You would have though Google and Verizon Wireless would know better than fight over the former’s mobile payment service dubbed Wallet. A partnership the two companies had signed earlier this year was forged to enable open application development on open airwaves and yet Verizon decided to block Wallet on Galaxy Nexus as the service clashes with the ISIS project, a mobile payment partnership featuring Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile USA.
While the carrier continues a cat-and-mouse game with Google and delays the planned December 9 Galaxy Nexus launch in the United States (apparently over ongoing 4G LTE issues), the Galaxy Nexus just launched in Canada through Bell and Virgin Mobile, reports Phandroid. It’s priced at $159 after a 36-month contract or $649.99 for the SIM-free version.
Verizon isn’t doing itself any favor blocking Wallet, fighting Google publicly and jeopardizing their open airwaves initiative. As noted by Dan Frommer, “Verizon is not allowed to block applications on the airwaves that its 4G LTE network uses, per special open access rules set by the FCC (which Google, of all companies, had aggressively lobbied for”. Eventually Verizon will want to land the Galaxy Nexus on their network, with or without Google’s wallet service. And what can they do about Wallet, anyway? Android is an open platform and folks can always sideload the Wallet app themselves.
This smells like a replay of Bluetooth: In order to use it you had to be a registered developer and get your app signed, which was a virtually insurmountable wall for the one-person development shop.
There are numerous uses for NFC beyond Wallet apps – Reader/ Writer, Peer-to-Peer & Card Emulation. Wallet makes use of Card Emulation, and perhaps the others.
If it is Verizon's intention to lock down the NFC, then what does that say about Android?
I am (maybe now WAS) intending to get the Galaxy Nexus the moment it comes available (I'm in north eastern New Jersey, USA), but this news has me rethinking the purchase.
My reason for getting a phone with NFC is because I want to develop NFC related apps.
If Verizon is intent on locking down the device, then I can just stick with my Droid X until my Verizon contract is up and another carrier comes out with a truly open device that is a "Pure Google Experience" in more than just marketing weasel words.