Yes you heard me correct…Those of use that don’t have NFC built into their devices like the new Google Nexus S we may have an option for using that Google Wallet afterall. It seems that a Chinese company called Netcom (no relations to Norwegian carrier with the same name) has put together this nice little device. It is a mirosd card + NFC chip.

Now before we get our hopes up let me remind you that 1. this is not released yet, and it has a few tricks that you have to over come. First trick is that the phones back cover can not have any metal in it. Second the microsd card holder (the slot) must not be made of metal. The reason behind that is because the NFC part of the storage device has very tiny antennas and metal interferes with the signal. Also your phone must have a special app running in the background to communicate with the NFC chip.

Even with all of this tricks to make it work, I would love to see one and try it out. It is still cool to think about in my books…Kind of reminds me of the EyeFi card (combines Wi-Fi and storage) that was release some time ago. What do you think PPCGeeks, is this little thing going to be a good thing? Are you willing to try it – assuming it comes to market and is priced right? How important is that NFC ability/Google Wallet to you? You tell me below!

Source: pocketnow

In the beginning, Google Wallet will support Mastercard credit cards from CitiBank and users can pay for items at over 120,000 U.S. shops including Macy’s, Walgreens, Subway, Noah’s Bagels, American Eagle, Bloomingdale’s, Peet’s Coffee, Toys ‘R’ Us and many more.

Another launch partner is Sprint. Being that it sells Google’s Nexus S phone, which is currently one of the only phones in the U.S. with the ability of using the new Google Wallet. The Nexus S supports NFC, an open standard backed by many companies including Microsoft, Visa, Sony, Nokia and AT&T. First Data Corp., a unit of the Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. private-equity firm, has been delegated to be the program’s trusted service manager, which loads a consumer’s payment card credentials to a secure chip, through a process called over-the-air provisioning. On another note, Android now supports NFC technology and additional phones are due out with this feature included, as this year progresses.

Google will not be taking a cut of the transaction revenue from Google Wallet payments. The company said it intends to make its’ money from it, by running a coupon system from within the Wallet application itself.

“We’re extending an open invitation to merchants and ecosystem partners like payment networks, carriers and banks to join us in creating tomorrow’s best shopping experience,” said Stephanie Tilenius, vice president of commerce for Google. “It’s important to realize we’re just getting started,” Stephanie, said in a presentation. “This vision will take a while to come to fruition.”

What do you think? Is this the way we will all shop in the future?
Or will this fade away like Google Checkout did?

source

Microsoft is rumored to be adding a newly popular feature in Windows Phone 7, and that is Near Field Communication, or NFC. It will supposedly ship on smartphones later this year, which means the software/OS part could be part of the Mango update. Nokia said that it would be implementing NFC on most of its smartphones in 2011, so this could be a push by the Nokia-Microsoft partnership.

For those of you that don’t know, NFC is a mobile-payment technology. It would let your phone wirelessly communicate with a nearby device at a checkout counter to pay for your purchase. You could also redeem coupons, get loyalty (rewards) points, etc., all from your phone! Google enabled NFC in Android and released the first handset that supported it back in December 2010. Apple is also rumored to be working on it for iOS.

Source: Bloomberg via PocketNow

The first thing you may ask is what is mobile commerce? I’ll explain how it works and what it is. Also nick named Isis, the new “mobile commerce network” aims to use NFC (near-field communication) technology to make mobile phones the preferred method of payment for point-of-sales transactions, enabling contactless mobile payments and commerce services. NFC uses short-range, high frequency wireless technology to enable the encrypted exchange of information between devices at a short distance. The new system is being designed and built to include strong security and privacy safeguards.

Found in the press release of the official announcement were the following statements. “While payments are at the core of the offering, it is only the start. Isis intends to deliver a complete mobile wallet experience that goes well beyond ‘credit card on a phone’ and makes the shopping experience significantly easier by eliminating the need for consumers to carry cash, credit and debit cards, reward cards, coupons, tickets and transit passes.”

The tri-network launch is expected to be released in “key geographic markets” in the next 18 months with a customer base of over 200 million. That’s a lot of consumers! Michael Abbott, Chief Executive Officer of Isis, also formerly employed with GE Capital, is a veteran financial services executive with extensive experience in the payment and technology industries. Found in the press release at BGR he has some interesting things to say himself. See the next two paragraphs below.

“Our mobile commerce network, through relationships with merchants, will provide an enhanced, more convenient, more personalized shopping experience for consumers,” said Michael Abbott, Chief Executive Officer of Isis. “While mobile payments will be at the core of our offering, it is only the start. We plan to create a mobile wallet that ultimately eliminates the need for consumers to carry cash, credit and debit cards, reward cards, coupons, tickets and transit passes.”

“We believe the venture will have the scope and scale necessary to introduce mobile commerce on a broad basis. In the beginning, we intend to fully utilize Discover’s national payment infrastructure as well as Barclaycard’s expertise in contactless and mobile payments,” said Abbott. “Moving forward, Isis will be available to all interested merchants, banks and mobile carriers.”

Need to know more about Isis? I can explain that too. This joint venture is between the companies mentioned in the article and is chartered with building ISIS, a national mobile commerce network that will fundamentally transform how people shop, pay and save. ISIS is a trademark of JVL Ventures, LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos, product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Source: BGR