If you’re a developer then you have just ten days left to enter the PayPal Android App competition which carries a first prize of $25,000 to be deposited in your PayPal account.
The competition is to create an original Android App which has PayPal integrated in it to accept payments, and you have until May 14th to submit your application for approval.
There’s a 3rd of June deadline for making changes but your app has to be live on an Android marketplace by the 7th of June with winners announced at the end of June.
As well as the first prize of $25,000 there’s a runners up prize of $15,000 and a third place prize for another $10,000. As PayPal say though, there are people that don’t win money, but really, what’s the worst thing that can happen? You end up with payments in your Android app?
If you’ve never built an Android App before there’s a quick start available to custom build one with Google’s App Inventor for Android.
2 Responses
The android mobile phone card modem apps are out there but you currently need to link the app to a recognised merchant account (not Paypal who are currently excluded by the app providers).
It does seem slightly odd that Paypal themselves have not yet come up with an app linked to a Paypal account that enables its business customers to accept credit and debit cards through their mobile phones. The merchant account only route does mean Paypal loose business.
This app is great for car boots and collector fairs and allows you to take card payments rather than cash which means it is easier to sell higher value items at these events.
Its my understanding that you are unable to use Paypal Virtual Terminal in your mobile phone browser so this currently is not a mobile phone card solution. A laptop or netbook with a 3G dongle and you are fine but this is relatively bulky and heavy to carry around. I may be right or wrong as I am not a virtual terminal user so feedback on this would be interesting.