Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




TECH SPACE
Google opening smartphone wallets
by Staff Writers
San Francisco (AFP) Sept 19, 2011


Google opened its smartphone wallet to the public on Monday.

Shops taking part in the program began letting people pay for purchases with taps of Nexus S 4G smartphones from Sprint.

"With Google Wallet, you can tap, pay and save using your phone and near field communication (NFC)," vice president of payments Osama Bedier said in a blog post at the Internet giant's website.

Google Wallet uses an NFC chip embedded in a smartphone to allow a user to "tap-and-pay" for purchases at a checkout register equipped with the PayPass system from CitiMasterCard.

"We've been testing it extensively, and today we're releasing the first version of the app to Sprint," Bedier said.

Wallet software is being sent to Sprint Nexus S 4G phones in the form of an automatic over-the-air update, according to Bedier.

"Simply install the app and the next time you spot one of the more than 300,000 PayPass locations around the globe, you'll be ready to go," gdgt.com co-founder Ryan Block said in a blog post at the MasterCard website.

"I'm really excited about taking another step closer to a future where using your portable device to instantly pay is as easy, convenient, and commonplace as making a call from anywhere in the world," Block said.

Google along with financial partners Citibank and MasterCard and telecom ally Sprint began testing Wallet in May.

Wallet initially works with the Nexus S 4G smartphone from Sprint and will eventually be expanded to more Android phones.

Visa, Discover and American Express made their respective NFC specifications available to Google on Monday so their payment cards could be added to future versions of Wallet, according to Bedier.

"Our goal is to make it possible for you to add all of your payment cards to Google Wallet, so you can say goodbye to even the biggest traditional wallets," Bedier said.

Customers can also use a Google Prepaid card to pay for purchases, topping up the Google card with any payment card, and take advantage of Google Offers, the Mountain View, California-based company's online discount coupon program.

Google said Wallet will be accepted at more than 124,000 merchants nationally at launch and more than 311,000 around the world.

NFC technology is being tested or used in a number of countries already, notably France, but Wallet will be the first to bring it to the United States on a potentially large scale.

Stephanie Tilenius, Google's vice president for commerce and payments, has described Google Wallet as the "next generation of mobile commerce."

"We're building an open commerce ecosystem that for the first time will make it possible for you to pay with an NFC wallet and redeem consumer promotions all in one tap, while shopping offline," Tilenius said.

In addition to allowing for mobile payments, Google Wallet allows consumers to pay using gift cards and to redeem promotions such as discounts or coupons.

Google is defending itself against a lawsuit filed by eBay and PayPal charging the Internet giant tapped into the online financial transaction service's know-how for the mobile payments project.

.


Related Links
Space Technology News - Applications and Research






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








TECH SPACE
Qantas in 'world-first' tablet trial
Sydney (AFP) Sept 15, 2011
Passengers on Qantas will be the first in the world to have in-flight entertainment streamed wirelessly to tablet devices in a trial announced by the Australian airline Thursday. To be rolled out from the end of next month on one Boeing 767-300 flying domestic routes, the six-week test will see Qantas's current entertainment programme broadcast to a tablet supplied by the airline. The br ... read more


TECH SPACE
United Launch Alliance Launches GRAIL Spacecrafts To Moon

NASA launches twin spacecraft to study Moon's core

Second bid to launch NASA's Moon-bound spacecraft

NASA to launch Moon-bound twin spacecraft

TECH SPACE
Opportunity on verge of new discovery

Opportunity Studies Chester Lake Rock Outcrop

Opportunity Inspects Next Rock at Endeavour

Opportunity Continues Early Exploration Of Endeavour Crater Rim

TECH SPACE
Astronauts dive deep in practice for asteroid visit

Virgin aims for first space launch within 12 months

Statement on Importance of Supporting Planetary Exploration

NASA Offers Shuttle Tiles And Space Food To Schools And Universities

TECH SPACE
Tiangong: Better Late Than Lost

Tiangong 1 might be launched in late September

Chang'e-2 moon orbiter travels around L2 in outer space

China State media says Tiangong 1 to launch in early Sept

TECH SPACE
Private US capsule not to dock with ISS

Crew safely returns to Earth after crash

Russia postpones next manned launch to ISS

Russia announces launch of 2 spacecraft in Oct-Nov

TECH SPACE
Arianespace to launch up to four satellites for DIRECTV

Build-up is underway for the no. 1 Soyuz to be launched from French Guiana

Space Systems/Loral Delivers ViaSat-1 Broadband Satellite to Launch Base

Arianespace to launch BepiColombo spacecraft

TECH SPACE
Astronomers confirm first planet orbiting two stars

Astronomers find extreme weather on an alien world

Latest Exoplanet Haul Includes Super Earth At Habitat Zone Edge

Invisible World Discovered

TECH SPACE
Vesta an asteroid full of surprises

Latest Tumbling Satellite Fails to Warrant Space Intercept

Google opening smartphone wallets

US satellite may crash back to Earth Sept 23: NASA




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement