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Launching Google Wallet on Sprint and working with Visa, AmEx and Discover

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41–50 of 55 posts

Re: Launching Google Wallet on Sprint and working with Visa, AmEx and Discover

#41

No mention of an International roadmap or trialing in any other country but the US, or on any other device or network for that matter. This has started to annoy me about Google product releases, as I am Australian. Are they releasing too early? Trying to generate hype and be called the first to do something? Why wont they work on things for another 6 months to get it right?

Exactly. I am another Australian, but living in China. I have worked around Asia, in the UK and last year in the US. After working in those various environments, I would posit a generalization that Americans seem to completely miss internationalization a fair whack of the time. This is despite their own country rapidly becoming Spanish speaking...

Re: Launching Google Wallet on Sprint and working with Visa, AmEx and Discover

#42
post #21
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is traditional cash really a problem? What problems does cash solve that pucca shells do not? Seriously? The advantages are legion. It would take days to write them all out. I'll just put down a couple. You don't have multiple denominations of shells, so you have to carry around a wagon full of shells, instead of a few large bills. From a macro perspective, cash has even larger advantages. You can't conduct monetary…

If you have just one or two cards, I doubt you'd ever see the benefit. However I'm dying for a replacement for my bevy of cards: - my personal amex - my business amex - my debit cards (multiple banks) - my store cards (multiple) - all my other ID-like and reward cards (ex: Costco, Avis, etc.).

You can already replace the last two groups with a loyalty card aggregator app like CardStar and its ilk.

Re: Launching Google Wallet on Sprint and working with Visa, AmEx and Discover

#43
post #30
post #7

Are traditional wallets really a problem? What exactly is the problem that is being solved here?

Google not collecting information on every purchase you make? Oh you meant for the users? I guess the short term gain is receipt maintenance. Long term you can get rid of the wallet itself. Long term we'll have biometric cloud authentication so you won't need the smartphone either. There's probably some law enforcement angle as well; as physical cash transactions fade away, organized crime will be easier to monitor.

LOL, i have this image of my pot guy showing me a paypass terminal.

Re: Launching Google Wallet on Sprint and working with Visa, AmEx and Discover

#45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it is the future and it will probably not take 10-20 years to have it implemented but rather more like 2-5 years. The race to become the platform is more important than the legal issues surrounding it. Whoever wins in this race will hold so many chips that they will gladly pay any legal speeding ticket. The merchants will get on board quickly as it will increase sales. I don't think Visa and Amex will compete…

The problem here is not implementation and smartphone support, but adoption by merchants. There're still shops that do not accept regular credit cards out there, and this is a new type of technology that they must somehow accomodate. So, yeah, 2-5 years to iron out the kinks, but about 10 to make it a real mainstream thing. And god help us if there will be competing standards. Speaking of competing standards. I have…

What about just charging from phone to phone? Without a need for a terminal, would it make merchant adoption easier?

Re: Launching Google Wallet on Sprint and working with Visa, AmEx and Discover

#46
post #15
post #7

Are traditional wallets really a problem? What exactly is the problem that is being solved here?

For me, pocket room and security. I used to have to carry around a phone,keys, CD player, wallet, and camera. Now the camera and ipod are integrated into the phone, and I'm just carrying my phone, keys, and wallet. I really appreciate the extra pocket space, and I'd love to fold the wallet into the phone and get some more. The extra security of having a PIN on your wallet is just a bonus.

And maybe Andriod@Home and the car unlock/start apps will get rid of keys as well?

Re: Launching Google Wallet on Sprint and working with Visa, AmEx and Discover

#47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it is the future and it will probably not take 10-20 years to have it implemented but rather more like 2-5 years. The race to become the platform is more important than the legal issues surrounding it. Whoever wins in this race will hold so many chips that they will gladly pay any legal speeding ticket. The merchants will get on board quickly as it will increase sales. I don't think Visa and Amex will compete…

The problem here is not implementation and smartphone support, but adoption by merchants. There're still shops that do not accept regular credit cards out there, and this is a new type of technology that they must somehow accomodate. So, yeah, 2-5 years to iron out the kinks, but about 10 to make it a real mainstream thing. And god help us if there will be competing standards. Speaking of competing standards. I have…

I have a visa contactless credit card (Paywave), and it works well. It's a tap, not a wave. Saves me time.

Re: Launching Google Wallet on Sprint and working with Visa, AmEx and Discover

#48
post #11
post #7

Are traditional wallets really a problem? What exactly is the problem that is being solved here?

Good point. This is going back a couple of steps in some regards. Assuming every store in the country already had this, I still wouldn't bite. I've had so many instances where my phone (Nexus s) died in the middle of the day, it is not funny. Credit card + 2x20 dollar bills in my wallet work wonders. That said, I'm a big fan of Visa's blink. Instant payment can be done through ways other than a smartphone.

NFC payments can still work when your phone is out of battery. The reader can still read it (just like your credit card has no power). Google Wallet, of course, wouldn't work.

Re: Launching Google Wallet on Sprint and working with Visa, AmEx and Discover

#49
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sprint and Google have been very friendly recently[1], so it could just be an exclusivity thing. What I'm more curious about is why none of Sprint's other, more recent Android phones have NFC in them- I just picked up a Photon yesterday sans NFC, and I'm led to believe that the EVO 3D and the Epic 4G Touch don't have it either. (Which is particularly weird for the E4GT, because the other Galaxy S II variants in the U…

It's pricey and often complicated to incorporate NFC at this stage. The phones that have it so far are more like experimental/reference platforms than anything else. When NFC is available on combo chips it will be everywhere, and manufacturers are just starting to commit properly now - Samsung and Acer have indicated all their future smartphones will have NFC within the last few days, BlackBerry is going the same way…

Likewise HTC's Head of Product mentioned all HTC phones in the US as of next year will start having NFC.

Re: Launching Google Wallet on Sprint and working with Visa, AmEx and Discover

#50
post #44

hmmm.. Wouldn't it be better if there is mobile payment between phones? I would love to pay my friends by tapping with their phones.

I think you can do this with Paypal's app + Bump. Of course, I'm not sure if you'd want to pay people using Paypal. This is one direction we've been thinking of (www.tagstand.com).
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