There’s a new reason why it’s hip to use Square, the $10 hardware that enables anyone to accept payment by credit card from a customer with an iPhone or Android device. The Pay With Square service lets you pay by voice.

Here’s how, to paraphrase writer David Pogue in the New York Times:

Say you walk into a hotel. The front desk clerk’s iPad displays your name and headshot image. The tablet recognizes your presence through Square’s geo-location alert service.

The clerk rings up your bill. To pay, you speak your name. The clerk compares your face with the headshot and clicks to process your transaction.

Pay With Square functions without needing to take your phone out of your pocket, signing any paper, or punching in any personal identification numbers. It evokes a sci-fi feature anticipated in the 1980s US TV series Max Headroom.

To participate, the customer downloads the free apps for iPhone and Android, without needing hardware.