Square Launches 'Terminal' For Card and Mobile Payments
*By Bridgette Webb*
Square wants to revamp those drab credit card readers.
The San Francisco-based company on Thursday debuted the Square Terminal, a new all-in-one hardware device that enables businesses to accept all physical debit and credit cards and mobile payments through Apple ($AAPL) Pay, Google ($GOOGL) Pay, Samsung Pay, and NFC.
"It's a great combination of our amazing payment service and combines it with hardware that's integrated all in one ー beautiful and exactly the technology all kinds of business need," Jesse Dorogusker, Square's hardware lead said in an interview on Cheddar.
"It's all set up to replace all terminals and legacy terminals out there."
The Terminal costs $399 and carries a 2.6 percent and 10 cent transaction fee for every payment. Square ($SQ) is offering a $300 credit as an incentive for businesses to switch over.
The device broadens the scope of company's suite of products, which includes the counter-top Square Register ($999) aimed at larger retailers, the small Bluetooth card reader ($49) for mom-and-pop shops, and a free magnetic stripe reader.
The launch also comes about a week after the company said long-time CFO Sarah Friar would step down to become the CEO of social network Nextdoor. Her departure shook investors in the company ー shares fell 20 percent in the two days after the news.
But Dorogusker isn't worried.
"Sarah is a tremendous leader, we are really excited for her," he said.
"She's had a lifelong dream of being a CEO, and I know she will be a great executive at the helm. We have a lot of confidence in our ambitions, momentum, and the performance of this team."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/square-launches-new-device-for-credit-cards-and-mobile-payments).
Legal cannabis businesses are having a hard time surviving in California with the high cost of doing business and a still-thriving illicit market. In response, nonprofit Supernova Women, founded by women of color, is advocating on behalf of Black and brown shareholders in the cannabis industry. Amber Senter, co-founder, executive director, and chairman of the organization, spoke with Cheddar News about calling for changes in the Golden State's taxation system for legal marijuana. "We're really leaning on the legislators now to support the industry and make sure that this industry, in particular craft cannabis, can survive," said Senter.
After being among the hardest-hit industries by the pandemic, restaurants are still having a hard time staying afloat, with owners claiming that business is worse now due to closures from staff shortages and customer decline than it was three months ago. Mike Whatley, vice president of state affairs and grassroots advocacy for the National Restaurant Association, spoke to Cheddar News about how the sector is reaching out to lawmakers for help. "Working with Senators Wicker, Sinema, and a whole host of bipartisan leaders, we're trying to get the Restaurant Revitalization Fund replenished," Whatley said.
Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, founder of Strategy + Rest,
joins Cheddar News to discuss UK's pilot four-day workweek and its impact on workers' mental health.
Ed Gaussen, co-founder and CEO of Mantra Health, and Matt Kennedy, co-founder and COO of Mantra Health, joined Cheddar News to discuss the digital mental health startup's latest funding round and plans for the future.
Actor and singer Chrissy Metz, who stars as Kate Pearson in "This Is Us," is partnering with Capital One Auto Navigator to share her story of purchasing her first car to help make car buying easier for others. "For me, I know a car was so important because of course it took me to the auditions to get me to the place I have today," she said. "But it also means empowerment and freedom and accessibility, and I think everybody is deserving and in need of that." Metz also discussed the final season of her hit show, noting that expectations for the finale "will probably be exceeded."
Tire manufacturer Michelin is partnering with the popular video game "The Sims FreePlay" in order to meet teens where they are to promote driving safety. Michelin North America Chairman and President Alexis Garcin joined Cheddar News to discuss how the #GoldenGauge program integrates with the game. "If you're a gamer yourself or your kids, then while you're driving and moving on the application, you will find a Michelin billboard, and if you engage with that billboard, then you will get some advice about how tires are critical for your safety on the road," Garcin explained. *Updated with the full title of 'The Sims FreePlay' and a typo fix in the name of Alexis Garcin.*
The video game industry has come a long way from the first commercialized 3D video game in 1980, but it still has a long way to go. Video game creators have recently been called out for not having realistic Black hairstyles in their games and graphic artists are now taking matters into their own hands by creating The Open Source Afro Hair Library. Jovan Wilson, 3D artist and resident for The Open Source Afro Hair Library, joined All Hands to discuss.
After reporting record deliveries in Q4, expectations are high for Tesla's Q4 earnings call. Garrett Nelson, senior analyst and VP of equity research at CFRA, joined Cheddar News to discuss predictions about the report and what he sees as the emphasis on the EV maker's future. "We think the focal point of the release is really going to be on their guidance for 2022, the timing of the ramp-up of their new factories in Texas and Germany in the face of these chip shortages and supply chain issues, and also next steps in its long-term growth plans," he noted.
