used to be done manually, that's why it was completely a waste of time many years back. To acquire rid of this concern, experts made use among the computers in these modern times to get such pertinent reports simply by the help from the Net. California criminal offender records are now moved into huge online databases for a much faster find out to the people. Be sure to do a free criminal background checks online and arrest records free.
The more data anyone provide to the online data services, the more info a person will find in relation to the said public criminal arrest records. Anyone can definitely see individuals' criminal convictions in California, search for the state's inmate data, search for criminal court records, find-out sex offenders, look for police paperwork and other important data. All these bits of information can be retrieved extremely quickly in just a few clicks on your laptop or computer.
CA public arrest records are certainly obtainable these days extremely conveniently for a corresponding amount of money paid for the subscription charge. Both the quality with the investigation results and its speed are definitely guaranteed. People will never regret spending money over a few credible pieces of data people find from few belonging to the commercial record providers on the web. That you just really should look for the right site in order to get the precise specifics from the documents that that's needed.
The online retrieval of public documents is completely the best solution that has been made obtainable in the world today. An individual no longer have to go somewhere else, not necessarily even in conjunction with the government's records offices. This time, all somebody got to do is be seated with your computer at home and start conducting the lookup for your own benefit. The great thing is that your wants are given the chance to request the reports in just a few minutes. Plus, the whole lookup procedure has been tremendously user-friendly for anybody.
What is the benefit of infrared sauna therapy?
When you buy a home infrared sauna, you can choose either an indoor or outdoor model. You should make a decision on the model before you shop and buy. The models for indoors /outdoors vary, so make that decision before you are ready to purchase. I would suggest if you re in doubt regarding indoors or outdoors, look at the different models and what is required to install both and the footprint both types of models would require. Just knowing the difference between the two might help make up your mind for how you want to enjoy your new corner sauna . Indoor sauna has their merits as do the outdoor models.
Your decision will be important since the construction of an indoor home infrared sauna is different from an outdoor model. The indoor sauna model is designed more with the exterior finish in mind to blend in with the appointments in the room where the sauna will be used. The outdoor model will provide stronger construction to provide the necessary longevity to withstand the outdoor elements. Consider an outdoor home infrared sauna has a roof to prevent water from leaking inside the sauna during rains. Outdoor saunas construction for the outdoors will have reinforced joints to withstand heavy wind and driving rains. The inside construction, likewise, is heavily protected against any leaks to protect the electrical installation.
After all your considerations of what you want from your new sauna and how you want to enjoy it, you have finally decided on the outdoor model sauna, make sure that it is fully certified for safety and quality standards. Another very important consideration for the outdoor sauna model, selecting an area that is somewhat elevated where there is no possibility of flooding during some unexpected storms. If your yard area is an area that continually floods during heavy rains, then you will have to construct a base or foundation support to raise the sauna off the ground... This will prevent water from reaching your outdoor sauna. Unlike in an indoor infrared sauna that has a more simple installation with just a simple plug into a 110 outlet, the outdoor sauna will require a profession electrician for the proper power outlet installation so you can enjoy your new outdoor infrared sauna with peace of mind that it has been installed properly.
I would advise, however, that if you have ample space in your home to buy an indoor type of infrared home sauna. No matter what Mother Nature might bring to your area you won't loose one day of use do to the weather, or just not having the desire to walk outside in the rain or snow or blizzard to get to your sauna.
Giclee Prints For Sale – How to Share Your Fine Art Giclees With the Rest of the World
If you are a painter, you know that there can be only one original of each work you create. However, professional-caliber prints of your art can be shared with those whom you love or for marketing and retail purposes. One of the most popular methods for reproduction today is giclee printing. Here's a snapshot look at how giclee lets your share your or fine art giclee to the rest of the world.
What exactly is giclee?
Giclee is a French name given to a revolutionary high resolution ink jet process that can is most often used on archival paper or canvas for reproduction purposes. The main advantage of using giclee over other printing process is that the inks are highly fade resistant and can even maintain their original colors for as long as 50 to 100 years or longer!
How does it work?
You send or bring in a photograph or the original of your work to a printing facility that specializes in art giclee reproductions. Their trained professionals will scan the image and perform a series of color corrections to most closely approximate the original work of art. It is a long and tedious process, but a necessary one. Generally, proofs are made for your approval on-site or via mail if you do not live nearby.
What can I do with giclee prints?
Your work can now be reproduced however you'd like: in large wall sizes on canvas, as note cards, or however else you would like them done.
Giclee offers colors and resolution that are both vivid and realistic: in short, this printing process is the wave of the future.
<b>About The Author</b>
Dottie Marshall is a seasoned artist who lives in the beautiful tropical islands of the Florida Keys. She uses only the finest flowers from her own garden to produce stunning one of a kind giclee prints! Go to --> http://www.gicleeprintsforsale.com/about-dottie/