A particularly snazzy way to turn your iPhone into a credit card reader has launched today, from USAePay. This isn’t a new idea, by any means, but the PaySabre is a flourish that I find very appealing.
Peripheral based
There are various services out there that allow you to simply type your credit number into the iPhone itself to start a transaction. The PaySabre is a peripheral though – it’s an actual physical card swipe that your iPhone fits into.
As a result, this solution is very much aimed at corporations and enterprises that do their business outside the office. While a software-based solution does offer convenience, a hardware system like the PaySaber offers reliability and security.
What does it do, exactly?
It works with either the iPhone or iPod Touch. The device itself is focused around the encrypted swiper – by doing a lot of the encryption and security processes itself, USAePay claims that the cost per transaction is much smaller on PaySabre because the bank has less work to do with each swipe. And since this is an enterprise focused machine, it also includes features like a barcode scanner and receipt printer.
What we think?
Ok, Motorola has been doing this for ages. Like I said, it’s nothing new. But the form factor for the PaySabre is very appealing and it has a great name – and it takes a further step towards making the iPhone a solid enterprise device.
