passbook

Pass2U Passbook 1.1 Review

iOS 6's Passbook app made plenty of Android fans jealous when it debuted. The good news is that you actually have plenty of ways to control tickets and loyalty cards on your Android. Pass2U Passbook is made to work just like the Apple Passbook app so many iFans love. This app is a good clone and a great app for travelers or urban explorers.

Pass2U Passbook works with .pkpass files, which is great if you're converting from iOS, but it isn't as ubiquitous on Android. It does cleanly present all of your passes in a stylish, completely … Read more

Take a Leap in May with motion control

This is the CNET Update you're looking for:

Get ready to control your computer like a Jedi: Leap Motion's controllers are arriving mid-May for $80. Watch the video above to see how users can navigate programs with the wave of a hand or the wiggle of a finger. Developers like Corel and Disney Interactive are releasing apps that work with Leap.

But that's not the only company taking the "touch" out of touch screen. At Mobile World Congress, STMicroelectronics shows how to control a tablet without making contact.

Also in Wednesday's tech news roundup: … Read more

Samsung reveals Passbook rival called Wallet

Samsung is taking its cue from Apple for a new mobile app.

Dubbed Wallet, the app is basically Samsung's version of Apple's Passbook. As described on the app's API page for developers, the app "allows users to store and manage event tickets, boarding passes, membership cards, and coupons all in one place."

The app lets providers integrate their apps with Samsung Wallet so that mobile device users can add their electronic tickets and coupons. Those tickets display bar codes that can then be scanned at terminals. Demoing the app at Mobile World Congress today in … Read more

MLB expands use of Passbook for mobile ticketing -- report

Major League Baseball (MLB) is increasing its reliance on Apple's Passbook application, according to a new report.

This year, 13 teams will allow customers to buy paperless tickets and redeem them through Apple's Passbook. The Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and Chicago Cubs are among the new teams to support the application, according to GigaOm, which spoke with MLB officials on the move. Two more teams will be announced soon.

MLB gave a tryout to Apple's electronic ticketing system last year with four teams. Out of the 1,500 e-ticket buyers, 12 percent chose to receive their tickets … Read more

Apple files patent for Passbook coupons with a touch of NFC

A new patent from Apple provides loads of information on Passbook and hints at the possibility of using near-field communications with the app.

Published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the patent, dubbed "Integrated Coupon Storage, Discovery, And Redemption System," goes into great detail about a system that lets you manage and redeem electronic coupons on a mobile device.

As described in the patent, such a system could trigger an alert on your phone when you're near a store where a saved coupon can be used. It could also alert you when you're … Read more

Square launches gift cards

Square Gift Cards from Square on Vimeo.

Square, a leader in mobile payments, today launched a gift card service tied to its Square Wallet program.

The new service is designed to let anyone purchase a gift card for friends or family at any of the more than 250,000 businesses nationwide that accept Square Wallet, an iOS and Android app that lets users pay automatically with their mobile device. The recipient would then redeem the value of the gift using Square Wallet on their own device. All it takes to send a gift, Square said, is to pick a merchant, … Read more

Coupons.com app gets native Passbook integration

Coupons.com today updated its iOS app to integrate with Apple's Passbook digital wallet service, something that previously required going through mobile Safari.

As part of the update, there's now an "add to Passbook" option next to coupons, which will spit the deal out to Apple's software app. Users previously had to navigate to that same link through Coupons' Web site, but the end result was the same.

Like before, when coupons get added they get an expiration date and instructions on the back for the cashier to redeem them. Not all coupons can be … Read more

Don't get Apple's Passbook? iOS 6.1 will explain it to you

iPhone users scratching their heads over how to use Apple's Passbook app will get a little more help as part of an upcoming software update.

iOS 6.1 adds an updated explanatory note to the digital-wallet app, which comes pre-installed on new iPhones and iPod Touch devices. Apple delivered a second beta testing version of the OS version to developers this morning.

Instead of kicking users out to the App Store to go find applications that offer Passbook integration, Apple now puts information about the feature inside a card that sticks around even after you've started using the … Read more

Apple adds Passbook-enabled gift cards to its store app

Apple is finally tapping into its own Passbook app by adding it as an option for store gift cards.

You can send someone a gift card either through the Apple Store app on your iPhone or iPad, or the Apple Store gift card Web page. In the Apple Store app, you'll need to scroll to the bottom of the home page and tap on the section for Apple Gift Cards and then choose the option to send an Apple Store Card by E-mail.

Either from the app or from the Web page, you can choose among blue, silver, or … Read more