Mobile payments are a mess. Mostly because every single carrier is trying to set up its own payment platform and squeeze everyone else out. The Electronic Transactions Association has announced the Mobile Payments Committee, which should put some order to the chaos. More »
Verizon has fought Google Wallet pretty hard, in favor of whatever similar NFC service it’s working on. But it seems to have ceded some ground to Google: Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus can now reportedly download and use the Google Wallet app directly from the Google Play Store. More »
Nobody puts Google Wallet in the corner for long, not even Big Red. Though the carrier courted controversy late last year by withholding support for the burgeoning NFC-based platform amidst security concerns, it appears to have finally changed tack. Owners of that LTE Galaxy Nexus variant are now reporting the ability to access the app from the Play store, no workarounds necessary. Though we weren’t able to verify the success of that particular method — no results surfaced during a quick store search — we did have success downloading the application to our stock, unrooted device using a direct market link. We’ve since reached out to Verizon for official comment on the matter, but have yet to hear back. In the meantime, if you’ve been itching to give Mountain View’s brand of mobile payment a go, hit up the source link below and let us know how you fare in the comments.
[Thanks, Keith]
PSA: Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners now have direct access to Google Wallet originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
We’ve collided head-on with the month of August, and today we had some interesting news stories to ring in the eighth month of the year. Surprisingly enough, we didn’t have too much news about the ongoing trial between Apple and Samsung, except for the part where Samsung made Apple really angry by sending evidence that the original iPhone was inspired by Sony designs out to the press. Samsung found itself in a bit of hot water after that leak, so this evening it seems that Samsung has managed to get on Judge Lucy Koh’s bad side. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said today that the Galaxy Nexus can remain on sale until August 20 despite Apple’s request for its preliminary injunction against the phone to be restored, so if you’ve been planning to buy one, your window to do so has been extended.
Moving right along, Lenovo suffered a pretty big leak today, and now details about the ThinkPad 2 are all over the place. Samsung has been granted the title of top phone brand for Q2, but interestingly enough, Apple’s iOS is growing at a faster rate than Android is. Google Wallet has received an update that increases the range of credit and debit cards you can use with the app, and we were right there to talk about whether or not the app is safe. Definitely give it a read if you’re considering using Google Wallet now that this update has arrived.
Speaking of Google, the company introduced a new set of rules for Android app developers today, and there’s a nasty little rumor going around that claims AT&T has been discouraging iPhone sales. AT&T, for its part, naturally says that the rumor is false, but that report definitely did a lot to pique our interest. The iPhone rumors don’t stop there, however, as we’ve been hearing whispers that Apple’s new dock connector may come with a MagSafe-like design when it arrives with the iPhone 5, and that the phone itself will be sporting Bluetooth 4 tech.
Microsoft was in the news a little bit today, as it was revealed that the company’s freshly-rebranded Outlook.com managed to attract one million users in just a few hours. Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing, which is the last step in development before Microsoft releases the OS to its OEM partners. The long-awaited Kickstarter campaign for the Oculus Rift kicked off today too, and managed to hit its funding goal in just a few hours. Is virtual reality about to make a comeback, or will it just leave us with a headache again?
Finally, we’ve got a couple reviews to share with you this evening, like this review of the myTouch and myTouch Q from T-Mobile, and this one of the Nintendo 3DS XL. Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday evening, everyone!
SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: August 1, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Are you up for more cashless transactions? Well, here we are with Google Wallet – having rolled out a spanking new cloud-based version of the Google Wallet app which is capable of supporting credit and debit cards from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. Apart from that, you too, are able to use just about any card of your choice whenever you opt to shop in-store or online using Google Wallet. This new version will also allow you to remotely disable your mobile wallet app from your Google Wallet account which is located on the web.
In order to save a card to Google Wallet, all you need to do is just enter the number into the mobile app, online wallet, or Google Play whenever you perform a purchase transaction. Those who shop in-store will be able to use your Google Wallet in conjunction with your selected credit or debit card for purchases. Once the payment is completed, you can check out a transaction record on the phone with the exact merchant name and dollar amount. Those who are interested can check out the new Google Wallet app on Google Play, and if you own a supported NFC device while residing in the US, why not give it a go?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Google acquires TxVia in an effort to expand Google Wallet, Google reportedly in talks with other carriers for Google Wallet partnership,
We’ve had our fair share of experience with Google Wallet since it launched several months ago, and now that it’s been updated to include all major credit and debit cards, it’s time to once again address the most important question of all: is it safe? As it turns out, Google Wallet is really, really safe. You’ve got several ways to lock down your account, and starting today, you’ve also got a remote shutdown option too. Additionally, just as it is with any other use of a credit card, each use of Google Wallet at “more than 200,000 retail locations” across the USA require that you show a picture ID to make it work.
With Google Wallet you’re able (starting this week) to add your whole collection of credit and debit cards. Once your cards are in your account, you’ll be working with NFC to wirelessly charge money essentially the same as a credit card does. To enter a card into your Google Wallet account, you need to enter the number on the card into your mobile app, your online wallet, or into your Google Play account (which uses your same Google login) when making a purchase. Though you do not need to make a purchase to enter a card, it does make the whole process seem like less of a chore.
Once you’ve got your card or cards entered in to your account, your locked-down mobile app version of Google Wallet will have that card – or all your cards – on record and ready to use whenever you need them. Each time you use a card, you’ll see a transaction record on your phone or tablet instantly with the merchant name and the dollar amount listed clearly. This information is also emailed to you instantly if you wish, and all of your account history can be found in your online wallet.
You can access your Online Wallet here: [Google Wallet Online]
All of your cards are stored on “highly secure” Google servers, as they make sure to make clear on all documents for the system. This is opposed to keeping all the cards on your phone locally where they can be hacked – because they’re in the cloud, they’re actually a bit more secure, in this case. The only way a person can gain access to your cards is with your wallet ID. Your wallet ID is a pin number you create yourself – this number is stored in the “secure storage” area of your phone or tablet.
Our original hands-on with Google Wallet can be seen here:
If someone has your phone or tablet, your pin number, and looks similar enough to you that they’re able to pass off your driver’s license as you, you might be in trouble. If that extremely rare and near-impossible situation should arise, Google has another solution for you. Remote Disabling is a new feature of Google Wallet with the update that’s just been dropped this week. With it, you’re able to visit the Devices section of your online wallet, select the device you wish to disable, and poof! It will no longer be able to be used by the villain.
What this service actually does is to remotely reset your mobile wallet, this then making it impossible for the person whose stolen your device to use the wallet unless they go back and enter in all your account information manually once again. At that point it would be easier to kidnap you and steal your real wallet. But you don’t have a real wallet anymore – you’ve got Google Wallet!
So all is well and safe and secure – and you’re ready to go!
You can get Google Wallet on a select number of devices right this minute, including two of our favorites, the Nexus 7 and the Galaxy Nexus. You can check out our hands-on with Google Wallet from back when it was first released and you can check our our full review of the Galaxy Nexus as well as our full review of the Nexus 7 too – grab em!
SlashGear 101: is Google Wallet safe? is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Google has pushed out a new update for its Google Wallet app, and this update comes with some pretty big changes. First and foremost, you can now use any credit or debit card from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover, so Google Wallet users are no longer restricted in that respect. Along with support for a broader range of credit cards comes some changes to how Google will store your card data, so read on to find out more.
This new version of Google Wallet is cloud-based, which means that instead of storing your card information on your phone, it will be stored on Google’s servers. That might be something of a double-edged sword for consumers, since they won’t have to worry about who has access to their card information if their phone is lost or stolen, but may not trust Google entirely when it comes to keeping that information safe. The good news, however, is if your phone is lost or stolen, you now have the ability to remotely lock the Google Wallet app, leaving whoever may have your phone without access. As an extra layer of defense, Google can reset your app and wipe your transaction history and payment information if it can establish a connection to your device.
Speaking of payment history, Google says that users can now view all of their in-store and online purchases in the online wallet. The company has also has attempted to make point of sale purchases a quicker process by saving a virtual card number to your phone, and instantly charging the associated card when you select it. All in all, not a bad round of updates, so long as you don’t mind having your card information stored on Google’s servers.
SlashGear did a hands-on with the Google Wallet app when it first became available last year. At the time, features were pretty sparse, but now we’re seeing Google flesh out the app a bit. Google seems to be making some great progress with Google Wallet, so we’re excited to see what happens next. You can download the new version of the app from the Google Play store, and be sure to check out our story timeline below for more information on Google Wallet!
[via Google Commerce]
Google Wallet now supports all major credit and debit cards is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Google Wallet has been hampered by a number of limitations since its launch, not the least of which is its limited device compatibility. Perhaps a bigger problem though, was its lack of support for most major credit and debit cards. Today that finally changes with the latest version of Big G’s mobile payment system. Now you’ll be able to use any credit or debit card you wish, and take them with you from one device to the next. Early versions of the digital wallet used the phones secure local storage to protect your card info, now it’s all in the cloud allowing you to sync your preferred payment method across multiple devices and keep track of both your online and in-store purchase’s through Google’s web Wallet. Perhaps most importantly though, Mountain View has upped the security ante, by allowing you to disable individual devices, should a tragedy befall your beloved Nexus. For more info check out the video after the break.
Continue reading Google Wallet moves to the cloud, opens up to all credit and debit cards
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs, Software
Google Wallet moves to the cloud, opens up to all credit and debit cards originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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If you believe that the NFC standard of paying is indeed the future, services such as Google Wallet is one that is probably familiar to you. Unfortunately Google Wallet has yet to be made universal for all Android devices, which means that unless you’re using a specific Android phone such as Sprint’s Nexus S, you might be out of luck if you wanted Google Wallet functionality. Kind of makes you wonder why higher end Android devices such as the One X or the recently launched Galaxy S3 have been left out of the fun, right? Well the good news is that if you’re using a Galaxy S3, a developer has managed to hack Google Wallet onto the device. It will require that you have some knowledge of flashing and will also require a rooted Galaxy S3, so if you’re not too sure what both of those things are, perhaps you might be better of waiting for an official release (if it is ever made). However for the more tech savvy, or for the more adventurous, the download and instructions can be found at the XDA forums, so pop on over for the details.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Google confirms no Google Wallet for Galaxy Nexus, Isis adds LG, Motorola, Samsung, RIM and Sony Ericsson to their supporters,
Verizon may not want you to have Google Wallet on your phone, but that won’t stop intrepid rooters and hackers from shoehorning the app into Big Red’s handsets. Mike Beauchamp and Dustin Evans took some time away from their recent Kansas City trip (to check out Google Fiber, of course) to get the Mountain View mobile payment solution up and running on a Galaxy S III. Is it more difficult than rooting your device and installing the app? Just a bit. Beauchamp’s video doesn’t offer much in the way of instruction, but it does show it being used to buy breakfast at Mickey D’s. Thankfully, it looks like some folks over at the XDA forums have documented the solution, just check out the more coverage link.
Google Wallet hack hits Verizon Galaxy S III originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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