Google Wallet hacked to work on Verizon Galaxy S III

You won’t find Google Wallet, officially, on any of the smartphones offered by Verizon Wireless (VZ), not even the Galaxy Nexus. In fact, you won’t find Google Wallet on any smartphone offered by T-Mobile (DTE) or AT&T (T) either — the only carrier that supports Google’s (GOOG) mobile payment platform is Sprint (S). Other wireless service providers have backed a mobile payment competitor known as ISIS, and have blocked Google Wallet from devices that run on their networks. Despite this speed bump, hackers have found a way to enable the service on select handsets such as the Galaxy Nexus and Samsung’s (005930) latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III. The device will of course have to be rooted, and after a slight tweak to the build.prop and the installation of a zip file, users will be able to make purchases using Google Wallet. A video demonstration follows below.
[Via Engadget]

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Sprint's intent to launch its own mobile wallet app

As the Sprint is the official carrier partner of Google's Wallet mobile payment service. But now it looks like the carrier it self intend to offer a mobile payment service of its own in the near future. As Presentation slides detailing a Sprint Touch Wallet app have leaked to the internet.
The slides, obtained by Android Central, detail how the yet-to-be-announced Sprint Touch Wallet app for Android smartphones will work. Like the Google Wallet app, the Sprint Touch Wallet app uses the phone's Near Field Communications (NFC) features to make payments at participating retailers. The app features PIN code security, can handle multiple payment cards, and also appears to support loyalty cards. Yes, it seems to take everything right from Google Wallet's playbook.

It is not yet clear which retailers Sprint has made deals with for the Touch Wallet app, but the slides hint that McDonald's, Target, Starbucks, and others are possibly on board. It is also not clear which banking institutions Sprint has worked with, or when the carrier intends to launch the actual app.

Google Wallet has had a lot of difficultly gaining traction since its launch last year, and it is currently only officially supported on Sprint's Android devices. AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile have stayed away from supporting Google Wallet since their mobile payment joint-venture Isis is due to launch later this year. Further crowding the space, Apple's recent announcement of its new Passbook app for iOS 6 leads many to believe that it will launch an NFC-based mobile payments system of its own, perhaps with the launch of the next iPhone.

With Sprint planning to launch its own mobile payment service on its Android devices, it makes us a bit worried for the future of Google Wallet. Sprint's app will compete directly with Google Wallet on its Android smartphones, and the carrier could certainly opt to drop support for Google Wallet if it so chooses. Time will tell if this will happen or if both options will coexist peacefully, but this isn't exactly great news for 

Source: Android Central

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Deals : $25 Google Wallet Credit, 1 month free Virgin Mobile service For LG Optimus Elite

If your eyeing up for Contract for LG Optimus Elite,Virgin Mobile has just sweetened the pot. From today through July 18, 2012 all LG Optimus Elite purchasers will receive a $25 credit to their Google Wallet Account.

Interestingly, the fine print states that Google will add $10 to your Google Wallet account within 48 hours of activation and then add the remaining $15 within 3 weeks. Much like that birthday card from the grandparents, don’t spend it all in one place. The good news is, you don’t need to relinquish any personal credit card information to take advantage of this deal. You are free to spend your $25 and never use Google Wallet again if you choose, but we’re sure that both Google and Virgin Mobile are betting you’ll love it.

It also worth mentioning, that Virgin Mobile is running another deal that gives you a $35 account credit good for 1 month of service (if you're on the lowest plan, otherwise it will go toward your bill) to those that purchase and activate a new LG Optimus Elite between now and May 30, 2012. We’re not sure if these deals are mutually exclusive, but it seems that if you act quickly, you may be able to snag both perks

Just as a refresher, the LG Optimus Elite is an eco-friendly Android 2.3 powered handset. It rocks a 3.5-inch HVGA display, 800MHZ processor, 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, and, obviously, NFC support. Besides the Virgin Mobile branding and the price, this device is the same as its post-paid counterpart on Sprint. The LG Optimus Elite on Virgin Mobile can be yours contract-free for $149.99.

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