NFC payment service ISIS has unveiled their rebranding, Softcard. The joint payment venture bewteen Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile US announced earlier this year that they would change their name in order to avoid being associated with violence in the Middle East being perpetrated by a group that, at the time, went by ISIS.
Softcard will remain the same service as before, just with a new name. The branding is expected to roll out very soon. It should be noted that the militant group has since changed their own name to ISIL.
What do you think of the Softcard name? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: ISIS/Softcard, via Phone Scoop
Reader comments
ISIS mobile payments service rebrands itself as Softcard
I had always thought of Egypt when I heard the name Isis. Not really anything else. That being said I hope softcard makes it faster to wpstore than Isis.
The name ISIS had a negative connotation even before those idiots in the middle east started beheading people.
Is this a slap in the face to SoftBank, which owns Sprint (not included in this venture)? Other than that, I kind of like the name.
Is this even available on WP?? My work has isis/softcard on all its vending machines but I can't use them since I don't have android.
And this article is on Windows Phone Central, why? It's not like any of us can use the service, no matter what it's called.
Where the hell is that Icon support? Where is Cyan for the Icon? Didn't take long for the Icon to be superceded with the One M8 in Verizon.
You know what I think about the new branding?
Where is the Windows Phone app?!? Thats what I think about their new branding!
The most unfortunate name since Katrina and the Waves.
Damn you terrorists! You may mask your service behind another name, but we know you! You''ll never get a cent from me and support your evil work.
Does this payment system actually exist? Can you actually use it anywhere?
NSA is gonna visiting you soon. Brace yourself.
The title is very confusing. ISIS has a very bad reputation these days.
Eff "ISIS"!!! I think its a cowardly move to allow a group of terrorists manipulate a business name - especially when its the media that calle them that, not how they refer to themselves.
That rant out, at what point is this going to come to windows phone!?!
Somebody send this article to the USB consortium. They need to stop lableing thir new stuff with SS (especially since it looks almost the same as the Nazi's spelling). Or everybody can just man up and take their names back! How weird would it be if the next terror group called it'self Disney or McDonalds?
http://www.vox.com/2014/8/25/6065529/isis-rise
this name made think about islamic national :))
sounds better
Do we have it yet? Man, those things are everywhere.
What does it matter to Windows Phone 8 users if there is no app to access the service
Do we have to start copyrighting terrorist names now.
Sad. Wish they had sued ISIS/ISIL instead. That would have been awesome!
Now everyone go bug them about the winphone app they've been teasing for months
I think they should make their stop for windows phone
It amazes me how three wireless carriers made it but move at a snails pace to get people using, but on phone manufacturer *apple* is about to take there idea put a spin on it and show them how to get people to use it. AT&T, VZW, T-Maybe should be a shame of themselves.
They spend all this money on changing the name but don't spend it on making it relevant to the masses or an app for windows phone.
Don't care about the name change, just care about if its available for windows phones
Probably not so relevant to this article but is there a decent mobile payment app for WP that uses NFC? I've been wanting that for a while...
I would love to know if there was one.
Don't really care about the name since AT&T hasn't issued any of those payment Sims to any windows phones.
Softcard is a good name for the service
Does it work on WP? If not i don't care
Isis as a company is a price of shit, they said that they would make an app 1 and a half years ago, but no, they have go and make a iPhone app even thought it does not have dang NFC, so they made a bulky case which no one on earth has ever used.CONGRATULATIONS SOFTCARD
Sad that is what this world has come to, but it would be just like a company name that came to KKK. It is easy to say we should not let this affect us, but if it turns one customer away, or if you can no longer trust search pages to return your company rather than the terrorist group, then so be it.
Where is the promissed WP app?
Exactly!
I hope Microsoft compete with them like Google wallet does
I bug them on social media to get nothing back.
Who cares. It's still not on Windows phone.
Yup....
CALLED IT. 'w' I was also thinking Softcard the first couple times I heard of Isis.
Whew! I was wondering if my ISIS app was supporting terrorism. I'm so glad they cleared up the confusion.
Soo, there will be a network called IS&S
Lol
As an Arab Muslim, Isis doesn't represent me,nor the Muslims.
Tbh,we all wanted an islamic state,we wanted to be all together
But not like this,they are terrorist and we don't follow them.
Flies away!
Or more like cries away ;(
Sorry to hear about devastating violence ravaging your home. :(
Thanks man I appreciate it,well tbh I live in Jordan, and it's actually called "the country of safety and secure" for a good reason, it's in the middle of the middle east, surrounded by dangers, but it's very safe, it's our brother's in Iraq and Syria who suffer :(
Yeah, but wasn't Syria pretty safe place 15 years ago ? You all need to stand up and fight these terrorists and not wait for the USA to come and do it for you.
Man I wish I could explain it truly to you,but its a WP site not politics
Any way,yes it was safe,but no freedom,no not the American eagle kind of freedom,but if you went to pray you would be taken to questioning about if you were a terrorist ,if you bring up the presidents name in any kind,you will be locked up for 20yrs least,your daughter raped by police,what do you do?call the police? So there was revolution , and there was war,Muslims killing Muslims,brother kills his brother,as a Jordanian (that's the country in the middle of the ME,I don't know who is right,is the free army right,or Bashar,or Isis,or is it the other groups,is it sisi or morsi better
To sum up our worlds media is what's gonna kill us all,Jordan is a great country,but Syria was sometime,look at it now
May god helps us all :(
man the problem is ISIS is the group of people that the USA was supplying with weapons and training to fight the bashar regime in syria the last few years.
it seems like everytime we take a side in the name of freedom we side with terrorist assholes. kinda like taliban and the afghan mujahedeen whom we supplied with weapons and training to fight the soviet occupier and then were responsible for the violence and terrorist plots of 9/11
He's not from there
I'm next to them and we have refugees from: Palestine/syria/iraq/gulf people from the gulf war
You guys should actually read about Jordan as we carry the pain with our brother's
I read enough about them, I wish more Arab nations were more like Jordan.
Thanks mate :)
And I want you to know that not all US citizens buy the line some of them like to feed us that all Muslims are bad. You have to take each person as themself.
True :)
Well i was getting tired of waiting for an ISIS app anyway. Now i can wait for a softcard app.
oh yeah and LANAAAA!!
Did Conway Stern (the black, uncircumcised jew) ever yell for Lana?
pretty sure the answer to that is a no.
That has to be a first for the legal department. This will probably forever be a sidebar in textbooks.
Feel so sort for the poor U.S man and his family. Fkn oxygen thieves are not human nor Muslim just brain dead brainwashed pieces of shit. May justice come swiftly.
Excuse me? Wtf?
They killed one of ours so they're scum that should have never evolved. I think this guy is from the south.
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Now.. What about Palestinians? Thousands of people died there..
Oh , ISIS is here in iraq
So you with them or not?
Cuz u know how the media lies to all of Us, so tell us are the Isis good people?
Jordanian here brother
yes "the media lies to all of us" cause ISIS doesn't release their own stuff to the public to show how they are all about unicorns and rainbows
Lol just wanted to make sure, actually the videos we see are released by them!its like they are proud of what they are doing :D
Do you hear yourself when you talk? Ridiculous...
The more ridiculous is your name noob
He's right. You sound like an idiot.
That's the point, you may think you understand everything, but in fact, you only know what they want you to know,when I asked the Iraqi bout them,and then what I said about their videos,is only because,maybe,just maybe,they are really Islamic and the videos are made up by Cia to make them look like terrorists, or maybe they are just f***ed up people bombing every one,that's why I asked the man out there!
There are literally hundreds of news sources covering Syria and Iraq. Many of which are not even influenced by the American government. All of which have reported the attrocities committed by ISIL. And you think it's a good idea to form your opinion of ISIL based on the comment section of an article on a mobile phone website. Okay.
Well I know its not right considering its a site for WP,but I just saw this Iraqi and asked him a question,if you don't like it no one forced you to read it! Lol
True!
can we even use it yet?
This is about as ridiculous as when the band Anthrax put out a press release that they were changing their name to "Basket Full of Puppies".
Lol gahahaha
One day, this app will show up on WP. I have been patently waiting.....
I liked ISIS better and with so many followers and uneducated people or those who lack common sense I understand the name change
Come on US bomb these terrorists in your backyard
There should be an official Islamic State app :P
ISIS is the highlight here in Indonesia. Lol
They're so f*cked up, aren't they?
Good move. Bad luck and bad timing on the name.
Not like we have it on windows phone anyway
That's the problem. And it doesn't look like we will anytime soon either. Frustrating Softcard and Microsoft refuse to comment on this.
Hmmmm
Good move.
I wonder what would Apple do if a militant/terrorism group named Apple was out there bringing chaos everywhere..
Sue them for copyright and patent infringement?
That's one weird name for a terrorism group.
Here's a joke in bad taste: Isn't Apple already a militant group?
That's a very accurate assumption. But instead of heads they are losing private data by not securing it.
+920
+1940
They would buy everyone they could think of to start a media campaign on why you shouldn't call them Apple because of numerous made up reasons.
They already stole the name from The Beatles, so I think they'll cling to it
They paid the Beatles off. Initially, they promised they wouldn't use the name in association with music. When they started itunes, they had to renogotiate with the Beatles.
They'd hack their photo stream.
They have since changed their name from ISIL to IS. They are destroying acronyms one at a time.
lol
Not good, Norwegian word for ice cream are... is
But seriously, hope this Idiots State soon are to be doomed
Crap, now we can never use the word "is" again... I are a WPCentral reader.
That made me chuckle... Damn them and their acronym killing... What's next IE?
Isis isn't the best name right now
ISIS?????? OR CIA?
I don't see any difference between the both of them.
You should probably read some current events sometime.
I do, bro.
out of curiosity where do you live?
Why?
Big difference "bro," you try to read for understanding next time "bro."
You have your own opinion, "bro" and I do too, "bro". :)
True, one opinion is fact. The other is propaganda to facilitate the global elitist agenda like how 9/11 was planned by a guy in a cave. Anybody with even half a brain knows 9/11 is an inside job. Too many unanswered questions. In fact, the last hundred years has just been one lie after another. I could go on and on. Like how the dollar bill is unconstitutional, but what's the point?
I love lamp.
Moron.
Come on, if you really think that some governments have that kind of power, then they don't really need to make us (the whole world) believe in terrorism before spending money that they don´t have in silly wars... in fact, they could just do it and don't give a f*** about our opinion, being straight forward (just look at Israel).
Maybe I'm slightly naive, but I like to think that Nero was the only one of his kind.
That guy in the cave was a billionaire before he joined Al Queda. That kind of money will get you a lot of volunteers from desperate people who believe they will be martyred and their family will be taken care of.
That guy in the cave was also trained by the CIA. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA%E2%80%93al-Qaeda_controversy
So, you don't see the difference between a spy agency and a group that gathers all the men and boys of a village and kills them?
The CIA has been funding and arming militant groups in many countries in order to push their own agenda. But what do I know, right?
No differences? Really? Your hyperbole is astounding. One is an agency, one considers itself a nation. One is a secular spy network, one bases itself on (a perverted version of) Islam. One isn't trying to kill people every day, the other one is. And that's just the beginning of their differences.
LOUDDDD NOISESSSSS!!!!
Go read this: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covert_United_States_foreign_regime_chang...
The only difference is that CIA has been around since so many years ago.
Cool story. You should right this all down and put it in an envelope and send it to your mom. She would be so proud.
RIGHT it down? Oh, alWRITE.
The name "isis" scares me. I live in turkey
Işid bizde ?
Nolcak aq isis ingilizcesi. Duşunsene giriyorlar turkiyeye gozunun önünde karını , kızını, oğlunu, akrabalarının falan kafasını çatır çutur kesiyolar
Good idea... Sharing the same name as Archer's Spy agency is embarrassing.
The first few times I heard ISIS on the news I kept thinking "why are they talking about Archer...?" Good move by these guys to change the name.
I laugh about the Islamic version of ISIS. The irony that they use the same name as an agency run by alcoholic womanizers, whores, and homosexuals is hysterical. Dumb asses should have done their homework. I'm sure that is why they insist they don't go by that name any longer and what to be called the Islamic State. I love that the media refuses to stop calling them ISIS.
Guess it means something else in their native language
I'm pretty sure it was the media that gave them the name in the first place. They used an acronym for the english translation of the groups name.
It's all I could ever think of.
They need to get out of the... Danger Zone
Sensible choice!
They've let the terrorists win
Right thing to do from a business standpoint.
why the hell is everybody forgetting that Isis is the name of the ANCIENT EGYPTIAN GODDESS OF HEALTH, MARRIAGE AND LOVE.
everybody is talkining about a shitty terrorist group who took a beautiful name associated with love marriage and health and turned it into a name associated with violence, murder and beheaddings.
there name should be NISIL (NON ISLAMIC SUCKERS OF IRAQ AND THE LEVANT)
OH AND WHERE THE HELL IS THE PAYMENT APP FOR WINDOWS PHONE!
Obama supplied them with arms, go Google that
google also told me dinosaurs came from another planetoid and fell to Earth when that planet was destroyed. You can "google" anything and find the answer you want to find to fit your conclusion.
This post!!
Not yet; At least porn sites havent let the terrorists win. If they did, they wouldnt be using the word MILF in their sites.
MILF is a terrorist group in the Phillipines.
The terrorist wild Bas***** want to put dirt on something in their name:
Islamic State of Iraq & Syria.
They put dirt on name of Islam, but Islam is not business to becomes dirty with their effort.
on State (Government), which also is not vulnerable by such wild animals.
Iraq has another story, they have bold name for harshness during history, since babylonian era which were racist and specially against jewish people to the time of their dictator "SADDAM" which killed thousands of Iranian in a war which was started by him. But, today Iraq is different and they don't let such terrorist do what they want, for this reason they confront ISIS.
The story of Syria and ISIS which where thrown out of that country, thanks to terrors and security issues is obvious.
So, the action of rebranding from ISIS to Softcard, regarding marketing failure to point the new name is a positive and respectful action toward this misuse of their trademark.
When people stop using signs which remind us terrorism and terrorists, their destruction countdown is started.
Disagree, should not let them affect us, imho. What if they choose NFL or USA?
For a payment system, Softcard is so much better than ISIS... terrible branding.
So, still a sensible choice!
Not really it sounds like something that an adult store would sell
Exactly!