While Gmail users have been able to send money through the desktop site and Google Wallet for some time now, Google has today announced that they can now do the same using Gmail for Android.
The mobile payment space got a big lift when Apple launched Apple Pay late last year, and even though it was unrelated, Google saw an increase in Google Wallet usage as a result. According to a new report, which cites unnamed sources, Google is set to re-enter the mobile payment market with renewed vigor come this year's Google I/O developer event.
NFC might have been lurking around mobile space for a while now, but the widespread use of payment systems using handsets equipped with this technology remains somewhat rare. This did, however, look set to change with the introduction of Google Wallet, but the market for digital payments remains very much behind the times, and as such, Google Wallet has yet to make the desired impression. Despite the shortcomings and lack of general interest in Google Wallet, the Big G remains defiant in its quest to reshape the way we process our transactions, and now, the physical Google Wallet Card can be pre-ordered by interested parties, with around a two week waiting period for shipping.
Whenever it comes down to bringing new products and services to mobile space, Google almost always takes care of its own before looking at other ecosystems, and with Google Wallet for Android having recently been given a revamp, the Mountain View-based company has just dropped a version for Apple's iOS.
Google paints its Wallet services as the future of shopping transactions, and using the power of NFC, or Near Field Communication, it has certainly shown much promise. The lack of a few important features is largely attributable to its infant state, but today, the Big G has given Wallet a pretty big update, offering support for all major credit and debit cards.
Almost two weeks ago, we heard reports of Verizon “blocking” Google’s NFC-based mobile payment system Google Wallet on the Galaxy Nexus. Verizon later stated this was due to the fact that Google Wallet needed to be integrated with the hardware.
