Google Wallet Makes The Jump To iPhone, No NFC Required
Google has killed its fair share of projects, from Google Health to Orkut to Google Buzz to Google Reader. But one item it seems adament on keeping around is Google Wallet. Despite a relative sigh from the industry at large on the issue of NFC, Google has decided to pursue its payment technology from a different angle -- one that focuses on software and cloud access, rather than relying so heavily on a single hardware component. The issue from the very start was that not all phones had NFC, and some phones (like the iPhone) show no sign of picking NFC up in the future.
But Wallet itself is a solid concept. It takes flashes of PayPal and flashes of Groupon, and merges them together into an ecosystem that many are already familiar with. Now, in its boldest move yet, Google has delivered Wallet for iOS, which makes clear that leaning on NFC won't be a requirement going forward. The app is decidedly classy, as are all of Google's iOS apps.
Now, even iPhone users who still mingle with Google's ecosystem can send money via bank or credit card to anyone with an email address, assuming that person is in the United States and older than 18. It'll also keep track of your loyalty cards and all nearby Google Offers, and to pay, you'll need a PIN -- which just so happens to be a concept that just about everyone is familiar with.
Plus, if you've yet to gain the "Send Money with Gmail" option in your Gmail account, signing in with this app should enable it. There's nothing quite as cute as seeing Google and Apple working together, now is there?
But Wallet itself is a solid concept. It takes flashes of PayPal and flashes of Groupon, and merges them together into an ecosystem that many are already familiar with. Now, in its boldest move yet, Google has delivered Wallet for iOS, which makes clear that leaning on NFC won't be a requirement going forward. The app is decidedly classy, as are all of Google's iOS apps.
Now, even iPhone users who still mingle with Google's ecosystem can send money via bank or credit card to anyone with an email address, assuming that person is in the United States and older than 18. It'll also keep track of your loyalty cards and all nearby Google Offers, and to pay, you'll need a PIN -- which just so happens to be a concept that just about everyone is familiar with.
Plus, if you've yet to gain the "Send Money with Gmail" option in your Gmail account, signing in with this app should enable it. There's nothing quite as cute as seeing Google and Apple working together, now is there?
