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Aug 9, 2012 6:40 PM   Mobile payments are a mess. Mostly because every single carrier is trying to set up its own payment platform and squeeze everyone else out. The Electronic Transactions Association has announced the Mobile Payments Committee, which should put some order to the chaos. The committee will have representatives from each of the four major US carriers, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint, and it will be chaired by Jackie Moran of Verizon. It will try to get everyone to stop being gigantic jerks about mobile payment platforms, and actually create a sensible marketplace. So for example, things like Verizon freezing out Google Wallet until recently. But this isn't just a conversation to decide what format will succeed long term. Say, Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD. This is a group that will decide how entire ecosystems are allowed to process payments. And the carriers seemingly occupy the pole positions in committee that decides who gets to play the game, and how it's pla...

Aug 1, 2012 5:20 PM   I love these images—created by photographer Clay Lipsky—and their premise: "Imagine if the advent of the atomic era occurred during today's information age. Tourists would gather to view bomb tests, at the 'safe' distances used in the 1950s, and share the resulting cell phone photos" on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. When I was a little kid I saw The Day After . I had nightmares for months and lived terrified, thinking that nuclear war could happen at any time (War Games only reinforced that thought). But now these mushrooms are so iconic that, even while I know they are terrible for the planet and its inhabitants, I have a tiny secret desire to watch one in real life. And instagram the hell out of it with the tag #uraniumfireworks. Perhaps they should open an atomic park in Bikini Island, where tourists can go and see simulated nuclear bombs detonating in the distance. Until that happens, enjoy Lipsky's photomerging work in his Atomi...

Aug 1, 2012 6:20 PM   Google just introduced new content restrictions for apps in Google Play in hopes that it can crack down on the malicious apps that pollute the Android ecosystem. For the longest time, Google Play, like the Android Market before it, has been an unregulated wilderness, so it's a good thing Google's drawing a line in the sand. The new policy is designed to ban apps that intentionally deceive users, those the collect or disseminate your private information, as well as spammy apps. Google also bans apps that contain sexually explicit or violent behavior and those that promote illegal activities. Apps that violate these policies will be removed from the store, but it doesn't seem like Google has any plans to start actively policing app submissions to Google Play the way Apple does for the iOS App Store. [Google Play via Mashable via BGR] View the original article here This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will...