Uber, the popular ride-sharing startup, is acquiring the mapping and search startup deCarta for an unspecified amount, Mashable has learned. The deal, which closes later this week, is for deCarta's technology and talent. Founded in 1996, the San Jose startup provides a software platform that focuses on location-based features, including mapping, local search and turn-by-turn navigation. "A lot of the functionality that makes the Uber app so reliable, affordable and seamless is based on mapping technologies," an Uber spokesperson told Mashable. "With the acquisition of deCarta, we will continue to fine-tune our products and services that rely on maps –- for example UberPOOL, …

A source close to the matter told Ars on Wednesday that Google will be announcing a new payments API that will be called Android Pay at Google's I/O conference in May. The platform will power in-store and in-app payments for third-party apps. Android Pay will allow companies to add a mobile payments option to their app, to which users can upload credit card or debit card information, so that payments become single-tap transactions within the app. In addition, a company adopting the Android Pay API will be able to allow tap-to-pay transactions in brick-and-mortar stores. This function will rely on Google’s …

Swiss Diamond, a maker of high-end cookware and kitchen items, has seen conversion rates jump 25 percent since launching a mobile-optimized Web site that combines improved user navigation and functionality to enhance the browsing experience. A new feature is a retailer portal which lets stores log in and view promotions, download sales materials and place orders directly on the Web site, providing a direct drop-shipping option. The positive results point to how mobile’s ability to improve the shopper journey makes it a necessity in commerce amid increased consumer expectations.

The boring old POS terminal may not be so boring after all. According to new research from IHL Group, North American POS shipments grew by 5.2% year-over-year in 2014, a time when many were calling for a reduction in shipments due to mobile.  Worldwide POS terminal shipments also increased just about 5%. And perhaps the biggest surprise was the resurgence of the Europe/Middle East/Africa POS market, which experienced 4.9% growth. Unexpected softness was observed in the previously booming Latin/South America POS terminal market.

Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty is going paperless with DocuSign’s digital platform that provides electronic signatures to buy and sell homes. Affluent clients are often very busy and having to physically be present at the time of a closing and sifting through the paperwork can be tedious, but with this electronic signing platform clients will be able to speed up this process. Adhering to the busy schedule of affluent clients through technology allows brands to be both accommodating and digitally in-tuned to clients’ desires.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau recently teamed up with geo-targeting firm Sonata to combine the physical and digital world at Madrid’s 2014 Inspirational Festival by leveraging mobile to communicate with attendees and tapping beacons to send welcome messages to 30,000 unique users of the festival's mobile app. More event marketers are eschewing print schedules and are instead turning to mobile to offer attendees conference materials such as agendas and maps. IAB’s decision to reach consumers attending the festival via their smartphones proved to be a fruitful one, as the organization saw 50 percent of users that downloaded the festival’s mobile app …

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has revealed that it has reserved $316 million in capital for a fund that will invest in startups based in Taiwan. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the new fund will be comprised of 10 billion New Taiwan Dollars and will be spent primarily on mobile commerce startups. Furthermore, the publication notes that Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) wants to invest in firms which are also growing their businesses through the Chinese electronic commerce giant’s online platforms.

Only 18% of retail IT security professionals expressed concerned that point of sale devices were being targeted by cyber criminals, and only 20% were “confident” that point of sale devices were securely configured, according to a study by Tripwire examining the impact of emerging enterprise security threats connected with the Internet of Things (IoT) in the retail industry. The study also revealed that 35% of retail IT professionals have inadequate visibility into the security of common devices already on their networks such as routers, switches, modems and firewalls, and 51% don't believe they can effectively communicate the security risks associated …

Domino’s is rolling out a historic innovation by making ordering available on wearables, giving customers the ability to place pizza orders from their Android Wear and Pebble smartwatches, suggesting that smartwatch ordering will be a tactic to watch in 2015. The pizza brand has been on a roll in the mobile sector recently, hitting milestones such as topping a half-million orders via its mobile voice ordering assistant, Dom. However, foraying into smartwatch ordering is a bold move that may pay off even more for the company if the wearables prove to be popular with customers.

Procter & Gamble’s update of its Oral-B toothbrushing mobile application allows users to receive direct feedback and recommendations from dentists and hygienists, pointing to mobile’s value in fostering healthy habits. The update, unveiled at the 2015 annual GSMA Mobile World Congress meeting in Barcelona, Spain, continues the personalizing of the Oral-B App which is paired with a Bluetooth-connected toothbrush and has been downloaded nearly 300,000 times since its launch last year. With the possibility of rewards programs coming to the app, the new features point to how mobile can be leveraged to extend quality dental care beyond the dentist’s chair …