PAYWare Mobile sounds like a cool idea.

It consists of two parts: an iPhone app and a reader, which is a piece of hardware.

The reader is a sleeve into which you slip your iPhone. During the course of a transaction, the merchant launches the app, enters a PIN and can then accept payments from customers by swiping credit cards through the reader. There is a stylus for customers to sign on the iPhone screen.



Photo courtesy of PAYWare Mobile.

It could be useful for small-business owners who are mobile.

Here's a video on how it works:




Anyone using it? Thoughts?

Andréa Maria Cecil is managing editor at the Central Penn Business Journal. She is a 31-year-old native New Orleanian who is interested in how gadgets and technology can make business more efficient.