????自從互聯網發展成為一個商業平臺以來，一些公司就一直在夢想著打造一種電子貨幣，它最大限度的實現了無縫連接，成為人們下意識的支付工具，而不必再使用現鈔、硬幣，不用填寫支票，也不用再輸入、存儲信用卡號碼。隨著云計算的崛起和智能手機的普及，這種設想正在成為現實。

????因此，致力于研發所謂數字錢包的公司隊伍日益壯大：不管是后起之秀（比如Square公司），易趣（eBay）、谷歌（Google）和蘋果（Apple）這類大牌公司，還是諸如Visa和萬事達（MasterCard）這樣的金融服務業巨頭，它們都期盼著能夠在這個或許不出幾年就將變成一個利潤豐厚的市場上扮演重要的角色。

????但是，貝寶公司（PayPal）為這個目標奮斗的時間比誰都長。那時，人們還很少說起云計算，大家津津樂道的是網格計算；那時的手機塊頭還很大，沒辦法輕輕松松地放進口袋。而就在那個時候，貝寶公司就已經開始著手為一個全球性的電子支付系統奠定基礎——設法克服數百個國家的監管程序，努力應對各種形式的網上欺詐，及時回應用戶的種種投訴。

????如今，貝寶公司與900萬戶商家建立了合作關系，并且擁有1.06億活躍用戶。過去幾年中，這家隸屬于易趣的公司一直在不動聲色地籌劃一項戰略，旨在為這些用戶（以及更多的潛在用戶）創造一款數字錢包。但這就意味著要提供優于競爭對手的服務，其中一部分競爭對手擁有龐大的用戶群體和充沛的資金儲備。

????這同時也意味著要像押寶一樣，揣測消費者和商家到底愿意接受哪一種數字錢包標準。Square式加密狗是否會成為零售業的日常配件？近近場無線通訊技術（NFC）是否能打消人們的安全顧慮，成為一種常態？信用卡和借記卡賬戶是否將繼續發揮核心作用？最重要的是，究竟哪個品牌將最終將脫穎而出，成為消費者最信賴的移動支付界面？

????貝寶的戰略正慢慢地變得清晰起來。收購了BillMeLater、購物搜索引擎Milo和應用程序開發商WHERE和Redlaser等初創企業之后，貝寶已經開始推出若干新功能——最新推出的功能是PayPal Here服務。業界普遍認為，這項于上周正式推出的服務將成為Square公司強有力的競爭者。Square的成名作就是可插入智能手機、用以在商店和餐廳現場支付的加密狗。

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

????兩家公司正在迅速地推出比加密狗更為先進的移動支付服務。Square推出了一款名為Card Case的iPhone應用程序——用戶向Square的零售客戶支付款項時，這款應用可以幫助他們省去刷信用卡的麻煩。PayPal Here也可以讓用戶在簽約零售商哪里實現無線支付。通過與Card.io公司合作，PayPal Here還能夠給信用卡拍張照片，而無需使用加密狗。

????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.