There’s an app for that! It’s become a phrase silly tech freaks toss around like a prized trophy. For good reason, too. Apps make life easier, more fun, and just so darn geekiliscious!

How about a wallet app? You got it!  Starting today, at any of the 6,800 Starbucks and 1,000 Target stores across the country, you can pay for your caffeine kick with your phone, using the Starbucks Card mobile app.

Let’s all calm down though. Can we truly call this a wallet app?

All the excitement about phones replacing wallets is fun and very buzz-worthy but let’s be clear about how the app works. It is not a direct line of payment from your credit card or bank, you must have a Starbucks card (or get one) and connect it to the app, which then displays a barcode for Timothy the barista to scan for payment. The app isn’t a magic money drip of caffeine happiness but it does replace the need to carry around yet another plastic card. Customers can reload their cards using PayPal or Credit/Debit card, check balances, find nearby stores and earn starts for purchases to trade in for free drinks. That’s pretty cool. Although, the app is only compatible with iPhone, iPad, and Blackberry phones. Sorry Droid-er peeps, you’ll have to use the real stuff-no virtual pay for you.

The app is extremely cool and if I drank coffee or frequented Starbucks I’d be geeking out and buying all of my friends a coffee just because it would be fun. In fact, I have a meeting at Starbucks in about 45 minutes and have downloaded the app and will buy an over-priced tea just to see it in action.

Is this the start of something huge? Is it really all that cool?

Starbucks can afford the scanning technology and since they don’t have to pay credit card fees for using their own debit card it’s likely a very smart investment. If every other large corporate chain follows suit you’ll no longer have a million plastic cards in your wallet, you’ll just have to flip through pages of apps to find the one you need and make sure you load it before you go to pay. MAKE SURE you have it loaded!  Have you ever been at the front of the grocery line, watching your groceries scan and suddenly realized that you left your wallet and checkbook at home? The embarrassing feeling as the cashier sights and the people in the line behind you stare suspiciously are NOTHING compared to the riot of cranky customers waiting for their morning jolt and the crushed expression of the barista who has just made your art, I mean drink, as he realizes that the liquid creation of bliss he just created will be cast aside and stamped “WASTE”. So, friends, just be sure you keep your phone loaded with money.

The app is cool but mobile payment is not a new concept. Companies like Paypal and others like them have given it a crack and none of them have become a mainstream method of mobile payment. So, unless someone can make it mainstream and accessible we’ll all be stuck with mobile gift cards. I have about .50 cents on a Starbucks card, $40 on a grocery card, and probably four gift cards from Barnes and Noble with anywhere from $1 to who knows how much on them and I always forget to use them. Will mobile gift cards be any different?

Am I alone? Have you tried the app yet? Tell me what you think!

There’s an app for that! It’s become a phrase silly tech freaks toss around like a prized trophy. For good reason, too. Apps make life easier, more fun, and just so darn geekiliscious!

How about a wallet app? You got it!  Starting today, at any of the 6,800 Starbucks and 1,000 Target stores across the country, you can pay for your caffeine kick with your phone, using the Starbucks Card mobile app.

Let’s all calm down though. Can we truly call this a wallet app?

All the excitement about phones replacing wallets is fun and very buzz-worthy but let’s be clear about how the app works. It is not a direct line of payment from your credit card or bank, you must have a Starbucks card (or get one) and connect it to the app, which then displays a barcode for Timothy the barista to scan for payment. The app isn’t a magic money drip of caffeine happiness but it does replace the need to carry around yet another plastic card. Customers can reload their cards using PayPal or Credit/Debit card, check balances, find nearby stores and earn starts for purchases to trade in for free drinks. That’s pretty cool. Although, the app is only compatible with iPhone, iPad, and Blackberry phones. Sorry Droid-er peeps, you’ll have to use the real stuff-no virtual pay for you.

The app is extremely cool and if I drank coffee or frequented Starbucks I’d be geeking out and buying all of my friends a coffee just because it would be fun. In fact, I have a meeting at Starbucks in about 45 minutes and have downloaded the app and will buy an over-priced tea just to see it in action.

Is this the start of something huge? Is it really all that cool?

Starbucks can afford the scanning technology and since they don’t have to pay credit card fees for using their own debit card it’s likely a very smart investment. If every other large corporate chain follows suit you’ll no longer have a million plastic cards in your wallet, you’ll just have to flip through pages of apps to find the one you need and make sure you load it before you go to pay. MAKE SURE you have it loaded!  Have you ever been at the front of the grocery line, watching your groceries scan and suddenly realized that you left your wallet and checkbook at home? The embarrassing feeling as the cashier sights and the people in the line behind you stare suspiciously are NOTHING compared to the riot of cranky customers waiting for their morning jolt and the crushed expression of the barista who has just made your art, I mean drink, as he realizes that the liquid creation of bliss he just created will be cast aside and stamped “WASTE”. So, friends, just be sure you keep your phone loaded with money.

The app is cool but mobile payment is not a new concept. Companies like Paypal and others like them have given it a crack and none of them have become a mainstream method of mobile payment. So, unless someone can make it mainstream and accessible we’ll all be stuck with mobile gift cards. I have about .50 cents on a Starbucks card, $40 on a grocery card, and probably four gift cards from Barnes and Noble with anywhere from $1 to who knows how much on them and I always forget to use them. Will mobile gift cards be any different?

Am I alone? Have you tried the app yet? Tell me what you think!

I’m laughing at all of the people who thought Steve Jobs was going to come out and issue a recall for the iphone 4 and are ticked off that he didn’t offer more than a free cover. I wouldn’t have given mine up even if they had issued a recall! I love the way that Steve Jobs responded at last weeks press conference, get over yourselves people! All the whining and complaining over the past few weeks has really been quite entertaining. I’m not denying that there are likely people out there that have had issues with their iphone reception, but I’ve had problems with dropped calls and bare spots in my coverage since the very first iphone came out. In my case, it is an AT&T issue – they simply cannot support the amount of data transfer that iphone users bring to their network. I would never part with iphone for the mere fact that it is the best out there and gosh darn it, I have loved all of my iphones.
Despite my undying love for Apple, I will admit that I did notice a problem with iphone 4 reception when my left hand was in the “no-no” position, so ya know what I did? I burned about a half a calorie and moved my hand! (I should also mention that I grudgingly spent the $30 for the bumper because I’m a clutz and the thing was doomed if I didn’t.)
Those that think Apple should have done more to restore faith in their brand are just plain silly …. they have the strongest brand on earth for a reason. They deliver the best, over and over – devoted users get that and are either unimpressed by the hoopla or will move on simply because there are NO other Apples out there.
The iphone 4 antennae issues exist but in my opinion they don’t impede my use of the phone, and those that are unhappy should just return the phone. They don’t deserve to have this beautiful piece of geek brilliance in their hands.