Advanced Merchant Solutions Inc. has released a payment platform for Google’s Android devices targeting mobile sales professionals.

AMSI’s Pocket Verifier Professional for Android features Pocket Spectrum Plus, a payment platform that swipes credit cards and prints receipts for the rapidly growing Android mobile platform. Available as a free download in Android Market, the application enables on-the-go merchants to accept credit cards anywhere.

“The Android app is another release in our expansion of supported mobile devices,” said Dennis Ideue, CEO of Advanced Merchant Solutions, Fullerton, CA. “We currently support Android, Windows Mobile and Palm OS in a swiped environment, as well as iPhone, BlackBerry and webOS in keyed-entry mode.

“We will be releasing iPhone and webOS applications for swiped transactions in the next quarter,” he said. “Our overall goal is to fully encompass all of the major mobile operating systems, so we can offer the same, seamless user experience as users migrate from device to device.”

Advanced Merchant Solutions, commonly known as MerchantAnywhere, is a privately held corporation in the mobile transaction processing industry, providing software, hardware and transaction processing for both retail and mobile merchants.

The company is a registered Visa/MasterCard Independent Sales Organization (ISO) for Columbus Bank and Trust, Columbus, GA, as well as a registered Apple, Microsoft, Palm and RIM software developer.

“Our clients run the entire spectrum,” Mr. Ideue said. “We have large corporate clients like the MAC Tools truck fleet, down to the little guy at the swap meet.

“The uses range from art shows, transportation, delivery services, rentals…really too many to count,” he said. “Initially, the solution is being marketed exclusively to our existing merchant base and applicants.

“We firmly believe in taking care of our customers first, so we are just not letting resellers into the game until our customers have had the first shot.”

Payment processing in your pocket
The Pocket Verifier Professional application can be used with the company’s Pocket Spectrum Plus, a Bluetooth two-track card reader and thermal receipt printer.

Coupled together, the Pocket Verifier/Pocket Spectrum system enables any mobile business user to avoid the high cost of “card-not-present” transactions.

AMSI further integrates this system into a complete platform by packaging it with a combined merchant and gateway account with no upfront costs, no term commitments and no cancellation fees.

Mr. Ideue claims that his company’s platform differentiates itself from the rest of the market by incorporating a printer.

The marketplace-to-date has had to settle for keyed-in email receipts, which really slow down the throughput, according to AMSI.

In addition, attaching cradle solutions to read cards increases the weight and bulk of the phone. Bluetooth helps to reduce that bulk.

The Pocket Spectrum Plus is currently shipping. Its retail package features Bluetooth, a thermal print mechanism, two-track magnetic stripe reader, interchangeable lithium-ion batteries, a quick-charge adaptor and a leather case with integral belt clip.

Pocket Verifier Professional for Android is currently available in the Android Marketplace.

“Basically our Android payment solution empowers the business user to leverage their smartphone as a payment processing device,” Mr. Ideue said.

“There are just too many trade show and mobile sales professionals carrying around wireless credit card machines, running on networks that they never heard of, the size of a military field radio,” he said.

“We let them throw away that antiquated hardware and use their smartphones to be…smart.”