Person-to-person payments operator X.com is to offer its email-based funds transfer service by mobile phone.
Via the Internet browser on their Web-enabled mobile phones, individuals can now access X.com's PayPal site www.PayPal.com and send money to anyone with a US email address. Users can also check their PayPal account balances and review transactions real-time on HDML and WAP-capable mobile phones.
The wireless option adds another payment platform for the service's 2 million users, who can already send and receive money from their PCs and with their Palm PDAs.
"Taking X.com's PayPal service wireless allows you to make or receive instant payments almost anywhere and at any time," says Elon Musk, founder and CEO of X.com. "X.com's wireless service turns your cell phone into a wallet - now you can pay someone instantly whether they are across the room or across the country."
X.com's PayPal has become a popular payment option for online auctions, accepted by more than one-third of all auctions on eBay. Combined with eBay's recent launch of wireless bidding, X.com's announcement means online auction enthusiasts can now win and pay for online auctions using a single remote handset.
Future enhancements of the X.com wireless service promised by Musk include the ability for payment recipients to receive instant notification directly to their mobile phone, and the extension of the service to other wireless devices, such as two-way pagers.