Square's New Dongle Has Arrived
by Tim Chaten
October 29, 2010
Square is a service for iOS users to accept credit card payments on the iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. It works using a free app on your iDevice. After you sign up for an account they will send you a free Square credit card reader. You simply swipe to accept payments. After a day or so the money will appear in your bank account.
The old reader wasn't perfect. It felt cheap, and as reported, many iPhone 4 users have been having problems using it. Square undertook to make and ship a new version. We received ours today.
The new dongle fixes some of the problems the original one had. The new dongle is thinner and wider than the old dongle. The metal used in this design is different and fixes the problems with the iPhone 4.
The added width makes the new dongle easier to use. In the past we found ourselves swiping multiple times to get a good swipe. The new one fixes that. The other minor changes include a rounded back, higher quality plastic and silver metallic finish.
Overall the changes are minor, but add some nice usability fixes compared to the old dongle. You can get more information about Square at their website, and try the service yourself by getting their free app.