Hasta La Gadget!

Mountain View wants you to know that Google Offers isn’t another Groupon copycat; that’s why the service is now taking a different approach. Whereas you’ve previously had to pay for discount vouchers in advance, you can now clip them for free and then pay for purchases in-store, making Offers more convenient to use. The company’s also introducing coupons outside the main Offers app, adding them to Wallet, Maps and Search, as well as programming Google Now to flash a notification whenever you pass by a participating establishment. Here’s some even better news for veteran users, though: you can either get a refund for unused offers you’ve paid for, or get your money back as Google Play credit. If you go the latter route, you’ll get extra dollars on top — enough to jazz up your phone with SwiftKey or Photoshop Touch.

Filed under: Mobile, Google

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Via: AllThingsD

Source: Google Play, iTunes

Didn’t think there were enough coupon services? Well, Google thinks it can do it right with its new Zavers “digital coupon solution.” The big G claims that its take on discounts and deals allows companies to measure customer habits and coupon usage stats to better target their campaigns. But, what does it mean for shoppers? They can find the coupons relevant to them on specific retailer websites and add them to an online account. When they hit the checkout with a full basket, the discounts are automatically accounted for. Zavers is also integrated with Google Wallet, as long as you use it to pay for items in-store. We’re not sure exactly how this will work yet, but we’ll just have to wait until Zavers is properly up and running.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Google (1), (2)

Growing tired of that EDGE-only device on T-Mobile? The carrier wants you to upgrade just as badly as you do, and may be willing to kick some extra incentives your way to help motivate the switch. In an attempt to clear devices from its 2G network, T-Mobile reportedly launched a pilot this month, targeting 5,000 select customers each in Boston, DC, Los Angeles, Miami and New York City with discount offers that vary slightly by market, and may include a waived upgrade fee, up to $100 (Boston) or $50 (NYC, DC) off any phone, or, exclusively for folks in Miami, the option to swap their device for a Samsung t259, t359 Smile or Gravity TXT for free with no new contract to sign. According to TmoNews, customers may receive a targeted offer if they’re Classic or Legacy subscribers with 1,000 or more monthly minutes on a 2G device (the iPhone is not included). If the pilot is successful, T-Mobile may roll out the offer to customers in additional cities, as part of the carrier’s refarming effort to grow HSPA+ network capacity. A full offer breakdown is available at the source link below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

T-Mobile to incentivize select 2G subscribers with upgrade offers during five-city US pilot originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 05:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With more carriers pushing unlimited calling plans, we can’t say there’s necessarily a need for the friends and family features of yesteryear on this side of the Atlantic, but plenty of networks beyond the good ole US of A are a bit more stingy when it comes to tallying talk time. The latest Google patent application to be published was filed last December and covers exactly this type of scenario, suggesting that the Google+ profile of the future could include an option to create a “Telco Co. Preferred Calling” circle, which would theoretically enable free calling between yourself and a small group of friends.

According to the application, semi-public information, such as a telephone number, would be shared between Google and a registered service provider, and you would maintain discount calling relationships from within Google+, adding and dropping callers to and from your online contacts list. You could also dictate custom rules, such as ringtones for contacts in specific groups, or create carrier-branded circles that are populated with your friends on the same network, making it easier to determine whether or not you’ll be billed for calls to a particular user. Like all patent applications, there’s no guarantee that Google’s submission with come to fruition, but if you’re feeling optimistic, you can hit up the source link below for all the legalese.

Google+ patent app details myFaves-like carrier contacts integration with social network circles originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 10:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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