Fully Charged: Samsung buys digital wallet tech, new World of Tanks, and the DeLorean iPhone case

Samsung acquires LoopPay

Apple Pay’s rollout has thus far been rather successful, with consumers enjoying the ease of use and even government agencies planning to tap into the system. Now rival smartphone makers are looking for their own digital wallet platform to stack up against Apple’s, and Samsung thinks LoopPay is its key to breaking open that market.

Samsung announced yesterday that it acquired the company, which currently allows users to pay for transactions via specially designed phone cases, key fobs, and physical card-like devices. Loop doesn’t use NFC – instead, it works through Magnetic Secure Transmission tech, which means it works with the vast majority of existing payment terminals in stores.

That’s a big short-term advantage, although as of now, the need for an additional peripheral has limited its usefulness. If Samsung starts implementing Loop tech within its phones, and perhaps even licensing the tech out to other manufacturers, then it’ll have a better shot at rivaling something like Apple Pay. Now the real question is: will it be implemented in time for the Galaxy S6‘s release?

[Source: BusinessWire]

New World of Tanks games announced

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S78049dtInQ

World of Tanks is one of the most successful free-to-play games around, and Wargaming announced yesterday that the series will make its way to Xbox One. It’ll be similar to the Xbox 360 Edition from last year, with the ability to use the same account on both systems and maintain earned progress. It’ll also have cross-platform multiplayer between the consoles.

Additionally, earlier this week, the company revealed World of Tanks Generals, a digital card-battling game that looks like Wargaming’s attempt to mine Hearthstone‘s success. It’ll be playable free through browsers, with iOS and Android app versions to follow down the line. You can sign up for consideration for the closed beta test now.

[Sources: World of Tanks, WoT Generals]

Back to the Future iPhone case

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO_vaPdS8eU

Functionally, this iPhone 6 case based on the DeLorean from the Back to the Future series might be one of the worst smartphone shells we’ve ever seen – because it’s utterly massive, plus it obscures the camera flash. But thematically, it’s fantastic, with plenty of glowing lights and sounds that show off the source material, not to mention flaps that open up to access buttons and the back camera.

It’s called a “Crazy Case,” so at least you know what to expect, and it’ll sell for 5,940 yen (about £32) when it releases in Japan in June.

[Source: Mashable]

Sony’s special PS4 is back on the block

Last month, Sony revealed that the first numbered edition of its ultra-limited 20th Anniversary PlayStation 4 console had been sold at a charity auction for nearly £85,000 – an amount that the company would match as it sent the funds off to Save the Children Japan. Unfortunately, however, the winning bidder has backed out of the transaction.

Can you even imagine? We hope it was something completely out of his or her hands, because bidding that much for charity and then declining payment sounds utterly vile. Sony is still paying its half of the planned total payment, luckily, and it’s unclear whether Sony will run another auction or find some other way to raise the charity funds. The console will be on display at Sony’s Ginza, Tokyo showroom beginning this Saturday.

[Source: Engadget]