Friday, June 7, 2013
Google Wallet (NFC) (Nick)
Google Wallet is a service that has been around for a little over two years and is making digital payments easier and is very secure. This is making it very easy for you to no longer carry your wallet around all you need is something that you always carry around with you, your cell phone. How does it work you might ask? One of two ways, online Google wallet stores all of your credit card or bank account information so you do not have to enter it in every time. As for in stores you use your cell phone to pay for items by using NFC(Near Field Communication) which will be later discussed. It is very secure and it is almost like Pay Pass by Exxon Mobile. Not all cell phones have it but in the near future all cell phones will be equipped with NFC. As for NFC(Near Field Communication) it is a radio transmission for communication between two devices in this case your cell phone and the terminal in which you are paying. This is just one digital payment that we believe over the future will make cash useless. What do you think? If you could would you like to only be responsible for you cell phone and not your wallet? Let us know. http://www.google.com/wallet/ for more information or if you would like to set up an account.
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This tool seems to be convenient for the extreme shopper. It would fit the model of someone that has too many cards to keep up with. It would not be beneficial to me. I have grown up with using wallets and I can't seem to want to change to this. I do have an open mind when it comes to technology, but I can't put all my faith in an electronic device. I do not trust that this tool will always work properly and never malfunction. I also do not like putting all my personal information on one device. I believe it is too risky. I will stick with carrying my wallet.
ReplyDeleteI am a shopper through and through, and I do see how this can be useful. However, I see people at Starbucks using this same technology, and I find it to be inefficient. The problem is the time it takes. By the time they have unlocked their phone, found the app in their hundreds of apps, and scanned the digital card, I could have given the cashier my card, grabbed my coffee, and been out of the door. I would also be worried about the security issue of having payment information on one device, as the person mentioned above.
ReplyDeleteWith all your information on one device is very secure instead of having to call all of your cards and such you make a few clicks on your computer and it is shut down. Google is very concerend with the security issues and has taken a lot of steps to help people feel at ease.
DeleteI'm not worried about the security at all. Credit cards are secure by nature and even if a device was lost or stolen, you wouldn't be liable for any purchases. The problem I see is convenience, just as Leeanna Perkinson mentioned. NFC is almost ready for this, but isn't active if the device is asleep. And they weren't kidding about it being "NEAR" field communication; if you have a bulky case (Otterbox) it will prevent the device from coming close enough to the sensor to make the necessary connection.
ReplyDeleteOh, and where would I put my drivers' license?
I do not see it being long before that is unesscary to carry either. Most of the time it is looked up on the computer anyway.
DeleteJoseph great question! What about our driver license or anything else we keep in our wallets like AAA or insurance cards. However- I am paranoid about privacy and the security of these transactions. But this is most definitely NOT for me. No way! As I had commented on some other blogs I love hard copies. I still pay my bills with checks instead of online- even though I do occasionally shop online. That even took me awhile to come around to. But I understand why for some this is very efficient and useful!
ReplyDeleteI think this is very interesting. It seems to me to be somewhat of a fad or passing trend and while I am all about innovation it can't work without the right timing. I have also seen the Starbucks scenario that Perkinson referred to in her comment and rolled my eyes as I waited for the tech-savvy customer in front of me to "pay" with their phone. Kudos to them for testing it out for all the rest of us with wallets. I don't see mine going away any time soon.
ReplyDeleteAs for security, I am not threatened by this. Statistically, you are more likely to be a victim of identity fraud etc, by carrying around the actual tangible credit cards, ids, checks, passports, and other various personal info. The only major difference being theft online is much easier, growing exponentially, and usually occurs because we literally hand the thieves everything they want.
Leah, checks through the mail is super scary if you think about it.
Basically, these types of services (Google Wallet) seem to be ahead of the advances in internet security technology and frankly, we all don't know enough about it to jump on.
Here are some cool/scary numbers about privacy:
http://www.identitytheft.info/victims.aspx
http://www.guard-privacy-and-online-security.com/internet-id-theft-statistics.html
Thanks for the information.
DeleteWow I really love Google! Their innovation always amazes me. The idea of an electronic wallet is very interesting but I am not sure that it will be easy to implement. The younger generation who are married to their cell phones will have no problem adapting but I have my doubts about the older generation being able to embrace it. As for a completely cashless society, I think it will take awhile for that to happen. When I consider small bakeries and shoe repair shops, I cannot imagine those small companies being able to purchase the technology needed to process payments from customers. However, maybe the companies that sell POS systems will begin to implement this technology into their software and help the little companies get a good start in the right direction. That would be cool!
ReplyDeleteI personally think that the idea of NFC is potentially dangerous to the individual's privacy and security. The safety measures that go into sending the message through NFC without the interference of a third party hacker are very limited and leave the information vulnerable. My American Express card came out with a feature that I could "wave my card" above a machine instead of swiping it to make my purchases. This seemed like a great idea at the time but soon after it was uncovered that people could use machines to intercept the credit card number that was being emitted from the microchip in the car. This would be a great technology if they could increase the security measures around it.
ReplyDeleteAll research I did if in your case your credit card is in your wallet if someone bumped into you the distance between your wallet and the device they were trying to steal you information would be to great. With NFC on your cell phone it is only activated with you enable the app on your phone so it will not be running at all times.
DeleteWhile I think it is great an all that Google is trying to be innovative, but I do not like the idea of Google having my bank information when they can potentially go around and sell my information as well as many others to a company. I just sounds a little sketchy to me.
ReplyDelete