Blue Bamboo embraces the iPhone and raises the Mobile Payments bar

April 9, 2010 - Lake Mary, Florida, –Blue Bamboo, an innovator of electronic payment solutions, announces participation in the MFi (Made for iPod program). Blue Bamboo plans to deliver its popular Mobile Bluetooth™ P25-M Printer to WWi (Works for iPhone) Payment Application Providers that are PA-DSS certified. The Blue Bamboo P25-M works with many third party handset applications on hundreds of popular smart phones enabling mobile merchants to accept payments anytime, anywhere. An MFi authorized partner will now be able to properly certify a total solution by combining the Blue Bamboo P25-M with a Works for iPhone approved payment application. Consumers and merchants alike will now experience the first complete mobile payment solution that will enable mobile card swipe and printing capability with the Apple iPhone (is a trademark of Apple Inc.).

Physical receipts are a common requirement for credit card users as proof of sale and also create marketing and promotional opportunities for merchants. The P25-M will support both a paper receipt and a virtual SMS (Short Message Service) proof of purchase. Merchants on the move with an iPhone will finally now be able to address both physical and electronic receipt scenarios, serving the majority of the market that expects the physical receipt. Justin Anderson, Vice President, Blue Bamboo explained, "Most consumers prefer the convenience of credit card purchases for that box of girl scout cookies at the door or the residential visit from the electrician. Consumers can live without a receipt for a micropayment, but strongly prefer to get a physical proof-of-purchase for that relatively more expensive electrical repair." Moreover, mobile merchants will benefit from lower mobile transaction fees associated with card present transactions on the iPhone.

The P25-M printer for iPhone will include a specialized and secure serial connection to the iPhone, enabling mobile merchants to quickly enable swipe and print capabilities. The P25-M supports 3DES DUKPT encryption to ensure card data is protected at point of swipe. A P25-M enabled solution increases the payment options available to customers and streamlines the secure payment for mobile services. Mr. Anderson offered, "with the proven, reliable, and time tested magnetic stripe reader of the P25-M, the plumber that is trying to reduce the administrative transaction time in a home can rely on the first time swipe of Blue Bamboo and not worry about the error prone manual entry of credit card information into the phone." This will be a first in merchant-tailored solutions for this space because it does not require handing over the iPhone to the consumer, and risking certain security issues of theft, data errors, and personal information loss. Instead, the merchant just hands the customer the P25-M for a quick do-it-yourself swipe.

Blue Bamboo will continue to offer the easy and inexpensive option of private labeling the P25-M to solution providers, along with custom color schemes to match brand identities. Paul Sabella, President and CEO of CHARGE Anywhere®, LLC said, "CHARGE Anywhere® worked successfully with BlueBamboo to enable P25-M support of CHARGE Anywhere®'s award winning PA DSS validated mobile payment application on many smartphones. CHARGE Anywhere® is scheduled to release a mobile payment application for the iPhone supporting the P-25 M later this year. "

Blue Bamboo gained approval for product plans in Q4 of 2009 and is in the process of submitting a working prototype for certification to the Made for iPod program. Please contact Americas@bluebamboo.com for any questions regarding the certification process, partnering or obtaining more information.

About Blue Bamboo
Blue Bamboo designs and markets feature-rich and exceptionally affordable products for the POS terminal and peripherals industry. Blue Bamboo's robust electronic payment technology delivers scalable, customer-centric wireless and retail payment solutions which meet PCI and EMV standards all in a secure, reliable and versatile design. Visit www.bluebamboo.com