Google Offers
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Google Offers, Boingo add more locations for free and discounted public WiFi
Love venting your E-Train frustrations with Boingo and Google Offers' free WiFi? While the Manhattan program ends on September 7th, the partnership has swelled its coverage to include a further 24 locations across the nation. From today, eight malls will offer WiFi in cities like LA, SF and Seattle -- while Airport hoppers will be able to get a 50 percent discount on 24-hour access at 16 airports including JFK, O'Hare and Midway, if you sign up with Mountain View's offers service. If you're at nearing the end of your data cap and need some free internet stat, head on past the break to find out more.
Google Offers swings by the iPhone, saves dough for Apples
iPhone owners bummed that their Android-using friends were taking advantage of Google Offers they couldn't use can now level the playing field: an iOS port has just gone live. Much like its Google-native peer, the iPhone-optimized version can spot discounts in the neighborhood and will let you claim them on the spot. The chronically inattentive still get a lot of love in the process with both mentions of new offers and warnings for soon-to-expire deals. In keeping with Google Offers' current US-only focus, the app won't show outside of American borders just yet -- but if you've been thinking those yoga classes in Portland were a bit too dearly priced, your iPhone (and a well-timed sale) is now all it takes to set things right.
Google Offers update brings revamped UI, faster browsing speeds
We know Google Offers is still slowly rolling out to US folks, but Big G's doing all it can to at least keep its current users content. This time around, the Mountain View crew has handed its Offers application a somewhat hefty refresh.Version 1.2 of the cash-saving app brings with it an all-new UI (which Google describes as "crisp") as well as more deals in more cities. The revamp now allows bigger images within the app, while also offering a speedier and smoother browsing between deals -- not to mention a faster checkout process. As usual, the goodies are up for grabs via Google Play.
Google Offers expands to five new locales, hipsters in Portland nonchalantly recall being first
Despite Mountain View's efforts to the contrary, neither Google Wallet nor Offers, have yet to set the payment sector alight. That doesn't mean the search giant's throwing in the towel, as it vehemently expands the latter into five additional cities here in the United States. Residents of Charlotte, Kansas City, Milwaukee, San Antonio and Tampa will soon be able to participate in all sorts of discounted debauchery, joining bargain-hunters in the service's existing 33 locales. Those eager ought to hit the source links to begin, but before leaving, regale us with an outrageous tale involving a discount in the comments below.
Google Offers app goes live in Android Market
Detest checking your email constantly for the latest offer from Google? If you've got an Android 2.1+ device, the Goog itself just outed an alternative. The Google Offers app just went live in the Android Market, bringing deals near your current (select) location into an easy-to-digest piece of mobile software. No, NFC's not required, and yes, you can redeem it straight from the phone -- so long as the store you're visiting has someone with intellect and eyes. Hit the source link (or the Market on your handset) to get your download on, and feel free to chuckle as you realize that it'll remain up way longer than Gmail did for iOS.
A week with Google Wallet (video)
Contactless payments have been something of a curiosity in the credit card industry. MasterCard's PayPass has been around for the better part of a decade, but merchants and banks alike seem hesitant to adopt the technology required to make the system work, and inconsistent implementation adds to the confusion -- particularly for customers. Google's new mobile phone-based Wallet service has the potential to transform the technology from its current status as a transaction turkey, to a future as a checkout champion. But will it work? We spent a week with a Wallet-enabled Nexus S 4G, using the device to pay whenever we encountered a MasterCard PayPass terminal. Unfortunately, that wasn't often enough, limiting us to just a handful of transactions in the first week. Still, with Google just beginning to roll out the service and only a limited selection of launch partners ready to go, it's impossible to deliver a complete verdict just yet. Jump past the break for an inside look at Google Wallet, including a video of the service in action, and a brief look at what the world of contactless payments may look like in the future.%Gallery-130759%
UK mobile companies take aim at Google Wallet, want in on the NFC action
Oh Google, you didn't think you were going to have all the mobile payment fun did you? While you're beta testing in New York and San Francisco some big names across the pond are looking to dominate the entire UK. Vodafone, Telefonica, and Everything Everywhere (a joint venture between Orange and T-Mobile) are combining forces to create a mobile payment and marketing system that will take on Google Wallet and Offers before they even get off the ground in the British isles. The platform will be open to all comers, including Google, (you know, in case it decides to make Wallet a US only affair) and the companies have pledged to keep customer data out of the hands of third parties. The project is still in the very early stages of development, but the mobile providers aren't dilly dallying -- they expect their efforts to bear NFC fruit before the end of the year.
Google Offers rolling out in Portland, Oregon tomorrow, SF and NYC this summer
If you've been watching our liveblog of Eric Schmidt at D9, you'll know that the Floyd's Coffee ad above isn't just a mockup -- this evening, the Google chairman announced his company's Groupon-like Google Offers service will launch in Portland, Oregon tomorrow. We'll also see it in San Francisco and New York City this summer, delivering daily deals directly to our NFC-equipped Nexus S smartphones.
Google Wallet mobile payment service, Google Offers announced
It may not be as big a surprise as Google hoped it would be at this point, but the company has now officially announced its NFC-based Google Wallet mobile payment service, complete with backing from a number of retail and financial partners including Subway, Macy's, Walgreens, Toys 'R Us, First Data, Citibank and MasterCard -- plus Sprint on the carrier side. In the case of MasterCard, that partnership means Google Wallet will be fully compatible with the PayPass contactless payment system that's already widely in place today. Trials are beginning immediately in New York and San Francisco, with a full release planned for this summer. Initially, the Sprint Nexus S 4G will be the only compatible phone, but support for more phones is promised "over time," and Google even suggested that phones without built-in NFC could simply use an NFC sticker (the Google Wallet app itself will work on non-NFC phones as well). You'll also have to use either a Citi MasterCard or Google Prepaid Card with the service, although the latter can obviously be funded from any other card. Also announced today is Google Offers, which will deliver an "offer of the day" to your inbox, and let you seek out other offers from retailers. Of course, it also ties into Google Wallet, and you'll be able to both redeem offers and receive loyalty rewards from retailers with just a tap of your NFC-enabled phone. As far as Google is concerned, however, mobile payments and special offers are just the beginning for Google Wallet. It eventually sees everything from boarding passes to tickets to IDs (and even keys) being stored on your phone. Not surprisingly, all of this is US-only for the time being, but Google is apparently working on international expansion. Head on past the break for a video and the complete press release. %Gallery-124537%%Gallery-124538%
