Obopay
Some of you have already gotten this in an email from me, but I strongly advise you to sign up for Obopay. In short, it’s a secure way to send money from your mobile phone to another person’s mobile phone, even if he or she has not signed up yet. It’s much like Paypal, with the killer app being the restaurant phenomenon of no one having enough cash: this way, everyone can text their contribution to one person, who then puts the bill on a credit card (it needs a PIN, so if someone steals your phone, they cannot empty your bank account or credit card.)
Also useful for movie tickets, splitting parking costs, paying for auctions, and so forth. Unlike Paypal, which takes a (large!) percentage of the money from the seller, Obopay just charges the sender a small fee (for now it’s a dime, but it’s going up to a quarter next month.)
OK, here’s the pitch: sign up using that link I’ve provided, and I’ll get a referral bonus. I could really use the cash. As soon as you add a funding source, you’ll be set up as an Obopay registered user. Then, I’ll send you $1 (via Obopay) — your first Obopay receipt — as thanks. OK? Please sign up your mobile phone, and use one of the links.
U.S. only for right now, sorry.
Merci.
Email subscription
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:49 am
You had me all the way until “U.S. only”! Damn Canadian payment backwater.
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:10 am
Yea, Canada is quite the bummer. Obopay is in India! I use it to send and get money from my roommate and other random friends with the service. I give Obopay an 8 out of 10; the phone app is great but I wish more of my friends were signed up!
July 23rd, 2008 at 11:23 am
I don’t have enough money for a cell phone, but I need to use Obopay to raise the necessary funds.
It’s a bit of a Catch 22.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:24 am
Mike, have you considered those pay-as-you-go phones that are available almost everywhere (such as Vons)? I’m actually considering switching to it, as I’m on a $110/month contract, which is way more than I need.
July 24th, 2008 at 9:46 am
“as I’m on a $110/month contract”
Holy cow, boy! I’m on a pay-as-you-go phone with T-mobile. I spend 10 cents a minute, but I only average about a 100min a month, so it really works for me. $110 would last me about 10 months. The phone $49. They had one model available for $29 (no camera).
July 24th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Well, it has full mobile browsing over GPRS, free access to T-Mobile Hot Spots (incl. Starbucks), unlimited text and MMS messaging, 800 peak minutes, unl. night and weekend, free roaming and long distance, and discounted rates to the UK. For what it is, $110 is not unreasonable. For someone making less than $400/week, however, it is indeed unreasonable.
I’ll sure miss that mobile web browsing, though. Life-changing.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:29 am
I am so glad I haven’t gotten into mobile web browsing. I would probably be quite addicted to it!
July 24th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Ever since I first used Mosaic, I have been wanting to “take it with me” wherever I go.
As recently as 1998, there was a book (Guinness Book of Records) in stores. There was a sticker on the front of each book, visible before you bought the thing. The idea was to take the book home, look up the number on the Web, and see if you were a winner. Meanwhile, I was thinking, “Shoot, I wish I had my web browser with me right now!”
I’ll see if I’m still under contract. If not, then maybe I can find a bare-bones service that still allows me to browse.