Coming soon: make your phone your wallet

Coming soon: make your phone your wallet: "(Cross-posted on the Google Commerce Blog and Google Mobile Blog)

Today in our New York City office, along with Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint, we gave a demo of Google Wallet, an app that will make your phone your wallet. You’ll be able to tap, pay and save using your phone and near field communication (NFC). We’re field testing Google Wallet now and plan to release it soon.

Google Wallet is a key part of our ongoing effort to improve shopping for both businesses and consumers. It’s aimed at making it easier for you to pay for and save on the goods you want, while giving merchants more ways to offer coupons and loyalty programs to customers, as well as bridging the gap between online and offline commerce.

Because Google Wallet is a mobile app, it will do more than a regular wallet ever could. You'll be able to store your credit cards, offers, loyalty cards and gift cards, but without the bulk. When you tap to pay, your phone will also automatically redeem offers and earn loyalty points for you. Someday, even things like boarding passes, tickets, ID and keys could be stored in Google Wallet.



At first, Google Wallet will support both Citi MasterCard and a Google Prepaid Card, which you’ll be able to fund with almost any payment card. From the outset, you’ll be able to tap your phone to pay wherever MasterCard PayPass is accepted. Google Wallet will also sync your Google Offers, which you’ll be able to redeem via NFC at participating SingleTap™ merchants, or by showing the barcode as you check out. Many merchants are working to integrate their offers and loyalty programs with Google Wallet.

With Google Wallet, we’re building an open commerce ecosystem, and we’re planning to develop APIs that will enable integration with numerous partners. In the beginning, Google Wallet will be compatible with Nexus S 4G by Google, available on Sprint. Over time, we plan on expanding support to more phones.

To learn more please visit our Google Wallet website at www.google.com/wallet.

This is just the start of what has already been a great adventure towards the future of mobile shopping. We’re incredibly excited and hope you are, too.

Posted by Rob von Behren and Jonathan Wall, Founding Engineers on Google Wallet

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Introducing The People Widget

Introducing the people widget: Posted by Zohair Hyder, Software Engineer

Email is just as much about the people you communicate with as it is what you communicate about. We think it can be helpful to view relevant information in context, which is why over the next two weeks we’re rolling out a new people widget located on the right hand side of your messages. The people widget surfaces content from friends, family and colleagues that is already available to you but may be hard to find and makes it easier to connect with them.

Next to every email message you can now see contextual information about the people in that conversation including recent emails you received from them, relevant Buzz posts, shared documents and calendar events. You also have quick access to a variety of ways to communicate with individuals, start a group chat or schedule a meeting with groups of people.


We hope the people widget will improve your Gmail experience and we’re eager for you to try it out.

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Third Thursday Interview: Norman White

May's Third Thursday Interview is Norman White. Norman is a Clinical Professor of Information, Operations and Management Science at Stern School of Business - New York University. Enjoy the interview!

First word that comes to mind when thinking of Google: Speed.

First Google product you ever used: The original search engine when it was still a prototype at Stanford. Completely blew away all of the other search engines, even when it was an early prototype.

Google products you currently use: Search, Gmail, Picasa, AdWords, AdSense, Google Docs, SketchUp, YouTube, Google Voice, Google Mobile, Earth, Scholar, News, Google Maps, Calendar, Blogger, Alerts, and Google Translate.

Favorite Google product: Probably Google News, since I use it as my homepage. That way I can always catch up on the news in 1 click.

Google product you could live without: Orkut.

Google product idea: Don't have one, Google is always ahead of me!

Favorite Not-So-Googly product: Facebook. It is now pushing Google hard on advertising, and clearly, it is a "stickier" site than Google.

Message to Googly News' readers: Keep reading Googly News to keep track of the latest News on Google products!

To keep track of future Third Thursday Interviews and more Googly News, make sure to follow Googly News on Facebook and Twitter.

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Not-So-Googly Mondays: Royal Wedding's Hats!

The royal wedding happened over the weekend, but what's important to note? The hats! Were they too much or just right? Readers on Googly News' Facebook Page weighed in and thought hats were a bit too much. Do you agree?

Photo courtesy of Huffington Post.com.

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