Google Wallet

Update: General admission tickets appear to have hit eBay starting at $2,000, over double the original $900 ticket price.

Don’t say we didn’t warn you… Less than half an hour after going on sale, Google I/O tickets officially sold out for the event that Google promised will be “totally insane.” Tickets went on sale at 7 a.m. PST this morning. Approximately 27 minutes later, the registration page confirmed both academic and general admission tickets sold out. Google’s Vic Gundotra later confirmed tickets sold out in “a bit over 20 minutes!” with the registration page “experiencing 6,250 qps load on our servers at 7:01am!” He did note that for everyone else the keynote and key sessions will be live streamed.

Those of you that were lucky enough to get your hands on the $900 ticket will be attending the three-day event from June 27 to June 29 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. We will—of course—report on anything interesting out of the event this summer.

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We told you earlier this month that Google I/O registration was opening today, March 27. With last year’s tickets selling out in less than an hour, we thought we should remind you that tickets would be going on sale today at 7 a.m. PDT/ 10 a.m. EST. This year’s Google I/O is a three-day event, and while we do not have any confirmation that we might see the much-rumored Google Glasses, we have heard from Google employees that this year’s event will be “totally insane.”

If you want to get your hands on tickets approximately 30 minutes from now, head over to the registration page for all the details. You will need a Google+ account and a free Google Wallet account to complete the process. The event will be running from June 27 to June 29 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Here is what the $900 ticket will get you:

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Google’s mobile payment system, known as Google Wallet,” has not received the kind of warm welcome that the company might have hoped. First, there were issues with Verizon blocking the service on the new Galaxy Nexus as the carrier prepped its own rival service, known as “ISIS.” Wallet then had a few roadblocks with security concerns related to prepaid cards, which the company apologized for with complimentary $5 deposits to Google wallet users. Today, a report from Bloomberg citing “people with knowledge of the project” claimed, despite being “enthusiastic” about progress, Google is considering sharing revenue with carriers to get them to support the technology:

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Google underwent a firestorm last month over security concerns and provisioning difficulties with its Google Wallet service, and now the Internet giant is doling out $5 to users as an apology for the fiasco.

Upon opening Google Wallet today, users will each notice a bonus added to their pre-paid card accounts. The Mountain View, Calif.-based Company has not officially confirmed the rueful gesture, but a circulating email from the Google Wallet Team seems to confirm the $5 deposits are not a glitch.

The full email from the Google Wallet Team is below (via DroidLife).

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsaJMhcLm_A]

Google Wallet’s Vice President Osama Bedier said United States carrier Sprint Nextel would receive 10 additional phones with Google Wallet support this year.

Bedier spoke at “Mobile World Congress 2012” show in Barcelona this week during the “Mobile Money: Delivering Innovative Mobile Payment Services” panel. He said Google Wallet support is expanding to the upcoming LG Viper this spring with roll outs slated for a suite of additional smartphones soon after…

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Hackers uncovered an issue this week with Google Wallet on routed phones. The hackers found that pin numbers for Google Wallet on rooted phones can be cracked with simple software. Google quickly released a statement and said it is working on a fix. Meanwhile, a hack also released for non-rooted devices, which is a huge safety concern. Late last night, Google released a post on its Commerce Blog giving a little more of its view on the matter.

Google announced that it would disable provisioning of prepaid cards. This will help if you ever lose a phone and someone wants to use your prepaid card to make purchases. This is a temporary solution, but Google is still looking for a permanent fix.

Google also reminded us that it offers a toll-free line if users ever have a concern or question about Google Wallet accounts. The support line is open 24/7.

Google also said that Google Wallet is safer than plastic cards and folded wallets. The company even talked about the security concerns’ rooting an Android device creates:

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[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P655GXnE_ic&feature=player_embedded”]

If your Android device is rooted, and you use Google Wallet, beware. zVelo reported this evening that Google Wallet’s PIN verification system was cracked through brute force. If someone were to obtain your device and deploy this hack, the stranger would be able to access all of your financial information to make purchases. Yes, this crack was distributed online so it can get in the hands of hackers.

It is simple: If you use Google Wallet, do not root your device. Check it out in action in the video above.

Update: As noted by The Next Web, Google is already working on a fix for the bug.

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The Sprint version of the Galaxy Nexus is the only variant to officially see Google Wallet. However, a new report from Droid-Life said the GSM Galaxy Nexus with an AT&T SIM card can download and access Google Wallet from the Android Market, which is a sigh of relief for many users. As you can see in the screenshot above, courtesy of Droid-Life, there are not any hoops–just a simple download.

Google Wallet gives users the ability to use the built-in NFC chip to pay for goods. Google Wallet was first introduced on the Sprint Galaxy S, and it saw a quick rollout to many retail outlets.

Last year, we broke news that Verizon Wireless was blocking the use of Google Wallet on its version of the Galaxy Nexus to later push its own payment platform. It was not clear if Sprint and AT&T would do the same. We now know that the Sprint version will come with it officially paired, and it can at least be downloaded on the GSM AT&T variant.

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After leaked advertisements and many rumors, Google finally announced on Jan. 9 that Sprint would be the second carrier to host the Galaxy Nexus. Roughly close to a month has passed, and we have not heard anything out of Sprint or Google in terms of launch. However, finally this weekend, Google posted the official sign-up website for those looking to order the Galaxy Nexus on the Now Network.

The Sprint version of the Galaxy Nexus is unlike the Verizon version due to it Google’s Wallet technology and a faster processor. Last month, we exclusively told you that Verizon would not have Wallet because of its own wallet-like technology in development.

As some background, the Galaxy Nexus should be the first LTE device on the Now Network. It will rock 32GB of storage, along with a 4.65-inch 720P HD screen, 5-megapixel camera, 1GB of RAM, and Android 4.0. There is no word on a launch date, but if you are interested—we suggest going ahead and signing up. (via Android Central)

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Google celebrated its 1oth anniversary in Canada by doubling its staff and indicating hopes to have an even larger presence in 2012.

The company currently has 300 employees in four Canadian offices, in Toronto, Waterloo, Ottawa, and Montreal. Google’s global headcount was listed at 32, 353 in the third quarter of 2011.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based search engine first moved north in 2001, and Head of Mobile Advertising Eric Morris was one of the first Google Canada employees to start work for the  North American sect.

“Canada is one of the fastest growing markets for Google and it’s one of our big bets corporately,” said Morris. “It’s a market that Google is very committed to and investing in heavily in terms of resources and growing very, very quickly.”

In 2002, according to Morris, Google projected that 70 percent of Canada’s population would be online by 2017. Canada reached 79 percent in 2010.

“In 2010, 93 percent of households with three or more people, as well as those with at least one member under the age of 18, had home Internet access,” reported a recent Canadian Internet Use Survey. “By contrast, 58 percent of one-person households had home Internet access.”

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In a move to combat Amazon’s dominance in the delivery of physical products, Google is said to be in talks with “major retailers and shippers” to create their own rival service, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The companies that are reportedly considering partnering with Google — Macy’s, OfficeMax, and Gap Inc– are some of the same that recently signed up to integrate the company’s Google Wallet NFC platform into their retail locations. Google’s service will compete directly with Amazon’s Prime, which offers same-day or next-day shipping on all of their products.

Google plans to meld an existing product-search feature that directs shoppers to retail websites with a new quick-shipping service that the Internet giant will oversee. The quick-shipping service will be based on a Google behind-the-scenes system that allows shoppers to figure out whether stores have a product in stock and that allows them to find out whether they can get that product shipped to them within a day.

Amazon has seen huge success with their $79 a year Prime program. Not only do customers get expedited shipping on products, but get added bonuses on Amazon’s Kindle Fire when it comes to media downloads and their MP3 store. The report mentions that Google has talked to UPS to also partner in the program.

It’s not clear if the program will cost a subscription fee like Amazon Prime, or if it will be offered free through the help of their partnerships. Google seems to like to stick with the free model more than anything, so I wouldn’t discount the possibility.

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Thanks to Bay Area-based startup Cataloupe Systems, Google Wallet is once again expanding its reach, this time with NFC-enabled vending machines.

According to a report from All Things D, The startup has already installed Google Wallet-powered payment terminals in roughly 6,000 vending machines across Chicago, the mid-Atlantic region, and San Francisco. A good start, but a fraction of the approximately six million vending machines in the U.S., 80,000 of which Cantaloupe is responsible for.

While credit card payments among users tend to be much less for lower priced items due to transaction fees, the company plans to offset those concerns with coupons and rewards delivered to users through the app. Users will also be able to send real-time complaints and possibly even requests for particular products to be included next time the machine is restocked.

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Google has announced on their Commerce Blog this evening that they are now rolling Google Checkout into Wallet. Since Checkout’s focus was to simplify online checkouts, Wallet will now be rolling out to more places over the web including the Android Market, Google+ Games, YouTube, and even more Google sites.

Since both products have a similar goal, to simplify purchasing items, it makes sense for Google to roll the products together. For current Commerce users they will be able to setup a Wallet account when logging again, while merchants won’t have to make any changes. Wallet looks like its ready to roll for this Holiday season.

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Starting today, Gap Inc. has announced that Google Wallet will be available in over 65 of their Bay Area stores including Old Navy, Banana Republic, Gap, Gap Outlet, and Banana Republic Factory Stores. To celebrate the roll out, Gap is offering 15% off your entire purchase when using Google Wallet in any of the participating stores. The promotion will be available via the Google Wallet app’s Offers section.  You can check out a full map of all the included stores here.

Over the last couple months Google has begun rolling the MasterCard-powered service out to new retailers, allowing customers to makes purchases using the Google Wallet app on a supported Android smartphone (as of yet just the Nexus S). In October Google added a bunch of notable new merchants including OfficeMax, Macy’s, Guess, Foot Locker, American Eagle Outfitters, Toys “R” Us, and Jamba Juice. Last month they also updated the app with an overhauled UI and in-app offers. 

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While the Google Wallet app is still only available to Nexus S 4G users on Sprint, version 1.0-R33v4 brings Offers directly within Wallet, updated UI for the transaction detail screen, and a number of other small enhancements as well as the typical bug fixes.

Google Wallet, which allows users to make payments via Google Prepaid Cards or Citi MasterCard using their Android device at any MasterCard PayPass terminal, will hopefully soon start to become accessible on more devices as new supported hardware gets released this year. You can check out a full list of what’s new in the update after the break.

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsaJMhcLm_A]

First they made a video testimonial featuring a bunch of excited developers. Last week brought us a promo clip they first played back to journalists who attended presser in May. Then came the first official Google Wallet commercial featuring Seinfeld’s George Constanza and his exploding wallet. Today, the search company has officially rolled out Wallet, a mobile payment service.

As you can see from the clip we embedded above, it features Google engineers highlighting the many benefits of paying simply by tapping your phone to a terminal. One thing immediately captures attention: The “hundreds of thousands” of points of sale which support Google Wallet, all MasterCard PayPass terminals. Google promised at the May unveiling they would support more smartphones with an NFC chip in the future, not ruling out  a next-gen iPhone. Today, the company wrote in a blog post:

Today, Visa, Discover and American Express have made available their NFC specifications that could enable their cards to be added to future versions of Google Wallet.

If you’re a Sprint customer with a Nexus S 4G device, the Google Wallet app will be delivered as an over the air update. Just tap the Wallet app on your home screen, add your Citi MasterCard credit card or set up a Google Prepaid Card and transfer some funds to it from any of your credit cards and off you go.

Early adopters who set up a Google Prepaid Card before the year’s end also get a $10 free bonus. When you see the Google Wallet logo on a poster, simply scan it with your phone to add the advertised offer or coupon to your Google Wallet account. The below walkthrough by TechCrunch lays out everything you need to know about Google Wallet in Layman’s terms. Good-bye wallet, the phone will take it from here and another from ThisIsMyNext…
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A Peet’s Coffee in San Francisco (what happened to NYC?) is showing a Google Wallet logo beneath its original MasterCard PayPass NFC reader.

It appears that there is minimal upgrade to get Mastercard PayPass systems upgraded to be Google Wallet systems.  In fact, from the merchant standpoint, it may just be upgraded signage.

That’s good news for Google and its rollout plans.  PayPass locations are all over the place and Google wants to hit the ground running.

As of March 2011, more than 92 million MasterCard PayPass cards and devices have been issued for use at approximately 311,000 merchant locations worldwide, including new acceptance environments such as vending, taxis, tollbooths, transit, football/baseball stadiums and golfing events.
In addition to robust deployments at major merchants in the US such as McDonalds, 7-Eleven, CVS, Duane Reade, Sheetz, Hess, Wegmans, The Home Depot, Best Buy, Gulf Oil, Sports Authority, BJ’s, Meijer’s, Whataburger, Tim Horton’s, Shop-Rite, Foot Locker, Sunoco and BP.PayPass has been rolled out in 37 countries. Outside the US, PayPass speeds consumers through the checkout process at  McDonald’s (US, Poland, UK), Burger King (Turkey, UK), 7-Eleven (Australia), Starbucks (Turkey, Malaysia, UK), Petro-Canada (Canada) Tim Horton’s (Canada), Boots (UK), Tesco (UK), Carrefour, Cora and Intermarche (all 3 in France) and in many other types of merchants including supermarkets, cinemas, gas stations, fast food and transit.

Google is expected to release Google Wallet officially today and has created a very amusing ad (if you are a Seinfeld fan), below.
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TechCrunch is reporting that Google Wallet will most likely launch tomorrow, citing the above document being sent to partners. Google said Wallet was on its way in the summer, yet we never saw it. Friday, Google also released a teaser for Wallet (seen after the break) that teased the payment service as coming soon. As it says above, Wallet is launching September 19th, most likely to coincide NFC World Congress which kicks off in France tomorrow.

Google Wallet is partnering with MasterCard, Citi Bank, Sprint, and First Data. Wallet will first be available in San Francisco and New York, using NFC and the Wallet app to be able to pay for goods from merchants. Stick with us tomorrow, and we’ll give you all the official details.

Teaser after the break:

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKGptWtzeaU]

Google has posted their first Google Wallet ad on their YouTube page, featuring Seinfeld’s George Constanza. Constanaza and his exploding wallet have found out why they need the new payment service. But seriously Google, when’s this going to launch? (via TechCrunch)

Image courtesy of Engadget

Google Wallet, a mobile payment service announced in May, lets you pay on the go by tapping a phone to an intelligent terminal. If a splashy video tour from Monday is anything to go by, it should forever change – for the better – how we as a society pay for goods and services. Initial implementation requires a MasterCard PayPass terminal which accepts digital receipts and coupons from mobile devices, over the air, and then carries out transactions with financial institutions.

MasterCard today shed more light on a mobile application they’ve been developing in partnership with Google. A quick visit to Engadget which has a cool video tour proves the app works as advertised: Tap a phone to a terminal and that’s it. The app will allow users to set spending limits, set alerts for overseas activity and restrict purchases across categories so, say, your spouse can only pay for dinning, movie tickets and gas, excluding clothes, make up and other impulse purchases.

The app currently works on Sprint’s Nexus S 4G but they are planning on supporting more devices with an NFC chip. The software will also enable MasterCard’s QkR platform for mobile purchasing that supports QR codes, television audio signals encoded with purchase data and even tiny NFC chips embedded into real-world objects, such as fast-food tabletops. These QkR-supported features should be realized across Android, iOS, Windows Phone Mango and BlackBerry platforms, MasterCard promises.

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RJaAUeASyU]

In May, Google proclaimed the end of the wallet by announcing a new service called Google Wallet that promises to make mobile paying as easy as tapping a phone to an intelligent terminal which can take digital receipts and coupons and carry out the transaction. The company followed-up with a splashy video that highlighted the bright future of digital invoicing. Four months in, people still carry traditional wallets in their pockets. Heck, some even keep an iPhone in their wallet.

The Next Web points to an interesting video put together by AdZag, explaining why Google Wallet is a disruptive technology of the future rather than a fad. It’s actually the clip Google showed at the Wallet presser, it just hasn’t been available online until now. Google Wallet’s biggest hurdle is availability….

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