Tag: android

Mobile commerce service seeks to help retailers engage consumers

Kash aims to sidestep credit card fees and allow retailers to interact with consumers more directly

Starbucks has found a great deal of success in its mobile commerce endeavors, which has encouraged retailers to engage in the mobile space more aggressively. The company is considering offering its mobile payment technology to retailers, but this technology may not be available for some years. Kash is hoping to accelerate retailer’s entry into the mobile commerce space, offering them a way to accept payments from mobile devices and do away with credit cards and their fees.

Platform makes use of bank information rather than credit card information

Kash is a new platform available for iOS and Android devices. Users can make use of the application as soon as they download it and do not have to create an account before they are able to make a payment. Kash allows users to make use of their bank accounts rather than credit cards. They can use their bank’s login information instead of creating an account with the service. With payments being handled directly, retailers can have transactions processed in a single day rather than having to wait to receive payment for a week or more as it is processed by a third party.

Retailers express interest in Kash’s standalone scanner system

mobile commerce service to help retailersRetailers can sign up for Kash and receive assistance in setting up an online e-commerce portal. Kash does not currently offer equipment that can interface with modern point-of-sales systems, offering instead a standalone scanner that retailers can receive for free. Kash notes that retailers have expressed more interest in using their standalone system than waiting for features to be released that allow the Kash platform to interact with current point-of-sales systems.

Retailers could benefit from platforms like Kash

Retailers have been looking for ways to get into the mobile commerce field, but some have found this to be a difficult process. Engaging mobile consumers can be difficult because of their fickle nature and their unwillingness to tolerate platforms that are poorly designed. Retailers are relying on platforms like Kash to allow them to engage consumers in an effective manner.

Mobile security threats are an equal problem for Android and iOS

New report finds iOS mobile devices are just as susceptible to attacks as Android gadgets.

As far as malware is concerned, Apple has done a good job at keeping it out of its App Store and, although it is not as much of a target for malware as is the case for Android devices, according to a report from mobile security management company, Marble Security, when it comes to Android and iOS, one is not more secure than the other.

Both operating systems carry similar risks.

According to the report, “The major security differences between iOS and Android are largely that Android is a much more open operating environment, more easily allowing users to download apps from app stores that have poor or non-existent app analysis and vetting procedures.”

However, Marble Security pointed out through its report that most of the malicious attacks on Android and iOS mobile devices typically come from the same sources. Some of these include SMS, malicious apps, or via Wi-Fi hotspots that have been compromised.

Even though Android apps can be downloaded and installed from more stores aside from Google Play, the mobile security company pointed out that even a device that has not been jailbroken can sneak past Apple’s walls through third party testing applications like TestFlight, for example, which is an app Apple acquired just this year.Mobile Security a problem for competitive platforms

Moreover, phishing attacks, particularly those in an enterprise environment where attackers can tap directly into the corporate directory and send emails or text messages to targets, is another chief security problem that is common for both mobile platforms.

The company also noted that iOS mobile devices are susceptible to a threat that can be introduced through management profiles. If the user installs a “hostile configuration profile, then the enterprise is at risk for” phony app installs, APTs, intercepted traffic and sophisticated phishing.

Malware threats may be lower but mobile security risks are still an issue for Apple.

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, has openly made fun of Google for Android’s vulnerabilities in the past, but clearly iOS is not exactly risk-free. That said, Apple has managed to have an overall better track record with mobile security in terms of malware, due to its tight control over app distribution and, unlike Android, when Apple releases its latest version of its operating system, the vast majority of its users upgrade to the most recent one.