23
Aug
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Head Of Google Wallet Says Negotiations With Other Carriers Are Underway, Hopes To Announce New Partnerships "Soon"

Posted by in Android OS, News

This morning, Google had a Wallet developer Q&A session on the Google Developers blog, featuring Robin Dua, the product manager for Wallet.

Dua hinted that person to person payments could be headed to Wallet soon, so be on the lookout for that. He also emphasized Wallet's focus on getting small businesses on board with the company's loyalty reward and offer platforms.

More interestingly, when asked in a viewer question why Wallet was only supported on a limited number of carriers, Dua responded that Google was in active negotiations with "a number" of carriers, and that he "hope[d] to have some new partnerships to announce soon." While clearly implying that there is a possibility of failure, the fact that Dua spoke to such negotiations at all is encouraging.

21
Aug
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Google Posts Three New Videos For The Uninitiated Wallet User

Posted by in Applications, News, Videos

So, you've heard a lot about this Google Wallet thing, but how does it actually work? How do you add a card? Is it secure?

Those may be a few of the questions floating around in your head about Google's pay-with-your-mobile service. Never fear, though, Wallet Wonderers - Google just published three new videos to help you better understand how Wallet works and how easy it is to use.

So, watch the videos and hit the widget at the bottom to install Wallet... if your device supports it, that is.

Google Wallet

Download Google Wallet from Google Play
QR code for https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.walletnfcrel

16
Aug
2012-08-16_12h45_40

Now You Can Add Your Discover Card To Google Wallet Straight From Discover's Site

Posted by in Google, News

When Google announced that it would support all major credit and debit cards, it was big news. What may have slipped under the radar, however, is that Mountain View also sent an open invitation to card issuers to sign up for tighter integration into the service. Today, Google is announcing that you can add your Discover card to Google Wallet directly from your account on Discover's website. You even get fancy card graphics now, too!

The process is stupid simple to set up:

To save your Discover Card to Google Wallet, just follow these short steps:

  1. Visit discover.com/googlewallet and sign into your Discover account
  2. Click “Add Your Card”
  3. Sign into your Google Account

And that’s it!

05
Aug

[Weekend Poll] If Your Device Had Google Wallet Support, Would You Use The Service?

Posted by in Polls

It's no secret that Google Wallet got off to an extremely rough start. The service was announced nearly a year ago to a mild amount of fanfare, then almost immediately started hitting barrier after barrier, fighting for carrier and card support. Just a few days ago, they revealed that the big four (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover) were finally on board, thus bringing the service many steps closer to actually... you know, being usable. There are two major obstacles that remain, though one is simply a matter of the prevalence of technology in devices - something that is quickly being remedied.

11
Jul
HTC_EVO_4G_LTE_Front_thumb1

Sprint EVO 4G LTE Update v1.22.651.3 Rolling Out, Finally Fixes Google Wallet Along With A Bunch Of Other Things

Posted by in EVO 4G LTE (Jewel), HTC, News, Sprint

Ding-ding-ding! EVO 4G LTE owners, the update you've been waiting for is ready. v1.22.651.3 of the software is rolling out starting today, July 11th, and according to Sprint fixes a whole array of bugs. The most important aspect of the update has to do with Google Wallet which has been broken since pretty much day one of the release. Other changes include improvements to Wi-Fi connectivity, playback of sideloaded videos, the crashing gallery app, calendar reminders, random power cycling, and more.

Here's the full changelog posted by Sprint:

Version

1.22.651.3

Date released

07/11/2012

Description of enhancements/fixes

This update addresses:

  • Google security updates
  • Wifi disconnect issue
  • Time zone issue
  • Google Wallet fix
  • Side loaded video pause issue
  • Random power cycling issue
  • Pioneer Bluetooth Car Kit connection issu
  • Gallery app crash
  • Calendar reminder (all day even time) issue

Fire up your engines by going to Settings > System updates > HTC software update if you're running stock or wait for your favorite custom ROM developer (my personal choice is flipz of Fresh ROM) to merge the changes and provide an update you can flash.

18
Jun
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HTC EVO LTE Users Now Totally Locked Out Of Google Wallet – "Wallet Has Not Yet Been Certified…On Your Device / Carrier"

Posted by in Android OS, Applications, EVO 4G LTE (Jewel), News, Sprint
Last Updated: August 2nd, 2012

Many users, upon booting up their brand new EVO LTEs over the past few weeks, were confused to find that Google Wallet would stick in the "adding prepaid card" dialogue, often returning an error message which encouraged users to try again later. It soon became apparent that this issue was limited to the EVO LTE, as it was discovered that modifying the device's build.prop to identify as a Galaxy Nexus returned the app to full functionality.

A few days ago, though, Wallet began telling EVO LTE users that "Google Wallet has not yet been certified in your country or on your device / carrier," locking users out of the app entirely, leading to frustration, confusion, and (of course) rumors regarding the meaning of the app's shifty behavior.

08
Jun
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Rumor: Sprint Releasing Its Own Mobile Payment Service Called "Touch," Google Wallet Now Left High And Dry

Posted by in Android OS, News, Sprint

Well, we knew it was a possibility, and given Google Wallet's painfully slow adoption rate (by carriers and payment processors), rumors today from NFCTimes that the service's sole remaining partner Sprint is coming up with an alternative aren't exactly surprising.

NFCTimes says the service will be called "Touch," and will utilize a "secure element" system like Wallet (a physical chip) in order to securely process mobile payments. Likely by necessity, this would mean the end of support for Google Wallet on Sprint handsets released after the launch of the new "Touch" service. Two embedded payment systems would be confusing to average consumers, and Sprint will have much more control over its own service (as well as revenue from it), as compared to no control with Google Wallet - undoubtedly something it wants.

24
Apr
2011-10-21 17h07_01

The Takju Mystery Unraveled: It's The U.S. GSM Galaxy Nexus

Posted by in Galaxy Nexus, News

A couple of weeks ago, we analyzed a crash log that referred to a mysterious Galaxy Nexus software profile called 'takju'. It was completely unknown at the time what takju was, but we know that Google has been using it to test the next version of Android, referred to as "Jelly Bean" in the crash log.

2012-04-24_11h27_43

The veil of mystery has now been lifted, as we now know what this build is: it's the U.S GSM Nexus that was released this morning by Google for sale in the Play Store. The main difference with this software profile verses the yakju variants and mysid is that this one has support for Google Wallet baked in - that's really it.

21
Mar
image_thumb38

Google Learns Pursuing Wallet Without Carriers' Blessing Is Suicide, Now Wants To Play Ball

Posted by in Android OS, News

Google Wallet is a great idea - in theory. In practice? The service has been plagued with problems; slow adoption, a lack of NFC devices, the existence of ISIS generally, and a public image crisis after security concerns. The biggest problem, though, has been the decided unwillingness of carriers (except Sprint) to support it.

That's because everyone but Sprint is banking on Isis, which has over $100 million in financial backing from the likes of Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Isis, if you're not familiar with it, is pretty much Google Wallet sans the whole Google part. But unlike Isis, Google Wallet doesn't provide any financial incentive for network operators.

05
Mar
isis

What Is Isis, And Why Should You Care It's Now Partnered With A Bunch Of Payment Companies? Because It's Out To Kill Google Wallet

Posted by in Android OS, Editorials, News

Mobile payment providers. Yeah, I'm already getting a little sleepy thinking about them, too. Let's face it, they're not the most exciting topic in the world, but whenever we talk about how people spend their money, you know there are lots of companies out there eagerly eying the potential of various new payment technologies with great interest. Among such companies are cell phone carriers, and the reason why should be obvious: smartphones with NFC are ideal platforms for next-generation payment systems.

We know Google has already figured this out. Wallet was launched back in September of 2011, though only on the Sprint Nexus S 4G, and only with MasterCard as a launch partner.

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