Unless you’ve been chilling under a rock, you probably caught that Google announced the new Google Wallet. Using an NFC chip and MasterCard’s PayPass system (the one they’ve been slowly rolling out here in NY for ages), you can use your phone to pay for things. With constant rumors that the next iPhone will use NFC, this is apparently the Next Big Thing.
I am now going to do my best to not sound like a totally dismissive jerk.
It’s not that I think the issue is security (CNet does a great write up on that though). Considering the security disaster that was the first week of Google Buzz (“Hey, former stalkers, wanna know where I am at all times, even if I don’t mean to send it?”), I’d like to think Google’s learned their lesson.
I’m not going to gripe about early partners, despite the fact that you’re basically locked to Citibank (boo – and I can say that because I still have accounts there) or MasterCard. Still, the Gift Card feature is the one that I like best, especially if you’re able to gift people. What’d be really awesome is if Google did a “Google Gift Card”, where you could shift the cash to any partner vendor. Hmm. Actually, hang on. I need to write a proposal.
I will avoid mentioning how Google Offers and Google Wallet seem like a really good way for a single vendor to track your purchasing and target marketing specifically to you. To some that’s an Orwellian nightmare, to others it’s an amazing time saving device.
But I have one simple, basic point to make, and that is this:
My wallet, unlike Google’s, does not depend on a battery. Seriously, how many people reading this have Android phones? Phones they use for e-mail, texts, IM, games, GPS, snapshots, quick videoes, video calls and assorted other items. How’s the battery life on that bad boy? if it’s anything like the last Android phone I used, or most that my compatriots review, the answer is “I’ve just enough juice to get through the day, as long as I remember to charge at my desk”. NFC is a fairly low-power solution, and one that works in spurts, so it’s not adding to the load, but the existing load is frankly, enough.
Imagine that you’re out on the road and you want to buy something with your Google Wallet. You go for your phone, only to discover that it’s died. What do you do? The easy solution is to always carry your analog wallet as well, but in that case, why bother with the digital one?
Don’t get me wrong – I see the potential here. If on a device with real battery life (say, a Blackberry or an iOS device) NFC solutions have real potential. I just think that if Google Wallet is to see some real adoption, Googl’e Android partners need to make battery life a higher priority (like RIM and Apple have).
(Post Script: At least you get better battery life than the remaining, dwindling WebOS users)
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