PayPal is set to lauch
a none-too-surprising
service for mobile phones. PayPal mobile will launch within the next two
weeks, and will allow users to pay bills and receive funds using a text message
interface. The recipient will be notified by PayPal of the transaction and will
be instructed how to claim the money. A spokeswoman said the service would
only be available in the US, Canada and Britain at first.
PayPal Mobile will also include a new service called Text to Buy.
Advertisements in magazines or posters will include the words Text to Buy and a
special code, the site says. Users must set up a PayPal account and activate
their phones for the service and then they can send a text to the number from
the advertisement to buy the product. PayPal calls the user back to confirm the
order and then the product is shipped to the user.