Like Us Network, a vending machine hardware company, was revealed to the public at TechCrunch Disrupt and is launching a new mobile payment device for vending machines. The Like Us Network device can be installed into vending machines by plugging the device into an open or split MDB port. Straightaway, the device connects itself to the Like Us secure network allowing a vending machine to instantly start accepting payments. With the Like Us payment solution, vendors do not have to change a single setting on the vending machine. The customer is able to determine how much payment will be sent to the machine through the Like Us app. The Like Us mobile app is available in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Typical mobile payment devices in the vending industry require near field communication (NFC), which make it only available to the small percentage of Android phones that have NFC capability. The Like Us solution works with payment options customers already use (PayPal, Google Wallet, etc), and on multiple device platforms, according to the release.
