Related Articles
Not sold yet on the magic of mobile payments? Sprint’s recently posted YouTube video hopes to sway you to the light. This comes hot on the heels of Google saying it plans to bring Google Wallet to 10 phones this spring, one of which is Sprint’s own Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
Though Sprint’s version of the Galaxy Nexus isn’t scheduled to hit stores until sometime in the first half of this year, it’s clear the carrier is already revving up its PR and marketing machine. The quick two and a half minute video expounds the theoretical virtues of using your smartphone to shop in the physical world with virtual cash.
According to the presenter, Google Wallet may not sound like a big deal at first but “makes purchasing items a breeze,” by putting multiple payment credentials such as Citi MasterCards, loyalty cards, and a Google prepaid card in one app.
Sprint
It remains to be seen just how keen wireless subscribers are to toss traditional plastic in favor of mobile payments. Google Wallet’s recent security troubles surely don’t help the technology’s cause.
Sprint also explained the benefits of Android Beam, a feature found in the Galaxy Nexus running Ice Cream Sandwich. The carrier demonstrates various usage scenarios of Beam, also enabled by NFC circuitry like Google Wallet, such as tapping other compatible phones to transfer information–think contacts, Web pages, and other files.
Google Wallet certainly has some steep hurdles to overcome, the least of which may be customer appeal. Several business interests have aligned themselves against Google, specifically three of the major U.S. carriers (a cabal known as ISIS). There’s a reason why the Verizon Galaxy Nexus lacks Google’s payment app. Take a look at the video below to see how Sprint envisions a Google Wallet powered world.
