From the Chronicle:
When Joey Garza opened a sports-therapy studio in his Heights home in late 2010, he accepted only cash. He wanted to take credit cards, too, but setting up a system to do so would have been "crazy expensive," he said. Then he discovered the mobile system called Square, which allows him to accept credit card purchases on his iPad or iPhone. The small plug-in device is basically free, and Garza pays a flat rate for each transaction with no monthly fees. It's made a big difference... It appeals to many merchants and consumers because it's easy to use, said Bill Maurer, director of the Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion at the University of California, Irvine. "Square has been really great at the user experience side of things: taking an existing behavior - swiping your card - to create a new system of payment," Maurer said. "You just plug the Square device into an earphone jack and - presto!"

For the full story, please visit http://www.chron.com/business/article/Square-becomes-cool-for-many-merch....