Google Wallet Will Work Even Without NFC-Enabled Phone Thanks To Special Stickers
So the major news today was the announcement of the Google Wallet. In an event in NYC, Google and its business partners announced a new point-of-sale ecosystem that will allow users to use their smartphone as their wallet. Combining that with the Google Offers program makes the checkout process as easy as "tap, pay, and save." All this, however, does require a smartphone with an NFC chip. So, what about everyone else that doesn't currently own the Google Nexus S?
Not to worry. Although the new Google Wallet was demoed on the NFC-enabled Nexus S, it doesn't mean that only smartphones with NFC-chips can take advantage of the new payment system. For those who want to participate, you can obtain a special NFC sticker that you apply to your phone. Transactions made via the sticker will be transmitted to the Wallet app on your Android device via the cloud.
Google spokesperson Osama Bedier was intentionally vague on the details. But, does point out that the experience using stickers would be limited when compared to using an actual NFC-enabled phone. Nonetheless, it should still be interesting to try out. Google is also open to partner with everyone in order to ramp up support for the new payment platform. Could iPhones then be allowed in on the Google Wallet fun?
[via Android Community]