BitPay will soon be launching a new platform that will available for free from Microsoft’s app store.
BitPay has now launched an open source, multi-signature bitcoin mobile wallet platform called Copay, which can be obtained through the Windows Phone app store, says a press release from that company.
The platform is available now and can be downloaded from that app store for free.
The Copay mobile wallet app is an open source project that was headed by BitPay, which is best known as a bitcoin processing payment processor for Microsoft. The application was first launched last week in Las Vegas at the massive CES technology show. Copay has been a project that has been a focus of BitPay since early last year. Since that time, it has been designing and creating the platform for its own corporate use. The software was originally developed for the purpose of offering an open source base on which highly secure bitcoin payment services could be constructed.
This mobile wallet software platform was used for transactions that need several authorization levels.
For that reason, it worked very well when it came to the concept of corporate fund management. According to the CEO of BitPay, Stephen Pair, “This is one of our contributions to the Bitcoin technology.” He also added that the support from Microsoft has made it possible for the company to be able to “make our code available to a new group of developers and companies. We look forward to seeing how Copay evolves.”
At the moment, BitPay is hoping that developers will take a good look at its software and leave reviews for it. The company is also encouraging those developers to use that software and build on it so that they will be able to release commercial services and products such as solid mobile wallets, that are created on a foundation of Copay. This, according to the announcement of the release of this software and of its open availability.
Bitcoin as a currency has seen a rocky road, as have mobile payments, so it will be interesting where this new direction takes them.
Windows Phone users will be able to make mobile transactions thanks to Softcard
People with Windows Phones will now be able to make mobile payments thanks to a new application from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. The new Softcard app was released for Windows Phone last week, giving the platform one of its first mobile wallets that is supported by a wide range of retail companies. Softcard, formerly known as ISIS, is a mobile payment company that has been growing in popularity for some time, offering consumers an effective mobile wallet with a wide range of features.
Softcard offers to store consumer information to make transactions more convenient
Using Softcard, a consumer can store their financial information on a mobile device. They can also use the Softcard application to store information from retailers regarding loyalty programs and special offers. The app also facilitates mobile payments, using NFC technology to accomplish this task. In order to make a payment, however, a merchant must also support NFC technology, as well as the mobile wallet itself.
200,000 retailers in the US support Softcard
Some 200,000 retailers throughout the U.S. currently accept mobile transactions from Softcard and other NFC-based payment services. These retailers have adopted NFC-enabled point-of-sale systems that allow people to purchase products using their smartphones rather than credit and debit cards or physical currency. Softcard currently only works with a limited number of credit cards as well, supporting American Express, Wells Fargo, and Chase cards.
New mobile commerce services may be coming to the Windows Phone in the future
Windows Phone users have had very limited options in the mobile commerce space in the past. There are few applications currently available for the platform that are capable of facilitating mobile transactions, leaving Windows Phone users somewhat on the fringe of the mobile commerce space. Softcard is one of the first big name services that has come to the Windows Phone operating system, but it may not be the last. Windows Phone users may be in the minority when it comes to mobile consumers, but the demand for mobile commerce services among this demographic is quite high and growing quickly.
