Square for Ipad: Is this the future of payment?

First I would like to congratulate the team presenting on Square. They did a really good job and though I had heard of this app before, there was so much I didn't know about it.

So, getting to the point. Square is basically a really cool alternative to the bulky machine for swiping credit cards. All a business needs to start accepting credit cards for payment is an Ipad, Iphone or android device and the little 'Square' used to swipe the credit card. This app has added a new dimension to the way people transact and has exploited the power of 3G enabled 'smart' devices.

At the heart of this concept is the little 'Square' which plugs into the audio port of any of the aforementioned devices and when one swipes a credit card it reads the magnetic data off it, converts it into audio signals and sends it via the 3.5mm audio jack which is then interpreted by the app. Its cool how the audio port has been treated as just another input port and with it being universal there should be no compatibility issues. This also opens up the exciting idea of looking at many more conventional hardware ports such as accelerometers, Gyrometer etc, found on such devices, to do more.

Compared to 3rd party credit card payment methods, Square provides an economical channel for small and medium-sized businesses to do transactions. Square slaps a 2.75%  surcharge on credit card swiped transactions and even though this is higher than its competitiors's, Square has no recurring monthly charges. So this is more economical for smaller transactions such as around $30. Hence, it is more suitable for smaller vendors such as your local barbershop or bakery etc. to start accepting credit cards using Square.

Now, this app offers vendors as well as customers the convenience of paying via credit card easily but does it truly revolutionise the way we pay. Well, I would say no because what I feel would do that is NFC or Near field Communication. Google Nexus S phones already ship with an NFC reader and the Iphone 5 apparently has one. NFC allows us to just tap our phones to pay and paves way for a credit card free world. As, professor Ben always says, the next few years are going to be exciting with the Google Wallet and all. However, for now Square seems to be the best way for small and medium businesses to start accepting credit cards and for credit card payments on the go such as in cabs. Here is a video for more information.

The Lecture on Software Engineering

Design Patterns like Facade, The Singleton etc is what you expect right. Well no.

This one was different. This lecture was more motivational and the key takeaway for me was the importance of an idea.

Everything starts with an idea...and you need to be able to describe it in its simplest form

An idea is what motivates us. It is what makes us do what we do and work harder for it. An idea by itself may not be worth much as the speaker presenting on this said (Sorry not too good with names :( ) but it, surely, is what drives us to go the extra mile, work sleepless nights and, a the same time, have fun seeing the idea take shape into something tangible. Great ideas might be a dime a dozen these days but people who strongly believe in their ideas are not. It is nice to see a congregation of such people in a class.

Express yourself...and share your ideas??

So now I have a great idea. Should I share it with others or should I not. Well there doesn't seem to be one correct answer. It isn't binary like Prof Ben said when he asked for a show off hands. However, from the discussions yesterday I feel it is imperative to validate our ideas with a few trusted friends or a mentor so that we can get that extra confidence before delving into the melee so to speak and this confidence is absolutely essential as only those who believe in their ideas 100% are capable of putting the necessary 120% effort to make it work.

Well, these are just my opinions. Our team is still looking for that great idea for our fb assignment. We have quite a few in mind and have narrowed it down and hopefully we can nail it by tomorrow.

"Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed - fully understood - that sticks; right in there somewhere"

What I hope to learn in CS3216

Well here I am finally taking up the module I have been intending to do since I first heard of it (which was in year 1 semester 2). This is one module I am very excited and at the same time nervous about taking on - CS3216.

From all I have gathered so far, contemplating umpteen times before in previous semesters on whether to take up CS3216 in that semester or not, CS3216 is a semester long journey - a journey of learning with many an obstacle to overcome. Of course, this blog is going to be all about what I have learnt, the obstacles I have faced, my triumphs as well as my failures (success is inevitable without failure), but this post is only about what I hope to learn in this tryst of mine with CS3216. Everybody likes clear and concise bullet points and so that is what I am going to give everyone.

• My relationship with JAVA and C++ is quite long now and so I guess it is time to explore new languages. Have done small time work with PHP, Groovy etc. and I hope to increase my competence  in these areas and level up my programming skills.
• Up to speed with Mobile/Web Dev: Most of my projects so far have been on the desktop using either C++,  JAVA, Swing and so on. It is time to delve into the exciting world of web and mobile development.
• A little from everyone: Working with new faces, brilliant minds and really inspired people from across diverse faculties, each with different areas of expertise and with all kinds of knowledge to offer. Building something with such people is an experience of a lifetime.
• Communication skills: Such stuff isn't meant to be learnt from books (Heck its tough to learn book-stuff  from books) and I hope I can finally hope to learn to express my views and ideas clearly. One of my interviewers for an intern recently told me I am 'shy' and need to be more confident (Yeah, I did do IS2101 and even got a B+). Well, through interacting with different people I hope I can change this. The intention is bold, lets hope I get so too.
• Collaboration and Team work: I feel it is really important to quickly bond with the people you are working with. Any amount of misunderstanding is always counter-productive. Most of my projects so far I have always done with people I already knew (Infact we take up the module together and if all of us don't get it we relegate it for another semester :P). What we can achieve as a team is really remarkable. After all, None of us are smarter than all of us.
• Time Management?? Professor Ben said sleep all you want before the 11th of August. Can we manage our time so as to get enough sleep and can the myth of programmers not getting enough sleep be finally broken? A lofty goal indeed and I must say I am light years away from any sort of proper Time Management (Managing physical stuff in my room isn't all too easy and time is something that is difficult to just keep track of)

Of course the sky is the limit and I hope to learn as much as I can from this 'journey'. 

For now, I am filled with excitement and ready to embark.

Anchors away, Ahoy there 3216...