Hasta La Gadget!

Verizon has never totally been on the Google Wallet bandwagon. First, Big Red refused to support the mobile payment system, citing a lack of secure hardware. Months later, folks managed to gain official access through the Play Store, but it looks like that the VZW GNex is, once again, Wallet-free. Word on the web has it that those Nexus owners are now, upon opening the app, greeted by a message saying that their version of Google Wallet is no longer supported, and that they need to update the app. Problem is, the Play Store is telling folks that their devices are no longer supported. We’ve confirmed the issue ourselves, but we don’t know if this a temporary problem, or if it’s a permanent move. We’ve reached out to both Google and Verizon for comment, and we’ll let you know as soon as we hear back.

[Thanks, Tim]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners lose Google Wallet access originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 16:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Wallet was officially launched last year, and word has it that prepaid cards for Google Wallet has been discontinued. This means early adopters who reside outside of the US will be affected, as they no longer have any means to increase the amount of funds to the app. The effect is not immediate, as the entire process will take place over the next few months. This was done as payment card information has been moved from the device to Google’s cloud, so that customers are able to use just about any credit or debit card. When you compare that to the previous iteration, the Google Wallet app could only support Citi’s MasterCard and Google’s own prepaid cards.

For those living outside of the US, you have until October 17th of this year to spend your remaining balance. Once the calendar hits October 18th, the cards will disappear from the app completely, so whatever balance you have left would be as valuable as the kind of “banana money” that the Japanese printed in some of their conquered territories in South East Asia during World War 2.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Credit or debit card? It does not matter with Google Wallet that goes to the cloud, Google acquires TxVia in an effort to expand Google Wallet,

If you found yourself on the wrong network for Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Stellar smartphone, consider this: The Galaxy Victory. This little slab was leaked to Android Central recently, sporting similar specs to Verizon’s upcoming budget device. Like its cousin, the Victory appears to have a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a TouchWiz flavored serving of Ice Cream Sandwich and a 4-inch 800 x 480 display — but it sets itself apart with a five-megapixel rear facing camera and quad-band GSM support. The handset also plays nice with Samsung’s TecTiles accessory, as well as Google Wallet, Beam and other NFC standards. An internal employee promotion from Sprint pegs the device for a September release, but makes no mention of price or specific availability.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Samsung Galaxy Victory 4G LTE surfaces for Sprint originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We mentioned back the beginning of the month that Google Wallet now supports all major credit cards and debit cards. One of the last major credit card holdouts was Discover, and as of today, Discover is offering up more details on its support for Google Wallet. It appears that Discover is making it easier for users to add their credit cards to their Google Wallet.

Discover has announced that it has partnered with Google to allow card members to save their credit card information directly into Google Wallet by logging into the online Account Center. That account center for adding the card to Google Wallet is at the URL Discover.com/googlewallet. When the card is added to a compatible phone with NFC technology inside the user can pay using their phone rather than digging out the credit card at participating retailers.

Discover says that once members are logged into the Account Center, adding the card is a simple process of making a few clicks. The credit card will sync automatically to the Google Wallet application for users with NFC smartphones. Users can also add the card directly through the Google Wallet mobile application.

I think Google Wallet is finally starting to go mainstream. I live in a more rural area, and I’ve noticed that several retailers now have signs up that they accept Google Wallet. I’m still concerned that by finding my phone, nefarious sorts would have access to my credit card information. Granted, if they found my wallet, they would have the same information access.

Discover makes it easy to add card to Google Wallet is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

There’s little doubt that mobile payments hold a ton of potential for the future of commerce, but without proper direction (and willingness for adoption), the technology remains little more than an impractical curiosity for the majority of consumers. In an effort to define a way forward for the mobile payment industry, a large number of heavy hitters have banded together under the umbrella of the Electronic Transactions Association to form the Mobile Payments Committee. Not only does the group include all four of the top US carriers, but also Google, Isis, VeriFone and PayPal. Add to that financial institutions such as Wells Fargo and Capital One, along with American Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa, and you’ll quickly realize that this group is playing to win.

Primary goals of the Mobile Payments Committee include fostering relationships with merchants, ensuring consumer access to modern payment methods, exploring best practices and ensuring interoperability of networks, equipment and financial institutions. The group will also engage in lobbying activities with legislators and regulators, and will additionally work to educate both merchants and consumers about the potential of mobile payments. With so many key players (and competitors) sitting around one big table, what wouldn’t you give to be a fly on the wall during those meetings? For a little extra insight, just hop the break for the full PR.

Continue reading Google, PayPal, VeriFone and US carriers band together to form Mobile Payments Committee

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets, Wireless

Google, PayPal, VeriFone and US carriers band together to form Mobile Payments Committee originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Aug 2012 22:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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