????自從互聯(lián)網(wǎng)發(fā)展成為一個(gè)商業(yè)平臺(tái)以來(lái),，一些公司就一直在夢(mèng)想著打造一種電子貨幣，它最大限度的實(shí)現(xiàn)了無(wú)縫連接,，成為人們下意識(shí)的支付工具,，而不必再使用現(xiàn)鈔,、硬幣,，不用填寫(xiě)支票,，也不用再輸入、存儲(chǔ)信用卡號(hào)碼,。隨著云計(jì)算的崛起和智能手機(jī)的普及，這種設(shè)想正在成為現(xiàn)實(shí),。

????因此,，致力于研發(fā)所謂數(shù)字錢(qián)包的公司隊(duì)伍日益壯大：不管是后起之秀（比如Square公司），易趣（eBay）,、谷歌（Google）和蘋(píng)果（Apple）這類(lèi)大牌公司,，還是諸如Visa和萬(wàn)事達(dá)（MasterCard）這樣的金融服務(wù)業(yè)巨頭，它們都期盼著能夠在這個(gè)或許不出幾年就將變成一個(gè)利潤(rùn)豐厚的市場(chǎng)上扮演重要的角色,。

????但是，貝寶公司（PayPal）為這個(gè)目標(biāo)奮斗的時(shí)間比誰(shuí)都長(zhǎng),。那時(shí),，人們還很少說(shuō)起云計(jì)算，大家津津樂(lè)道的是網(wǎng)格計(jì)算,；那時(shí)的手機(jī)塊頭還很大，沒(méi)辦法輕輕松松地放進(jìn)口袋,。而就在那個(gè)時(shí)候,，貝寶公司就已經(jīng)開(kāi)始著手為一個(gè)全球性的電子支付系統(tǒng)奠定基礎(chǔ)——設(shè)法克服數(shù)百個(gè)國(guó)家的監(jiān)管程序,，努力應(yīng)對(duì)各種形式的網(wǎng)上欺詐,，及時(shí)回應(yīng)用戶(hù)的種種投訴,。

????如今，貝寶公司與900萬(wàn)戶(hù)商家建立了合作關(guān)系,，并且擁有1.06億活躍用戶(hù)。過(guò)去幾年中,，這家隸屬于易趣的公司一直在不動(dòng)聲色地籌劃一項(xiàng)戰(zhàn)略,，旨在為這些用戶(hù)（以及更多的潛在用戶(hù)）創(chuàng)造一款數(shù)字錢(qián)包,。但這就意味著要提供優(yōu)于競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的服務(wù),，其中一部分競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手擁有龐大的用戶(hù)群體和充沛的資金儲(chǔ)備,。

????這同時(shí)也意味著要像押寶一樣，揣測(cè)消費(fèi)者和商家到底愿意接受哪一種數(shù)字錢(qián)包標(biāo)準(zhǔn),。Square式加密狗是否會(huì)成為零售業(yè)的日常配件,？近近場(chǎng)無(wú)線(xiàn)通訊技術(shù)（NFC）是否能打消人們的安全顧慮,，成為一種常態(tài)？信用卡和借記卡賬戶(hù)是否將繼續(xù)發(fā)揮核心作用,？最重要的是,，究竟哪個(gè)品牌將最終將脫穎而出，成為消費(fèi)者最信賴(lài)的移動(dòng)支付界面,？

????貝寶的戰(zhàn)略正慢慢地變得清晰起來(lái)。收購(gòu)了BillMeLater,、購(gòu)物搜索引擎Milo和應(yīng)用程序開(kāi)發(fā)商WHERE和Redlaser等初創(chuàng)企業(yè)之后，貝寶已經(jīng)開(kāi)始推出若干新功能——最新推出的功能是PayPal Here服務(wù),。業(yè)界普遍認(rèn)為，這項(xiàng)于上周正式推出的服務(wù)將成為Square公司強(qiáng)有力的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)者,。Square的成名作就是可插入智能手機(jī),、用以在商店和餐廳現(xiàn)場(chǎng)支付的加密狗,。

????Square正在贏得許多零售商的青睞,。貝寶公司表示，它在2011年完成的移動(dòng)支付款項(xiàng)高達(dá)40億美元,，今年預(yù)期將突破70億美元,。但Square公司的表現(xiàn)也毫不遜色：該公司在去年處理了總計(jì)40億美元的移動(dòng)支付款項(xiàng)，主要源自往往被貝寶公司忽略的小型實(shí)體零售商。

????兩家公司正在迅速地推出比加密狗更為先進(jìn)的移動(dòng)支付服務(wù),。Square推出了一款名為Card Case的iPhone應(yīng)用程序——用戶(hù)向Square的零售客戶(hù)支付款項(xiàng)時(shí),，這款應(yīng)用可以幫助他們省去刷信用卡的麻煩。PayPal Here也可以讓用戶(hù)在簽約零售商哪里實(shí)現(xiàn)無(wú)線(xiàn)支付,。通過(guò)與Card.io公司合作，PayPal Here還能夠給信用卡拍張照片,，而無(wú)需使用加密狗。

????As long as the Internet has been a venue for commerce, some companies have dreamed of making electronic cash as seamless and intuitive to use as possible: no cash or coins, no check-writing, no typing in or storing credit card numbers. Thanks to the rise of the cloud and the popularity of smarphones, that idea is becoming real.

????As a result, the names of companies working to create a so-called digital wallet is growing: startups like Square, big-name companies like eBay (EBAY), Google (GOOG) and Apple (AAPL) or financial services giants like Visa (V) and MasterCard (MA) – each hoping for a key role in what could in coming years become a lucrative market.

????No company has been working longer at this goal than PayPal. Back when people spoke less of the cloud and more about grid computing, and when mobile phones were too big to fit comfortably inside a pocket, PayPal was laying the foundation for a global e-payment system – working through regulatory processes in hundreds of countries, grappling with myriad forms of online fraud and fielding customer complaints.

????Today, PayPal works with 9 million merchants and 106 million active customers. And over the past couple of years, the eBay (EBAY) unit has been quietly assembling a strategy to create a digital wallet for those customers, and potentially many more. But it means improving on offerings from competitors, some of which have large customer bases and ample cash reserves.

????It also means placing bets on which standards consumers and merchants will embrace. Will Square-like dongles become an everyday accessory in retail? Or will near-field communications overcome security concerns and become the norm? Will credit- and debit- accounts continue to play a central role? And most importantly, which brands will emerge as the most trusted consumer interface to mobile payments?

????Slowly, PayPal's strategy is becoming clearer. After buying startups such as BillMeLater, shopping-engine Milo and app developers WHERE and Redlaser, PayPal has begun rolling out new features – most recently its PayPal Here service. Announced last week, PayPal Here was widely seen as a competitor of Square, the startup noted for the dongle that plugs into smartphones for on-the-spot payments in stores and restaurants.

????Square is catching on with many retailers. PayPal says it saw $4 billion in mobile payments in 2011 and that it expects to top $7 billion this year. But Square also says it processed $4 billion in payments last year, largely from small brick-and-mortar retailers that PayPal has tended to overlook.

????Both companies are quickly moving beyond the simple dongle. Square offers Card Case, an iPhone app that lets people pay Square's retail clients without swiping a plastic card. PayPal Here also allows wireless payments with participating retailers. Through a partnership with Card.io, PayPal Here can also take a photo of a credit card instead of using a dongle.