Google Wallet: the app that makes your phone your wallet ~ GoAndroid

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Google Wallet: the app that makes your phone your wallet

4:38 PM

Simranpal SIngh

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Google’s Osama Bedier, Vice President of Payments, has dished the dirt on the brand new Google Wallet app, with a post on the Official Google Blog.
Google Wallet essentially allows NFC-enabled smartphones to make payments for stuff with a tap, thus negating the need to carry a separate wallet. Because that’s such a great hardship.

“In May we announced Google Wallet—an app that makes your phone your wallet—with Citi, MasterCard, Sprint and First Data,” begins the post. “With Google Wallet, you can tap, pay and save using your phone and near field communication (NFC).”
Google began rolling out the service yesterday, to Sprint customers in the States. Sprint Nexus S 4G users received the app via an OTA update.
The service has certainly garnered the attention of some pretty big names. “We appreciate Citi and MasterCard for being our launch partners. And today, Visa, Discover and American Express have made available their NFC specifications that could enable their cards to be added to future versions of Google Wallet.”
Interestingly, one of the examples Google uses in this accompanying YouTube video is paying for a taxi. But wouldn’t the driver be expecting a tip? I’m just saying.