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What’s with this Google Wallet thing anyway?

I did a big writeup over at Fortune/CNN Money on what Google Offers/Wallet means this morning.  Here are the major takaways:

  • Google Wallet’s major problem right now is that  there is exactly one device on one carrier in one country with the ability to use it.  Also that carrier is a small one and that device isn’t a best seller.
  • The summer trial is only in New York City (yay!) and San Francisco further shrinking the possible userbase.  Google Offers also trials in Portland, OR.
  • There is no reason the other mobile carriers AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon to block Google Wallet, except those three are in a rival mobile wallet consortium with ISIS.
  • Google Checkout is melded right in – that means when there is a coupon for something at a brick and mortar that you can buy with your Google Wallet, you are likely to be able to buy it online with Google Checkout.  Google Checkout will also allow you to spend what is in your Google account.
  • More devices are coming soon and Google is touting a NFC sticker workaround.  My best guess is that the Sprint/Motorola event in two weeks shows off some Motorola NFC Photon 4G type of products.
  • If you think Apple was adamant about keeping Google Voice off of the iPhone, wait until you see what Apple, Blackberry and Microsoft do to keep you from using Google Wallet on their devices.
  • Finally, Google Offers coupons will be a big new ad sales technique for Ads for Google.

 

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