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Samsung Pay Launches In the United States

Posted by samzenpus on from the pay-another-way dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Ready to take on Apple Pay and Android Pay, Samsung Pay is now live in the United States. The service has already launched in South Korea, where it saw over $30 million in transactions its first month. The Verge reports: "Samsung Pay may be more capable than other competing services, but its availability has some limits. First, it's only built into Samsung's newest devices: the Galaxy S6, the S6 Edge and Edge+, and the Note 5. You also need a credit or debit card from Visa, MasterCard, or American Express card, and it has to be issued by one of just a few banks: Bank of America, Citi, American Express, and US Bank are available at launch. (Samsung Pay also works with customer loyalty cards.)"

105 comments

  1. Hungry? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I read "Samsung pays lunch"...

  2. What does the retailer need? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do they need three separate check-outs, one for each type, or can the same one deal with the three different phones?

    1. Re: What does the retailer need? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know, but I just want to say a big fuck you to these proprietary standards. I might use an HTC this week, iPhone next and a Samsung the week after. Make this shit standordized or I'll never use it.

    2. Re:What does the retailer need? by plover · · Score: 1

      They all communicate through NFC. The differences are in the back end payment systems. To the consumer, there is no real difference except in what cards are supported or how their particular device works. Apple made Apple Pay easy to use on their phones because they use biometrics (fingerprints), and easy on the Watch because you have to log in only once, when you put it on; it auto-locks when you take it off. We'll see how easy Samsung made it: do you have to enter a PIN every time, or do they have some other magic?

      --
      John
    3. Re:What does the retailer need? by Anonymous+Psychopath · · Score: 1

      They all communicate through NFC. The differences are in the back end payment systems. To the consumer, there is no real difference except in what cards are supported or how their particular device works. Apple made Apple Pay easy to use on their phones because they use biometrics (fingerprints), and easy on the Watch because you have to log in only once, when you put it on; it auto-locks when you take it off. We'll see how easy Samsung made it: do you have to enter a PIN every time, or do they have some other magic?

      Samsung's hardware implementation is actually a bit different and arguably better than anything else available at the moment. They support NFC, so in that sense it's similar to all the other offers. However, newer devices (i.e. Galaxy S6) also have LoopPay hardware built in, which means you can use your device on magnetic, non-NFC credit card terminals. The hardware emulates a card swipe by creating a magnetic field. You hold your phone next to the terminal where you would normally swipe a card, and it Just Works. These newer devices also incorporate fingerprint scanners, so in that sense the security is similar to Apple's. It's actually pretty interesting technology.

      --

      Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

    4. Re:What does the retailer need? by amicusNYCL · · Score: 1

      Judging by the commercial that shows someone putting an iPhone up to the payment reader, and nothing happening, then the clerk shakes their hand "no" and a Samsung phone replaces the iPhone and the payment gets accepted, I'm going to guess that every phone will require its own payment reader. Apparently Samsung is trying to show iPhones not working with their payment reader as a feature, according to the commercial at least.

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
    5. Re: What does the retailer need? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Simple, Samsung Pay works very good and easy with your one touch fingerprint or with the magnetic strip machines..

      Here in the US, we are way behind updating the old credit card machines so Samsung Pay works great with both NFC and Magnetic Strips..

      All others just use NFC and if not suported you are SOL...

    6. Re:What does the retailer need? by exomondo · · Score: 1

      No it's showing that iPhones do not work for the majority of payment readers (in the US anyway) that are not NFC-enabled. Samsung's method works with both NFC and magnetic strip readers. This will be less and less of an advantage as the US catches up with the rest of the world.

    7. Re: What does the retailer need? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really don't give a shit whether you use it or not. I meet all the requirements for this.

    8. Re: What does the retailer need? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is no different than having Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, Diners Club...whatever.

      The fact that Samsung Pay supports NFC and magnetic stripe transmission gives it a huge advantage over other electronic payment methods.

    9. Re: What does the retailer need? by SomewhatRandom · · Score: 1

      Magnetic stripe feature is basically useless this late in the game. After October 1st in the US, liability for card-present fraud will switch to merchants not supporting chip based transactions. I expect the move away from magnetic stripe transactions will happen very soon.

    10. Re: What does the retailer need? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nah, I doubt it.

    11. Re: What does the retailer need? by MachineShedFred · · Score: 1

      What's hilarious, is that I've seen the chip reader terminals everywhere, but I've only seen one where the chip reader was activated. Also: only have received a chipped card from Amex. Still haven't gotten one from Chase for either my debit card or my credit card, so I'm doubtful that deadline (two days from now) will be met without extension.

      --
      Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
    12. Re:What does the retailer need? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, except 100% of those payment terminals are being replaced due to the mandated shift in card-present liability in October. So I guess that's good work on supporting a rapidly disappearing technology of yesteryear.

    13. Re:What does the retailer need? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There is no mandated shift, it's just the credit card companies trying to move their responsibility to merchants without any legal backing. The first cases that go to court will find that merchants cannot be held liable unless they were the ones directly stealing credit card information, which is already how it works.

      Nowhere near 100% of merchants will have chip readers for years to come.

    14. Re:What does the retailer need? by exomondo · · Score: 1

      Yeah, except 100% of those payment terminals are being replaced due to the mandated shift in card-present liability in October.

      That's some seriously wishful thinking there, I like the enthusiasm though :P

  3. That Is Fucking Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do not want! Do not want any "pay" service. Do not want to use my phone as a wallet, credit card, or anything else that they might dream up in hopes of skimming more money out of my pocket..

    I know. I know. I'm a "luddite" worthy of derision and ridicule. But, I still like carrying an amount of cash, still have to carry ID and other cards, as well as my phone. (Actually I don't have to carry my phone. I sometime s choose to carry my phone for my convenience.) But, I don;t want to use my phone as a payment system, so I NEVER will.

    1. Re: That Is Fucking Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're only a Luddite if you use Luddite software instead of Apps. Do you app apps like modern app appers, or do you take a shit with Luddite software?

      Apps!

    2. Re:That Is Fucking Awesome! by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      The huge advantage of using one of these device payment systems over taking out your wallet and swiping your credit card is security. When you use a tokenizing NFC payment system, the merchant gets a credit card number that works exactly like a real credit card number, but can only be used once. Nobody can rip you off by skimming the number from the point-of-sale device or by some logger hidden in the store software.

      If you want to be a real Luddite, carry wads of cash around everywhere.

    3. Re:That Is Fucking Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The huge advantage of using one of these device payment systems over taking out your wallet and swiping your credit card is security. When you use a tokenizing NFC payment system, the merchant gets a credit card number that works exactly like a real credit card number, but can only be used once. Nobody can rip you off by skimming the number from the point-of-sale device or by some logger hidden in the store software.

      Aha,
      Except you don't need to jump in the "look-it-works-in-my-phone" bandwagon to get security. That's how the EMV chip solutions work. The chip is not a dumb number that can be copied, it works very similarly to what you said, and still you take it out of your wallet and insert (instead of swipe). Personally I prefer it separate of a computer system that can be hacked, and for the love of God, who invented fucking wireless payment!? That is just retarded.

    4. Re:That Is Fucking Awesome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When your phone battery runs out and you really need to pay for something, you're going to feel like an idiot.

      Cash is the only way to go. It's the safest, most secure and privacy oriented way to pay.

  4. Not with Samsung by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It will be a cold day in hell before I trust Samsung with sensitive financial data. Samsung has a cavalier attitude toward customers, never hesitating to screw them royally. Thanks but, no, thanks, Samsung.

    1. Re:Not with Samsung by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It will be a cold day in hell before I trust Samsung with sensitive financial data. Samsung has a cavalier attitude toward customers, never hesitating to screw them royally. Thanks but, no, thanks, Samsung.

      s/Samsung/Apple/g

    2. Re:Not with Samsung by cdrudge · · Score: 1

      It will be a cold day in hell before I trust Samsung with sensitive financial data. Samsung has a cavalier attitude toward customers, never hesitating to screw them royally. Thanks but, no, thanks, Samsung.

      s/Samsung/Apple/g

      s/Apple/Every cell phone manufacturer/g

    3. Re: Not with Samsung by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Obviously you don't understand secured technologies that prevent the same securities issues that you are afraid of.. I would recommend you learn more about Samsung Pay or any other secured technology what ever it is..

      Or visit a shrink.. He will take your plastic cards.. but he will make sure you feel better about it...

    4. Re:Not with Samsung by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I manage my money aggressively and don't just blow it on keeping up with the Jones' in regards to cell phone and tech purchases. I'm just waiting on this current Samsung device of mine to give up the ghost (and it is soon coming) so that I will have reason to get a new iPhone. Haven had a new iPhone since the 3GS which is still operable. As for me, I'm just sick and tired of dealing with a company so cavalier as you say and a proven thief. Surely I'd not trust such an entity with my financial transactions. I'm finding it easier to divest in Samsung but a bit harder to divest of Chinese things. Hopefully the day will soon come when I can do without either.

    5. Re:Not with Samsung by tompaulco · · Score: 1

      Why reserve all your hate for Samsung? It is equally ludicrous to trust ANY phone vendor with even the smallest amount of financial data. I will not use this. Ever. Well, I mean I WILL use it when the drooling sheeple use it so much that all other forms of payment get phased out and it becomes mandatory to use what will by that time be a chip embedded in your hand right next to the mark of the beast and just to the left of the iPalm skin surface screen. But until then, no way am I using this.

      --
      If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
  5. Let's tally it up... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Spend $500 on a new device locked into Samsung. Check.
    Pick from list including the two most asshole banks in the universe, BOA and Citi. Check.
    Must have a credit card instead of being treated as cash transaction. Check.
    Profit. Uncheck.

    1. Re:Let's tally it up... by KGIII · · Score: 1

      And for everything else, there's Mastercard.

      I'd expect the global uptake to be on par with the number of posts in this thread. But, it's mobile technology and I'm still kind of amazed at what people will be convinced is worth buying for the things they do with it.

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    2. Re:Let's tally it up... by tompaulco · · Score: 1

      And for everything else, there's Mastercard.

      I'd expect the global uptake to be on par with the number of posts in this thread. But, it's mobile technology and I'm still kind of amazed at what people will be convinced is worth buying for the things they do with it.

      Nobody enjoys having their still living flesh ground into a fine paste and fed to ravenous pitbulls, but if they had a mobile app for it, people would still buy it. Especially if it was available ONLY on Apple (or ONLY on Android, etc).

      --
      If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
  6. Change the name and it's new! by Jumunquo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I had this two years ago on my Samsung S5. It was called ISIS Wallet, and then after the rise of the same-named terror group, was renamed Softcard. Amex had a deal where they'd credit me back $1 per swipe (minimum $1 purchase), up to 50 times per month. Those were good times, if you could figure out where the magic tapping sweet spot was on your phone.

    Then, Apple Pay comes out, and it suddenly becomes cool. Except Rite Aid, CVS, etc. changed their machines to no longer accept any of the other payment systems just to block Apple Pay adoption because they planned to launch their own system this year under an alliance led by Walmart (which is still non-existent at this point).

    Then, Google bought Softcard, and just killed the service. I guess they just have cash to burn. And now Samsung re-launches the service as Samsung Pay. I feel like I'm back where I was two years ago, except I'm no longer paid to swipe, and there are even less places where I can tap to pay. Pardon me, but *yawn*.

    1. Re:Change the name and it's new! by hawaiian717 · · Score: 1

      Softcard + Google Wallet = Android Pay (kinda sort of, at least in spirit).

      Samsung Pay is basically LoopPay + NFC. The big deal about Samsung Pay is the LoopPay technology that lets it transmit a magnetic field that emulates a magnetic stripe, so it works at nearly all credit card terminals that support a magnetic stripe, not just those that have NFC enabled (which is what is required for Apple Pay and Android Pay).

      --
      End of Line.
    2. Re:Change the name and it's new! by Jumunquo · · Score: 1

      Ah, that is neat. Unfortunately, from the reviews, everyone seems to say LoopPay works but is clunky, so until Samsung figures out a way to elegantly integrate it into their phones, it's not ready for prime time. This is sort of what I found with tap-to-pay as well. I don't use it anymore (since I stopped getting paid to use it) because swiping my plastic card is just easier, faster, and more reliable.

      What would really cool is not only an elegant implementation but also one that selects the correct cashback credit card based on which one gives you the most cashback at the current store!

    3. Re:Change the name and it's new! by swillden · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Then, Google bought Softcard, and just killed the service. I guess they just have cash to burn.

      Google didn't buy Softcard. The Softcard coalition shut down and handed their users over to Google to transition to Google Wallet rather than leave them with nothing.

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    4. Re:Change the name and it's new! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      in business, things are seldom given. Especially with two very healthy mutinationals. You bet your ass Google paid; bought; paid a "fine".

    5. Re:Change the name and it's new! by swillden · · Score: 1

      in business, things are seldom given. Especially with two very healthy mutinationals. You bet your ass Google paid; bought; paid a "fine".

      Not in this case.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
  7. Yay! by JustAnotherOldGuy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Another way to drain my wallet, yippee!

    It's like a dream come true. Thank you, corporate overlords!

    --
    Just cruising through this digital world at 33 1/3 rpm...
    1. Re:Yay! by ruir · · Score: 1

      So much more than that...War in real money, and having all your economic activities linked to you. A true gold mine for marketing and for the IRS. "How come you spend more than you earn? Free audits!"

  8. Yawn by markdavis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I will happily take out my credit card from my wallet, which I have to carry ANYWAY (cash, driver's license, insurance cards, etc). To me it is no less accessible than my phone and far easier to use (find phone, unlock it, launch some stupid app, wait, make selections, whatever.... vs. swipe, click on OK, and perhaps sign). And my credit card, itself, is not always connected to a network, subject to remote hack, it also doesn't run out of battery. I really don't want yet another third party tracking what I do in addition to the credit company either.

    I just don't see the big whoop.

    1. Re:Yawn by The+Good+Reverend · · Score: 2

      These mobile payment solutions offer tokenization, which I consider to be a pretty big advantage over using a card (especially in a setting where the card is handed over to the retailer).

      Also, your strawman description of the process tells me you've never tried, or even researched too deeply into the process of using the payments. Generally my phone is at least as easy to get to as my wallet, and there's no unlocking, app finding, selection making involved - just thumb on the fingerprint scanner.

    2. Re:Yawn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Samsung pay will probably be vulnerable to whatever malware finds the next glaring unpatched exploit that Samsung ships. Never again buying a Samsung product, they don't get how to write good or secure software. Looking forward to the new Nexus 5!

    3. Re:Yawn by markdavis · · Score: 1

      Rarely do I ever hand my card to anyone (like maybe 1 in 100 transactions, when the card reader just doesn't work). And you are correct that I have not used mobile payments, but I have OBSERVED them, and I understand the process pretty well... at least as it was implemented in Google Wallet. And there is NO WAY I am voluntarily giving my finger print image to ANY entity, EVER.

      I am all for having more options, but I think it is silly how many people think this is going to "totally change" everything or that it is revolutionary.

      What SHOULD have happened a long time ago for card transactions was to simply place a PIN code restriction on purchases with credit cards (like we ALREADY do for debit/check/ATM cards). That would be just as easy for users as signing BUT it would have added some real security to the process. Alas....

    4. Re:Yawn by John+Bokma · · Score: 1

      "Touch ID doesn't store any images of your fingerprint. It stores only a mathematical representation of your fingerprint. It isn't possible for someone to reverse engineer your actual fingerprint image from this mathematical representation." https://support.apple.com/en-u...

      --

      Perl Programmer for hire
    5. Re:Yawn by radish · · Score: 1

      A PIN doesn't help. The Target hack (and all the hundreds of similar attacks) took everything you enter on the pinpad, including the card number, expiry etc. If you entered a PIN they'd have that too. Using a contactless system the card number presented is one time use - you can grab whatever you like from the terminal and it's useless. So using Google/Apple Pay (I haven't read up on the Samsung one) is demonstrably more secure than a swipe card.

      Now of course it's not a financial loss we're guarding against here, the card issuer agreements cover you from that, but having to get new cards and numbers issued is a real hassle.

      As regards convenience - I was in a store today and paid just by holding my watch over the pinpad. Useful seeing as my other hand was busy trying to stop my 3 year old daughter running off!

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

    6. Re:Yawn by markdavis · · Score: 0

      >"Touch ID doesn't store any images of your fingerprint. It stores only a mathematical representation of your fingerprint. "

      Yep, that is what they claim.

      But the device *is* scanning your finger. And you don't REALLY know what the closed-source software is actually doing. And not all devices even claim to be storing only the "representation". And even the representation CAN be used to identify latent prints. I prefer to be 100% sure by not using such a thing; EVER. Fingerprints are lousy biometrics that have huge abuse potential. The only biometric I will submit to is deep vein scan. I don't go leaving my veins all over the place, and copying those is way beyond difficult.

    7. Re:Yawn by BradleyUffner · · Score: 2

      And there is NO WAY I am voluntarily giving my finger print image to ANY entity, EVER.

      Touched anything with your bare hands recently?

    8. Re:Yawn by markdavis · · Score: 1

      >Touched anything with your bare hands recently?

      That is my point, exactly. I am not voluntarily giving my prints and certainly not with my ID together. And that is the main reason why fingerprints are a horrible biometric.

    9. Re:Yawn by cashman73 · · Score: 1

      Several states are exploring the possibilities of digital drivers licenses, and many states already accept your insurance companies app on your phone as proof of insurance. So the days of having to carry a wallet are ending soon.

    10. Re:Yawn by markdavis · · Score: 1

      It only ends if you give up your right to non-spyable cash. Unless, of course, you just want to carry cash in your pocket instead...

      Besides, that not only doesn't address the "battery is dead" issue, it now further complicates things because I don't know about you, but I would never hand my PHONE to an officer!

    11. Re:Yawn by MMC+Monster · · Score: 1

      I don't see it, either.

      But I know several guys who want to get rid of their wallets. So they get phone cases which have an extra compartment. They keep their driver's license, a credit card, and a $20 bill in the compartment and everything else is digital.

      It's interesting and none of them mention being hacked (yet). But I certainly don't have enough trust in a phone manufacturer to do this.

      --
      Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
    12. Re:Yawn by MMC+Monster · · Score: 1

      Agree about handing over a phone to the officer.

      But 'battery is dead' doesn't happen much. About the same as 'wallet at home'. I just keep a USB charger in the car, home, and work.

      --
      Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
    13. Re:Yawn by jo_ham · · Score: 2

      Your tinfoil hat is askew. Careful! The mind control microwaves might get through!

    14. Re:Yawn by cdrudge · · Score: 1

      A PIN doesn't help.

      For pin-based debit transactions, you're correct. For EMV-based "pin-and-chip" transactions, it would.

    15. Re:Yawn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I use my old phone for stuff like that.

      No contacts, no stored data, etc. Just insurance card app, "loyalty" apps for coupons, and stuff like that. No real personal information is stored on it. It doesn't even have service, I just fire up the hotspot on my current phone when I need to have internet on it. The officer can poke around it all he wants, nothing on there except a coupon for jimmy dean, and my fuel saver points.

    16. Re:Yawn by chihowa · · Score: 1

      Yikes! So you'd have to hand your unlocked phone to the officer, who would then presumably bring it back to his cruiser like he would ordinarily bring your license and insurance?

      There's no way for that to go wrong!

      --
      If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
    17. Re:Yawn by cashman73 · · Score: 1
      I think it bears mentioning that these are pilot programs and being tested in a couple of jurisdictions. It's not standard practice yet. What it will probably develop into is more of a system whereby officers would have an NFC reader in their phone or device and you would transfer your drivers license and/or insurance information over to the officers NFC-capable device, and he would have limited access to view the information he needs without storing the data on his device permanently. Of course, in order for this to work, Apple would have to open up their NFC reader to developers, instead of locking it to everyone but Apple Pay.

      I have used the Progressive app on my phone as proof of insurance with officers. This IS actually standard practice in many states (Tennessee, for example, completely allows digital proof of insurance). Every time I have showed proof of insurance to an officer this way, they have never taken my phone back to their car. They saw that I had insurance and that was good enough for them and they didn't ask any other questions.

      As for the "battery is dead" issue, that should be a non-issue in the car if you have a car charger for your phone.

    18. Re:Yawn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Touch ID doesn't store any images of your fingerprint. It stores only a mathematical representation of your fingerprint. “

      Yep, that is what they claim.

      But the device *is* scanning your finger. And you don't REALLY know what the closed-source software is actually doing.

      *yawn*

      Okay, now I’m bored. You’re one of those people.

    19. Re:Yawn by markdavis · · Score: 1

      So you want to carry TWO phones and a wallet. No thanks. Plastic card works just fine!

    20. Re:Yawn by markdavis · · Score: 1

      What an enlightened response. You were probably posting the same thing when people like me were warning that the government was domestic spying. But yeah, we were just paranoid, the government would never do that....

    21. Re:Yawn by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      What an enlightened response. You were probably posting the same thing when people like me were warning that the government was domestic spying. But yeah, we were just paranoid, the government would never do that....

      Your order of straw has arrived for the construction of your argument.

      Who said I didn't believe the government was heavily involved in domestic spying? That has been obvious since the 50's. It has nothing to do with the level of paranoia expressed from believing that your fingerprint can be reverse engineered from a hash stored in your phone.

      Can you recover my 35 character password after it's been salted and hashed?

    22. Re:Yawn by markdavis · · Score: 1

      And yet we don't know if any particular device is only ever storing a hash (and only ever will). That is the primary issue. I simply have what I believe is a "healthy" paranoia based on observation and past experience regarding sensitive things outside our control and ability to examine.

  9. Samsung = Apple.clone() by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Whatever Apple does, Samsung does it, or will do it. Is there is anything Samsung did, then Apple catches up? (big things, not the keyboard color). Shouldn't we have more empathy for the creators, less for the copiers.

    --
    Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    1. Re:Samsung = Apple.clone() by radish · · Score: 1

      I'm a big fan of Apple Pay, but this thing is actually new. It doesn't use NFC and works on any swipe reader, unlike Apple/Google Pay.

      Shame it'll be useless soon when we switch to chipped cards!

      --

      ---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"

    2. Re:Samsung = Apple.clone() by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is there is anything Samsung did, then Apple catches up?

      According to one of the other posts, Samsung did ISIS Wallet, then Apple caught up with Apple Pay.

      ~ LongearedBat

    3. Re:Samsung = Apple.clone() by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      You mean like offer payment systems on the mobile, which is something I did with my Galaxy S3 some 3 years before Apple "invented" the idea? Or maybe release a smartwatch which they did several years before Apple? Or maybe offer a mid sized tablet before Apple? Or release a system with a stylus which they did before Apple?

      Tell me, does drinking only Apple flavoured koolaid still mess with your digestive system or did you build up a tolerance?

    4. Re: Samsung = Apple.clone() by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Large phones and small tablets are examples of things Samsung did first and Apple copied. Samsung's "throw a lot of devices out there and see what floats" approach let them discover that these were something a lot of consumers wanted.

      But yes, Samsung have a reputation as a fast follower for a reason.

    5. Re:Samsung = Apple.clone() by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Samsung did mobile payments before Apple. It was called ISIS Wallet. They changed the name to something else, and now it has become Samsung Pay.

      Samsung did a tablet with stylus, and in a 12" form factor many years before Apple did. They invented the "phablet", which Apple eventually copied with the iPhone 6+.

      --
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    6. Re:Samsung = Apple.clone() by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      Large phone screens I think - that was arguably Samsung's big play and it paid off (people seem to love them).

      Apple realised that the demand was there after those giant Galaxies started selling really well.

    7. Re:Samsung = Apple.clone() by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      They were both developing a watch at the same time. Samsung released early because they thought Apple was close to being ready, and as a result came out what that hilariously laughable Gear that was virtually unusable it also wasn't "several years" before Apple's watch hit market. Surprise surprise, by the time Apple is ready to launch Samsung has improved the Gear into a market ready product. Who knew that you actually need development time?!

      Apple's first tablet was not the first tablet ever by a long shot - and they never claimed it was. You can thank Microsoft for that one, but it was the first tablet that people wanted to buy.

      Oh, and what device with a stylus did Samsung release that predates the Newton? I must have forgotten that one.

      Man, and people say Apple users are subject to a reality distortion field! I guess the corresponding one from the "other side" is the Hate Mist of Fact Obscurity.

    8. Re:Samsung = Apple.clone() by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Lol. Samsung were working on a watch before Mac rumours even suggested the idea. As for unusable, it doesn't seem any different to the iWatch, I've used both and both are equally useless though at least Samsung's has longer battery life.

      Who said anything about first tablet? Please read my post before rebuffing. I was talking about the iPad mini. The one that Apple said it would never do until they saw the success of the Galaxy Note series and then had to be in the market.

      As for stylus, please. Comparing the tablet market of today to the Newton is grasping for straws. Especially since it was Apple who said you shouldn't have a stylus on a tablet... oh until they decided they needed a iPad Pro to compete with Samsung.

      mmmm Apple juice.

    9. Re:Samsung = Apple.clone() by MachineShedFred · · Score: 1

      Please point out anyone in official capacity claiming that Apple "invented" contactless payment.

      Yeah, didn't think so.

      --
      Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
    10. Re:Samsung = Apple.clone() by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      Lol. Samsung were working on a watch before Mac rumours even suggested the idea. As for unusable, it doesn't seem any different to the iWatch, I've used both and both are equally useless though at least Samsung's has longer battery life.

      Who said anything about first tablet? Please read my post before rebuffing. I was talking about the iPad mini. The one that Apple said it would never do until they saw the success of the Galaxy Note series and then had to be in the market.

      As for stylus, please. Comparing the tablet market of today to the Newton is grasping for straws. Especially since it was Apple who said you shouldn't have a stylus on a tablet... oh until they decided they needed a iPad Pro to compete with Samsung.

      mmmm Apple juice.

      Of course it's grasping at straws - it's making fun of your entire straw man argument.

      Also, you have it wrong on the iPad Pro - Apple aren't competing with Samsung there, they're competing with Microsoft. The Surface Pro is the reason Apple made the iPad Pro. Samsung had nothing to do with it. You should at least try to have a small understanding of Apple's competitors before trying to look smart. Of course, you did it because you're trying to use it to bolster your "Apple stole the stylus idea from Samsung" argument so I can see why you'd want to distort the truth, it just makes you look transparently silly.

      And as for "working on the watch long before mac rumours suggested it" you're right - they probably were, but how does what one rumour site say relate to what Apple is doing? I'm struggling to see how what a non-affliated website says in any way is proof that Samsung was working on a smartwatch before Apple was. You'll have to help me there, the logic escapes me. More Hate Mist of Fact Obscurity I suspect.

  10. Cool... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Another thing that's 100% in Canada.
    And even 100% useless in the US considering there's already apple and google pay.. not to mention many others.

    1. Re:Cool... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All of the others require NFC.

      Samsung can use almost any mag card reader.

  11. Missed opportunity by Solandri · · Score: 2

    Does it really take 2%-3% of the dollar value of each transaction to debit one bank account and credit another? That's what you're being indirectly charged when you use a credit card to buy something (the merchant has to pay that much, so they adjust their prices to compensate). Mobile payments had the chance to overthrow the entrenched credit card companies which are enriching themselves by setting up a tollbooth for all electronic transactions. The actual cost is probably somewhere around 0.1%-0.5%. The industry needs a good competitive kick in the pants to get rid of this profiteering. But instead [Android/Apple/Samsung] Pay are just setting themselves up as another way to buy stuff using your credit card, without physically using your credit card.

    And no, the credit card does not protect you from fraud. The credit card companies have gamed it so the merchant pays for fraud, so you're already paying for fraud in the purchase price of whatever it is you're buying. The credit card transaction fees and exorbitant interest rates pay for people who become delinquent on their credit card bills and never pay the credit card company back.

    1. Re:Missed opportunity by Jumunquo · · Score: 1

      A while back, merchants won a lawsuit against credit card companies, allowing them to offer discounts for cash payments. This is most visible at gas stations:
      http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
      So in essence, the "revolution" could happen now, yet the cash revolution hasn't really caught on.

      Why? I don't know. Maybe the merchants like playing this game of marking things up 3% and then earning extra on the debit and cash users? Maybe people like playing the game of juggling around their cashback credit cards whose 5% cashback categories change every quarter?

    2. Re:Missed opportunity by basecastula+ · · Score: 1

      perhaps the fee that the credit card companies charge is related to the fraud protection and overhead that is involved with false charges and the related unrecoverable debts of cardhilders.

    3. Re:Missed opportunity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Does it really take 2%-3% of the dollar value of each transaction to debit one bank account and credit another? That's what you're being indirectly charged when you use a credit card to buy something (the merchant has to pay that much, so they adjust their prices to compensate). Mobile payments had the chance to overthrow the entrenched credit card companies which are enriching themselves by setting up a tollbooth for all electronic transactions. The actual cost is probably somewhere around 0.1%-0.5%. The industry needs a good competitive kick in the pants to get rid of this profiteering. But instead [Android/Apple/Samsung] Pay are just setting themselves up as another way to buy stuff using your credit card, without physically using your credit card.

      And no, the credit card does not protect you from fraud. The credit card companies have gamed it so the merchant pays for fraud, so you're already paying for fraud in the purchase price of whatever it is you're buying. The credit card transaction fees and exorbitant interest rates pay for people who become delinquent on their credit card bills and never pay the credit card company back.

      The merchant paying for fraud sounds a lot like I'm not paying for fraud. Sure in the additional costs passed on through all customers sure, but if only some of us are using credit cards that means I'm the benefactor of that fraud protection. It's the guy paying in cash or with a debit card that is getting screwed for my benefit.

    4. Re:Missed opportunity by cashman73 · · Score: 1

      Walmart and a consortium of other retailers is in the process of rolling out CurrentC, which is another mobile payment platform. The key difference between CurrentC and Apple/Android/Samsung Pay is that it does not use NFC, and uses a more clunky QR code instead, that is scanned at the point of purchase. CurrentC does not go through the credit card system, because Walmart and other retailers want to avoid the credit card surcharge. Instead, they use the ACH system connected directly to your checking account. That also means that by using ACH and CurrentC, you lose any fraud protection offered by the banks. Once money is debited from your account, you're not getting it back. That will pretty much kill CurrentC in its tracks.

    5. Re:Missed opportunity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the actual cost of processing transactions is minimal. the cost of bad debt and fraud is technically written off as an expense. transaction fees are mostly pure profit for executives, to pad the books to look good on paper and to shareholders, or to fund the rediculous marketing campains and cashback programs, all at the expense of the merchant paying the fees.

    6. Re:Missed opportunity by Xuranova · · Score: 1

      so they adjust their prices to compensate).

      If they've already adjusted their prices to account for this, then there isn't an incentive to pay with cash since you're paying the same price whether you're paying with cash or card (yes, there are a few places that charge less for cash, but they are far and few between).

      --
      "There is no real right or wrong, just what the majority accepts at the time."
    7. Re:Missed opportunity by tompaulco · · Score: 1

      Somebody has to pay for all that fraud. Yes there is some profit going on, because the companies wouldn't do it otherwise, but there is a lot of criminal activity going on, and our society has decided that the good hardworking people ought to pay for the consequences of those who decide to abuse the system and also to pay for the incarceration of such people in the event that they are caught. Whenever a corporation is busted for stealing money from somebody, we insist they pay it back with interest (which I agree with), but when a common criminal does the same thing we don't recoup the cost from the criminal, we just make all the law abiding people share the cost.

      --
      If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
    8. Re:Missed opportunity by b0bby · · Score: 1

      In addition to the fraud etc, there is the fact that for someone like me who pays their balance each month, the credit card company is loaning me the money at no interest. That's not free. Plus they actually give me 1-2% of my purchases as cashback. I'm all in favor of reducing the transaction costs, but I don't see it happening so meanwhile, I'll try to get the most out of the system we have.

    9. Re:Missed opportunity by __aanfwt7763 · · Score: 0

      they're not loaning you anything. they don't transfer money to the merchant's bank account the moment you swipe. that's also the reason things like disputed transactions work within the first couple of months. they're not doing you a favor when you dispute either, they just never pay the merchant.

  12. Apple is a cloner now too by Jumunquo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    NFC pay, large screen size, watch, etc - they are just cloning too. Now they have third-party apps on Apple TV (like Android boxes since day 1) and a clone of the MS Surface. They still haven't caught up in waterproofing their phone. The fingerpoint sensor is pretty much their only "first" in the last several years. Let's face it - Apple has stagnated, and the competition has caught up.

    What Samsung did with the S6, though, is just pathetic. The microSD slot, the removable battery, and the waterproofing were what made the previous S5 differentiated. Rather than integrate all the improvements in the market, they decided they'd make a truly worse carbon copy of the iPhone. Any news on that modular Google phone?

    1. Re:Apple is a cloner now too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thats exactly why when I needed a new phone, I got myself an LG G4, intead of current generation Samsung "anything".

      No micro SD was the big no no for me.

      G4 seems to be working well for me.

    2. Re:Apple is a cloner now too by sootman · · Score: 1

      > Any news on that modular Google phone?

      Yeah. August 8, 2015 -- Delayed.

      The funny thing is, it should be SO EASY for Samsung to compete with Apple. The iPhone is practically a stationary target.* You know when the next one will be out: late Summer/early Fall. You know what they'll be like: thinner. Samsung should go after the low-hanging fruit and do what Apple won't. Here, Samsung, I'll give you the first two for free:
      1. Offer 32 or 64 GB storage at the entry level.
      2. Make it a few mm thicker with 2x the battery life.

      I like most of the stuff Apple makes, but 16 GB has been the entry-level storage of the iPhone since the 3GS. That means the 4, 4S, 5, 5S, 6, and 6S all started at 16 GB. Do you see that? They've been standing still for SEVEN GENERATIONS.* Partner with Amazon and sell cheaply (or give away) many GB of storage for pics. They've ditched the Fire so they shouldn't mind. 16 GB drives me NUTS. A single photo on my 5S is 2-2.5 MB.

      And thinness -- the original iPhone at 11.6mm was TOTALLY FINE. I'd HAPPILY carry a phone that "thick" if it meant I could have way better battery life. Instead, Apple shaved off 4.5mm but they still have that ridiculous camera bump. How much easier do they have to make it? COMPETE, you retards, don't just copy.

      Oh yeah, and please make a 4" model for those of us who don't like gigantophones.

      You don't have to try to be cool like Apple. You can be the Corolla to Apple's BMW. The Corolla is the best-selling car of all time, you know, and Toyota seems to be doing OK.

      * I'm not saying Apple hasn't innovated or hasn't done anything worthwhile in all that time -- I'm just saying they're leaving some big things on the table here, just WAITING for someone to come along and snatch them up.

      --
      Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
  13. Google wallet by basecastula+ · · Score: 1

    Why should I try this service instead of google wallet? Gw works perfectly fine for me.

    1. Re:Google wallet by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      Samsung's trump card here is the tech that allows it to work with credit card readers that don't have NFC tech (although it also works with those obviously) by using a device that works via the mag stripe reader.

      They're hoping that there's going to be enough of those terminals still around to gain some traction, although they chose an odd time to release it since those types of terminals are being phased out due to the big shift in fraud liability in the US. They will be around for some time to come, however.

      Other than that, it's effectively the same as Google Wallet.

    2. Re:Google wallet by basecastula+ · · Score: 1

      Effectively, those terminals will be around for a while. Little liquor store around America will Not follow new restrictions/standards.

  14. Works Great by LoneBoco · · Score: 2

    I tried it out with my American Express card. I used it against a normal magnetic card reader and it detected my card as being swiped. For once Samsung made something that actually works as intended.

    A neat little bonus is that I now get push notifications whenever my credit card is charged. If anybody steals my credit card, I will know the instant they try to charge something to it.

  15. lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... just as magnetic stripe acceptance is being phased out...

  16. Re:Samsung = Apple.clone() = Google.copy.copy() by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apple pay is over two years later than Google's own mobile phone payment system, which ran on Samsung devices, as well as many others.

    You may be an Apple fan, but pretending Apple invented payment by phones is disgustingly dishonest by yourself. Or are you really that pathetic, you tune out technology from anyone other than those made by your cock-up-the-arse leaders?

    Furthermore, the entire Apple iDevice design was copied from Sony. Apple managed to have the blueprints removed from court filings over the date they were filed. Again, do you deliberately ignore inconvenient facts?

  17. made sense in Korea, not here by SuperBanana · · Score: 1

    It certainly made sense in Korea, where Samsung has a 46% market share and Apple ~24%.

    In the US? It's almost exactly the opposite - Apple has nearly a 50% market share, and Apple half that.

    What the hell were they thinking?

    --
    Please help metamoderate.
    1. Re:made sense in Korea, not here by serviscope_minor · · Score: 1

      Apple has nearly a 50% market share, and Apple half that.

      In the limit that results in Apple having 100%.

      --
      SJW n. One who posts facts.
  18. Read that wrong by Jezral · · Score: 1

    I read the headline as "Samsung Pays Lunches in the US" and wondered what weird out-of-court settlement they now had agreed to.

  19. If only Verizon would let me try it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Please daddy... please....

  20. Cheap Ripoffs by Thelasko · · Score: 1

    Samsung just likes to re-brand Google's products. Google voice becomes "S Voice", Google Keep becomes "S Memo". I wouldn't be surprised if Samsung Pay is actually Google Pay re-branded.

    --
    One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
  21. Why the fuck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...does it need carrier support? What the hell does Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T or whomever the fuck sells the data plan (or the phone, or both) have to agree on?

    Is it not enough that MasterCard, Visa and the banks and retailers have to agree on supporting (yet another fucking) phone payment system, that the fucking carrier wants in too?

    Fuck are these people fucking retarded?

  22. Re:Samsung = Apple.clone() = Google.copy.copy() by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And Google Wallet wasn't anything like Apple Pay, except for the same high-level functionality of being able to use your phone to pay for shit.

    There are major architecture and security differences between the two. Google Wallet was much more like PayPal then Apple Pay / Samsung Pay.

  23. Why the hell... by dave.haku · · Score: 1

    ...does it need carrier support? What the hell does Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T or whomever the fuck sells the data plan (or the phone, or both) have to agree on? Is it not enough that MasterCard, Visa and the banks and retailers have to agree on supporting (yet another fucking) phone payment system, that the damn carrier wants in too? Fuck! Are these people idiots?