T-Mobile's 'Mobile Money' blends prepaid Visa cards and no-fee checking features(engadget.com)
engadget.com
T-Mobile's 'Mobile Money' blends prepaid Visa cards and no-fee checking features
http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/22/t-mobile-mobile-money-prepaid-visa-free-checking/
6 comments
To counter that: what difference does it make? Are users going to abandon this service because the Android app does not conform to UI norms? T-Mobile are going to start caring about this when they have an incentive to spend the time and money on it. So far that doesn't seem to be the case.
I'm the last person to defend Apple but their App Store review process will often reject an app like the one you describe. Google won't. So people develop better apps for iOS because they have to.
I'm the last person to defend Apple but their App Store review process will often reject an app like the one you describe. Google won't. So people develop better apps for iOS because they have to.
My objections come from supporting the platform as a whole, not T-Mobile's bottom line. As more popular apps abandon official design guidelines in favor of custom UI that doesn't work, it makes using the platform an inconsistent and jarring experience, and that hurts the platform as a whole.
Really, I'm surprised that T-Mobile doesn't get this, as their business relies in part on selling this platform to customers.
Google could do more, yes, but doing so would erode the relative openness of Play Store app submissions. They provide the tools and the guidelines, and that should be good enough. I can't think of any other platform where a straight port of another platform's UI is a standard or acceptable practice.
Really, I'm surprised that T-Mobile doesn't get this, as their business relies in part on selling this platform to customers.
Google could do more, yes, but doing so would erode the relative openness of Play Store app submissions. They provide the tools and the guidelines, and that should be good enough. I can't think of any other platform where a straight port of another platform's UI is a standard or acceptable practice.
> My objections come from supporting the platform as a whole
T-Mobile doesn't care. The same thing is common in the Apple world. I use an app all the time that faked their own drop-downs to the point that the 'labels' are actually editable text fields.
They don't care. Been there for months and a few updates.
T-Mobile doesn't care. The same thing is common in the Apple world. I use an app all the time that faked their own drop-downs to the point that the 'labels' are actually editable text fields.
They don't care. Been there for months and a few updates.
Minimum Viable Product. Don't waste time iterating until there's traction. Isn't that what we preach around here?
In this case, they put in extra work to port the UI from their iOS app. Doesn't exactly scream "MVP" to me.
If the purposely dragged the iOS design into the Android app, instead of designing the Android app around its native UX support, that's a bit of a cockup.
In some cases this is a case of branding over consistency. In other cases people would rather spend the effort of cloning the iOS UI rather than learning Holo.
In fact, given the target users (e.g. prepaid customers) why would an MVP for this service include an iOS app at all?
There is a very big difference between an app that can be limited to newer Android versions and one like this that must run on buggy, old, un-capable of using newer UI widgets versions. While inclusion of ActionBar compatibility is a big improvement in the usefulness of the Support Library, it's still not a zero-cost, zero-risk decision.
Some of what you are complaining about is valid, but an up-to-date UI can reasonably NOT be the top priority for an app of this nature.
Some of what you are complaining about is valid, but an up-to-date UI can reasonably NOT be the top priority for an app of this nature.
In what world does dropping in a Google-supported library, tested on multitudes of hardware and OS combinations and used widely by developers, cost more than rolling your own UI components and testing them yourself?
In a world where they are not building their software from the ground up, themselves, which they almost certainly did not do.
I'm surprised they didn't call it "T-Money".
Their domain, t-mobilemoneyservices.com, drives me nuts. Why not use money.t-mobile.com?
Also, t-money.com looks to be taken by someone in South Korea since about 2004.
Also, t-money.com looks to be taken by someone in South Korea since about 2004.
It's amazing what things have come to. They have disclaimer footnotes for 3 of their 4 headline claims and the remaining one is conditional on being a T-Mobile customer.
And there are so many fees, especially for people that don't have a T-Mobile phone.
I guess when/if interest rates go up these things won't be very popular.
And there are so many fees, especially for people that don't have a T-Mobile phone.
I guess when/if interest rates go up these things won't be very popular.
I think it'll still be popular among the unbanked, who are getting raped on fees at check cashing facilities and whom are unable to get a traditional bank account.
As a Simple (https://simple.com) banking customer, I don't see what T-Mobile offers that Simple doesn't besides someplace to load cash in person. Fun fact: Simple and T-Mobile are using the same "real" bank (The Bancorp Bank) to provide their services. Google also uses The Bancorp Bank for their Wallet card.
As a Simple (https://simple.com) banking customer, I don't see what T-Mobile offers that Simple doesn't besides someplace to load cash in person. Fun fact: Simple and T-Mobile are using the same "real" bank (The Bancorp Bank) to provide their services. Google also uses The Bancorp Bank for their Wallet card.
Many of the people paying the most cumulative fees should be able to maintain a no fee checking account (because regular direct deposits).
I do wonder what the breakdown is on access/credit problems/awareness/willingness to deal with banks. Around here the credit unions are inexpensive and about as close as anything else.
I do wonder what the breakdown is on access/credit problems/awareness/willingness to deal with banks. Around here the credit unions are inexpensive and about as close as anything else.
I'd Kickstart the hell out of that sort of study.
https://www.google.com/search?q=unbanked+statistics
https://www.google.com/search?q=unbanked+statistics
What is special about Bancorp?
Bancorp's business model is to design their systems primarily around integrating with other systems. It appears to be why most technology companies are using them for the underlying banking infrastructure.
Private-labeled banking services. Interesting.
Yes, if it wasn't for the t- I could easily see that domain belonging to some fraudulent/dubious ponzi scheme business.
What I don't get is the intersection between "take a picture of a check with smartphone" and "for people who can't get a checking account". I'm going to assume that T-Mobile believes there is a sizable market of people with $600 phones who can't get a checking account, but really?
> I'm going to assume that T-Mobile believes there is a sizable market of people with $600 phones who can't get a checking account, but really?
Really. You'd be surprised what you can buy with financing (hello "Buy Here Pay Here" loan shark car dealers). T-Mobile isn't doing it out of the goodness of their heart, but they're definitely going to cannabilize check cashing businesses.
https://www.google.com/search?q=unbanked+statistics
Really. You'd be surprised what you can buy with financing (hello "Buy Here Pay Here" loan shark car dealers). T-Mobile isn't doing it out of the goodness of their heart, but they're definitely going to cannabilize check cashing businesses.
https://www.google.com/search?q=unbanked+statistics
Hey, if it hurts the predatory check cashing/payday loan industry, that's OK with me.
They're letting people pay for the phones in installments, and you can get a Nokia Lumia 521 on T-Mobile for under $100 up-front these days.
My gsm android cost $200 unlocked.
And my bank won't let me take a picture and cash a check, so this would be interesting to me even if my phone cost $600.
And my bank won't let me take a picture and cash a check, so this would be interesting to me even if my phone cost $600.
$600 phones
Most Androids sold are not of the $600 variety, but around $100-$200, from companies you have never heard of before. And they are new, not including the second hand market.
People in the US don't pay for their phones outright, anyone can put together $100 for the down payment.
It looks like a lot of unsuspecting participants blinded by effective marketing are about to get ripped off hard. "Retail Purchase Fee: $4.00" From https://www.t-mobilemoneyservices.com/NeedHelp/Fees Let's just hope folks using the service have a T-Mobile number! With the average debit card holder making about 18.3 purchases per month (and likely more for the targeted demographic because many in this starvation-wage tier have to make more purchases due to lack of sufficient storage or time), it looks like a nice $75/mo unannounced subscription fee.
The phrasing of "No charge at participating T-Mobile stores; if purchased elsewhere, the fee will be refunded to card account within 30 days" makes me suspect that fee is actually just the cost of getting the initial card.
Thanks for that clarification, I got pretty worked up thinking they were being that scummy.
From https://t-mobilemoneyservices.com/NeedHelp/FAQs
> What are the fees for my T-Mobile Card Account?
TRANSACTION FEES:
POS PIN Transaction No charge
POS Signature Transaction No charge
POS PIN Transaction No charge
POS Signature Transaction No charge
Thanks, I was clearly out to be angry at T-Mobile for no good reason. Maybe it was the 6 fine-print items on one of their pages that set me off...
Checks? Visa card without chip-and-pin? Is this the nineties again?
It is aimed at people how have difficulty getting a checking account, making direct deposit complicated.
If you don't do direct deposit you get a physical check.
Also chip-and-pin is worthless in the US until they do a big push for it, since merchants wouldn't accept it at the moment.
If you don't do direct deposit you get a physical check.
Also chip-and-pin is worthless in the US until they do a big push for it, since merchants wouldn't accept it at the moment.
And outside of US, cards which are magnetic only are refused in more and more places, because of either company policy due to a large number of fraud,or just straight up lack of terminals to process them.
Also, I think I've only had a single check in my entire life - I don't even know what I would need to do to issue one, and I run my own company. So it also must be an American thing.
Also, I think I've only had a single check in my entire life - I don't even know what I would need to do to issue one, and I run my own company. So it also must be an American thing.
This is a service targeted at the US so it has to target the US's (antiquated) banking system. Checks are on the way out, but most Americans still need to write or cash them fairly regularly. Chip-and-pin cards are still not widely supported in the US, but support for magnetic stripe cards is almost ubiquitous. It does seem outdated by international standards, but for the US, this is actually a step forward compared to the check cashing services that many poor people use.
How old are you? Checks were fairly common when I was growing up in the US but no more. Probably different elsewhere tho.
I pay my rent with a check, but that's it. Oh and I pay my car tax every year with a check. Old people stuck in the past (my mom) pay all their bills with checks. Bills you get in the mail that dont accept credit card are paid in checks.
I could pay my rent in cash but I want to have a copy of the canceled check as further evidence I paid my rent in case any issues come up and I have to prove I paid rent.
I pay my rent with a check, but that's it. Oh and I pay my car tax every year with a check. Old people stuck in the past (my mom) pay all their bills with checks. Bills you get in the mail that dont accept credit card are paid in checks.
I could pay my rent in cash but I want to have a copy of the canceled check as further evidence I paid my rent in case any issues come up and I have to prove I paid rent.
It's American banking.
It's shit like this that degrades the Android experience, and it needs to stop. Stop treating Android like the "second platform". Hire people who can push back against shitty design. Use the tools that the platform provides.