Square gets chummy with the carriers, selling its card reader at Verizon stores

Kevin Fitchard — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:49:50 +0000

Verizon Wireless will now start selling Square’s card reader in its retail stores across the country. Though it’s really just a new distribution deal among many, moving closer to carriers puts Square in an ideal spot to target would-be entrepreneurs and small business owners right as they’re making their smartphone purchases.

Starting Thursday, Verizon stores will sell the device for $9.97, plus new users will get a $10 credit to their account, canceling out even that minimal up-front investment. Since Square only charges by the transaction (2.75 percent) and doesn’t require any minimum number of transactions, I can’t imagine it will take a very hard sell to convince a small business customer buying a smartphone to try out the reader.

AT&T also began selling Square’s card readers last year. In fact, the major carriers have been expanding their retail horizons beyond smartphones and modems. They’re marketing peripheral devices and gadgets that link to handsets, but don’t sport separate cellular connections. In AT&T’s new flagship store in Chicago you can find everything from smart watches to connected health and fitness monitors.

What’s more, Verizon and AT&T appear to have avoided their usual tendency to cash in on devices or services they distribute directly. Instead of trying to sell customers a “Square plan” or attempting to take a piece of each Square transaction, Verizon and AT&T seem content with the data traffic Square and other peripheral device makers drive over their networks.

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XShot Finds a Gadget Sweet Spot

Aliza Sherman — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:00:41 +0000

I’m all about gadgets and doodads that have specific functions, are easy to use, and actually help me do something better. I’ve been seeing one gadget in particular at tech conferences lately that really caught my eye.

The telescopic XShot camera extender ($29.95) is a simple but “wow” device that allows you to mount your digital camera and then extend it away from you so you can include yourself in the pictures. At conferences, however, the clever device is being used by attendees to raise their cameras above the heads of a crowd or audience to more easily capture footage of speakers onstage or simply get a more interesting view of the room. The XShot 2.0 gives you as little as 9 inches and up to 3 feet of extension.

XShot has also come out with a new device that is equally as useful in a thump-on-the-head “why didn’t I think of that!” way. The XShot iPhone Case ($29.95 ) fits iPhone 3G and 3GS and features a tripod mount to quickly and easily attach your iPhone to a tripod (such as my favorite Gorillapod) — or the XShot Camera Extender — to get the same added functionality as you would with a regular digital camera. The tripod mount isn’t a separate attachment but already built right into the case, which is perfect for me because I always lose extra attachments and peripherals.

Right now, you can only preorder the iPhone case at XShot.com; the new product will be available starting in November. You can also pre-order an XShot and iPhone Case bundle for $44.95.

And rumor has it XShot is coming out with yet another device in the near future — a micro version of its XShot 2.0 that is smaller and lighter, but still highly functional.

What is your current favorite “must-have” gadget?

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GigaOM » Peripheral

Square gets chummy with the carriers, selling its card reader at Verizon stores

XShot Finds a Gadget Sweet Spot