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PayPal Offers $150,000 In Developer Challenge

blackbearnh writes "As previously reported on Slashdot, PayPal recently released a series of new APIs that allow developers to embed PayPal into their web sites and applications without requiring the user to go to the PayPal web site to complete the transaction. To encourage developers to use these new APIs, PayPal is offering two prizes totaling $150,000 for interesting new applications. The entry deadline to register ideas is December 16th, and O'Reilly has an interview with the director of the PayPal Developer Network that covers the details of the contest. In it, Naveed Anwar talks about why PayPal is throwing money at developers. 'When Facebook opened up their platform, it allowed people to work in that particular environment, in the Facebook environment. When the iPhone opened up their platform, they allowed people to work in their environment which was build the applications on the iPhone. When PayPal was looking at opening up its platform, we are not limited by one particular area. We go into the enterprises. We go into social networking. We go into all the places where payment as a solution is needed. And if we can actually reduce that barrier of entry — because at the end of the day, when anyone is building out a business and anyone is building out an application, they're looking at ways of monetizing it.'"

4 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. Wait... by clone53421 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Entering my PayPal login details on some random webpage, without even the convenience of being able to verify the https://www.paypal.com/ in the address bar?

    Phishing begins in 3... 2... 1...

    --
    Alexander Peter Kristopeit bought his basement from his mommy for one dollar.
  2. Re:Lame way to underpay. by Abreu · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nah, the real problem is that, even if you "win the Challenge" you will win a Paypal account with $150,000usd

    ...which will be promptly frozen for an imaginary reason

    --
    No sig for the moment.
  3. PayPal is a scam, should be regulated, FTC asleap by lanner · · Score: 5, Insightful

    PayPal operates like, and should be regulated like, a bank. The way they have treated their customers, like me, and many, many, many others, should be a warning to all; You can't afford to do business with PayPal. They will seize your money, and when they do, it will be months before you see a resolution. The horror stories are true: I know, I have mine.

  4. Re:PayPal is a scam by Animats · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Mod parent up. PayPal needs to become a regulated bank. Until then, take your business elsewhere, to sites that accept credit cards. If someone can't qualify for a merchant account, you probably don't want to deal with them anyway.