Payments 2.0

"Clover Raises $5.8M From Andreessen Horowitz; Launches As A One-Click Mobile ... A new mobile payments startup is entering the market."

Comment: Clover positions itself as a one-tap, 5-second checkout with radically improved security over existing solutions. It's hard to understand what really makes them better than whom. With $11 million dollar raised, it's hard to believe they can go against PayPal, Google or Square (nearly $170 million). But again, they have innovated technically, we certainly won't know how from this TechCrunch artical who uncritically rewrites the company description (with a few added typos).

http://blog.clover.com/

"PayPal ... is often the go-to method of cash-free person-to-person (P2P) payments. There's just one problem: A lot of people really hate it."

Comment: Good review of alternative payment systems, mobile and non mobile, detailing pluses and minuses of Serve, Zashpay, WePay, Square, Dwolla and Clover.

Users also can take money out by transferring funds to a PayPal or bank account, and load money on to Clover using a credit card. Clover says other methods of withdrawing and depositing money coming, as well.

"With more phones and more options opening every day for mobile and peer to peer payments, the waters are getting a bit muddied. "

Comment: A down-to-earth comparison of leading US mobile payment systems with plus and minuses viewed from a consumer point of view