Google has reportedly abandoned plans to launch a physical Google Wallet card. The company’s mobile payment system has been slow to take off. Read more »
Apple’s Passbook joins the mobile payments gold rush. But Jeff Fagel, of edo Interactive, has doubts about its viability and says until we see a system that’s easier for everyone, plastic will remain king. Read more »
Android Police has gotten a hold of a leaked version of a new Google Wallet which suggests the company is preparing to release physical Google Wallet cards to work alongside its NFC-based mobile payment system. Read more »
Google is working on an update to Google Wallet and it may include support for the iPhone. New users who request an invite to the next version of Google Wallet are asked what phone they use: Android, iPhone or other. Read more »
Barclaycard US is the latest card issuer to back Google Wallet. The company also backs Isis, the mobile payment joint venture between Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile, illustrating that not even the traditional banking companies know yet which mobile payment standard will be successful. Read more »
Google is talking up the potential for Google Wallet to be more than just a payment tool. Leaders want Google Wallet to be a place to store boarding passes, tickets, identification and gift cards. That was the vision all along but it may be ready soon. Read more »
Smartphones can enable an amazing level of connectivity, but they can also allow that activity to be monitored and used in controversial ways. But for mobile marketing to realize its full potential, consumers may need to sacrifice their privacy to one degree or another. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google is opening up Google Wallet and giving users more payment options and control over security. However, while the mobile payments feature can be used at 200,000 locations today, the list of devices equipped to handle them is still very short. Read more »
As the only major U.S. carrier backing Google Wallet, Sprint is trying to help its cause, releasing the LG Optimus Elite for Virgin Mobile on Tuesday. The $149 Android 2.3 smartphone costs $149.99, putting an NFC-based smartphone in the hands of a wider potential audience. Read more »
Sprint’s Galaxy Nexus with LTE arrives in stores and online April 22 for $199 with two-year contract. That’s $100 less than the Verizon version, but Sprint is sweetening the deal even further. Buyers who activate Google Wallet will see $50 in credits in their Wallet account. Read more »
Isis, the joint mobile payment venture between Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, has been taking a slow approach as it heads towards a limited launch in two cities this summer. But the methodical pace appears to be setting Isis up to be a long-term player. Read more »
Square snagged one of the founding engineers of Google Wallet, making people wonder if it was going to embrace NFC. My guess – not likely, for they believe that their app-based approach has lot less friction. With recent talent exodus, something is not right at Google Wallet. Read more »
Target and Wal-Mart are part of a consortium of retailers looking to build a mobile payment system, joining a host of heavyweights such as Google, PayPal and the carrier-backed Isis. But the wide range of offerings will only serve to shackle the ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
I’ve seen a lot of things at South by Southwest, but no mobile payments. I haven’t seen a single person pay for something using their phone, nor a merchant who accepts it. No one is even talking about it. But there are plenty of demos. Read more »
Isis, the mobile payment joint venture of Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, is showing off its service for the first time to consumers at SXSW. The NFC mobile wallet has been lining up the necessary components for a limited launch this summer. Read more »
Payments using near field communication or NFC have barely off the ground in the U.S. but it is headed toward a bright future, according to research firm Juniper, which forecast that NFC transactions will triple to $74 billion by 2015. Read more »
Mobile deals combine location-aware discounts with mobile marketing campaigns. What are the largest pitfalls in this promising space, though? Privacy and security issues must be addressed to assure consumers their purchases are secure and their location is being closely guarded. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
With new products from a variety of players like Google and Isis comes a potentially confusing year as the term “mobile wallet” gets thrown around repeatedly. What exactly is the “mobile wallet”? Here are some important definitions for those looking to make a move in the space. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The mobile payments industry can learn a lot from Starbucks, which has seen tremendous success with its year-old payment app for iPhone and Android. But very few players can match Starbucks’ brand recognition or customer demographics, and no one should expect to replicate its success. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The Verizon Galaxy Nexus LTE handset is reportedly no longer a Google-supported developer phone, which could have software update implications. Code for the CDMA/LTE Nexus has been archived for reference by Google and it sounds like the issue is Google Wallet, which Verizon simply doesn’t want. Read more »
MasterCard is rolling out the first trial of its QkR mobile application, which allows people to interact and initiate payments via QR codes, NFC tags and other technologies. It is allowing Australian movie goers to order and pay for food from their seat. Read more »
The Galaxy Nexus will finally get Google Wallet, though it will have to wait until mid-year when Sprint launches its LTE service. When Sprint unveiled its future LTE device portfolio at CES, it revealed that its Nexus will come with the mobile payments software embedded. Read more »
PayPal isn’t just building out a point-of-sale transaction network. It’s looking to engage consumers well before they set foot in a store. The company says its WHERE location-based ad network will be key in helping merchants attract consumers into their stores with deals and offers. Read more »
The past year in mobile has been even more eventful than most of us would have predicted. Our appetite for mobile data grew dramatically; Google’s Android continued its march to worldwide dominance; Amazon joined the tablet bandwagon; and AT&T tried and failed to acquire T-Mobile USA, among many other things. All of that activity lays the groundwork for a very promising — and very challenging — 2012. This research note serves both as a review of the major trends and events of 2011 as well as a forecast for the coming year. Companies mentioned in this report include Millennial Media, Quattro Wireless and Samsung. For a full list of companies, and to read the full research note, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
American Express has worked up an infographic charting the rise of mobile payments, highlighting a lot of the milestones over time. All this work in the past is now coming together to make mobile payments a mainstream technology. Read more »
On this week’s audio podcast, Matt and Kevin share more about the Galaxy Nexus and Google Wallet experiences, plus OnLive; a cloud-based game service. There’s talk on the fate of webOS now that HP has open-sourced it. Will it matter in the long run? Read more »
This week was all about money. I used Google Wallet to buy gas — and got a video demo — found some 10-cent Android apps and worked out a way to get free calls over a data network thanks to Android’s SIP support for VoIP. Read more »
Since my Galaxy Nexus smartphone has an NFC, or near-field communication, chip, I decided to give Google Wallet a try for a wireless purchase. I purchased gas — not the safest thing do to with a smartphone — and was impressed by the simplicity and security. Read more »
Has Google betrayed its principles? In 2008, Google convinced the FCC to impose ‘open access’ requirements on Verizon’s future 4G spectrum, requirements Verizon now appears to be flouting. Should Google fight back or should it take a more diplomatic approach. Vote your answer in our poll. Read more »
A report confirming that the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon won’t support Google Wallet is just a reminder of where we stand in the NFC race. Isis, the competing digital wallet from Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, will likely have to launch before the carriers support Google Wallet. Read more »
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has decided to fold Google Checkout into its newly launched Google Wallet, in what fits right in with the pare-down-and-… Read more at paidContent »
While NFC is often thought of in the context of payments, increasingly mobile marketing, along with consumer loyalty, will be critical in helping to drive the growth and adoption of NFC. That’s what will provide value to both consumers and merchants. Read more »
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) expanded its Google Wallet push Monday, adding new coupon and loyalty card services to its mobile payments product as we… Read more at paidContent »
Google Wallet officially launched this week with payment partners Citi and MasterCard on board and three other credit card networks (Visa, D… Read more at paidContent »
By 2015, the worldwide sales of NFC-equipped handsets will reach 263.6 million units, with the cumulative total at more than half a billion compatible devices. This report covers the current landscape for NFC, examines the technology’s different forms of deployment and forecasts its future. It also examines the various deployments of NFC technology — mobile payments, point of purchase, augmented reality — and the challenges businesses, carriers and handset makers face moving forward. Companies mentioned in this report include Google, TapIt, Amazon and NTT DoCoMo. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Is Google Wallet ready to replace my cash, credit cards and wallet? Not really. Does it make me feel cool and futuristic? You bet! That’s the feeling I get after playing with Google Wallet ahead of the big public launch today. Read more »
Google is finally opening up its near NFC Google Wallet system today, allowing Nexus S users on Sprint to try out contactless payments through their smartphone. With only one handset that supports it, Google Wallet is just a first step in a long process. Read more »
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) at the moment gets the vast majority of its revenues from its huge advertising business, but today we saw two examples o… Read more at paidContent »
Google is said to be launching its somewhat delayed Google Wallet service sometime later today. From the looks of it, it might actually be out in the wild. We have some photographic proof. Google just updated the Wallet website as well. Read more »
Near Field Communications with mobile devices is still far from being a mainstream technology, and there have been precious few examples of… Read more at paidContent »
