Card.io expands mobile commerce SDK to Android

Mobile commerce solutions firm card.io is extending its credit card processing SDK to Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system, enabling developers to integrate mobile payment functionality into their applications.

Created by AdMob veterans Mike Mettler and Josh Bleecher Snyder, card.io automatically reads credit card information using a smartphone's camera, enabling merchants to process transactions without swiping the card through a hardware extension or inputting account information. Card.io enables users to accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express transactions, with no setup fees or subscription costs--the startup claims 3.5 percent of the transaction price as well as 30 cents per charge.

Card.io launched for Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS in mid-2011--since that time, roughly 750 developers have downloaded its SDK, with more than 80 already incorporating transaction capabilities into their iPhone apps. In a statement, Andrew Kortina--co-founder of social payments platform Venmo--said card.io reduces the number of taps for adding a credit card by 20, adding "That means 20 fewer opportunities for a typo." For more information on the card.io developer program, click here.

Card.io closed a $1 million seed round last summer. Angel investors include AdMob founder Omar Hamoui.

For more:
- read this release

Related articles:
Former AdMob execs launch m-payment service card.io
IBM: Mobile retail traffic to double during 2011 holiday season
Forecast: Mobile payments for physical goods to top $170B by 2015
Gartner: Worldwide mobile payment volume to grow 76% in 2011
Financial execs survey: Mobile payments going mainstream by 2015