Coin 'Digital Wallet' Nears Release
- Jonathan Moore
- Aug 22, 2014 04:09 PM EDT
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If you're one of the many who have too many credit, debit and any other cards in your wallet/purse, then you may want to check out Coin. Coin is a digital wallet that was first announced last November, and it promises to streamline your wallet by storing the information from all your cards in one nice, neat card. One card to rule them all--if you will. The Coin was supposed to launch this summer, but due to compatibility issues with credit card terminals, it's been delayed while the kinks are worked out. But don't fret; the digital card of cards should be launching soon.
According to the Verge, the Coin is mated with the Coin app (makes sense) which manages stores and manages your card info, and will reportedly launch on August 28th for Apple's iOS and on September 25th for Android. The way users add their cards to the app works by swiping them individually through a small adapter that ships with the phone. The adapter plugs into your phone and once you swipe a card, the information is automatically stored inside the Coin app. Users can then swipe through their cards and select the appropriate one.
Coin founder Kanishk Parashar says his company is trying to do more than just create a digital credit card. "What we're really building here is a set of consumers who trust our system and are able to utilize our system to do transactions. That enables us to use any technology to do the actual transmission."
And, according to the Verge, a user can add "any number of cards" to the Coin app. Even non-credit cards, like membership cards; gift cards and insurance cards, can be added as well. And if that's the case, the Coin might be the first truly viable wallet-less solution we've seen. Yet it appears the Coin isn't quite ready--yet.
Currently, the Verge reports that Coin will only work with 85% of credit card terminals. Coin has apparently emailed its investors this month and requested that additional testing be carried out over the "next few months," and then they'll report back with their progress. While that does sound a bit alarming for a project that was supposed to ship this summer, the company remains confident that its platform is solid and on the verge of delivering on its promise.
According to Parashar, it's all about timing. He quoted a tweet from Marc Andreesen (a venture capitalist), which apparently said, "Most ideas are great - the question is if the timing's right. When you have the timing right, you almost always feel like you're too late."
How does Parashar feel about Coin's timing? "Right now, I'm feeling a little late," he confessed. Hopefully for Parashar and Coin, Andreesen's right.
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