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I was really excited for Google Wallet, so much so that I bought a Galaxy Nexus. Guess what? Verizon blocks it. If Google doesn't want to fight for their produ

I was really excited for Google Wallet, so much so that I bought a Galaxy Nexus. Guess what? Verizon blocks it. If Google doesn't want to fight for their product, why should their co-founding engineer stick around? Happy he is off to Square. (I'm not so much grumpy at losing a specific payment option I'm grumpy at one of the few companies with enough force to lean on Verizon capitulating. New tech gets slowed and I get sad.)

schraeds 15y ago
You know who stands up to carriers? Apple. Not a good sign when your project leads leave before the products they were working on start shipping in earnest.
lonnyk 15y ago
I did the exact same thing and have the exact same resentment. Now I am stuck with a GIANT phone for 2 years.
- Cherian_Abraham 15y ago
  You know its pretty easy to install the GoogleWallet.apk file on it, and be up and running with GW in under five minutes?
  - lonnyk 15y ago
    I had no idea. I will check this out. Thank you!
- wmf 15y ago
  Didn't y'all know that Google Wallet was blocked before you bought the phone?
  - jrockway 15y ago
    Nobody really advertises, "capable of Google Wallet, but we won't let you have it". That's the problem with letting the carrier own the phone. The Galaxy Nexus is a pretty nice phone, Wallet or not, and I'm not sure if anything else would have been as good anyway. Verizon's 4G network is better than Sprint's, anyway. A reasonable tradeoff for what amounts to a novelty. (I will need to carry my physical wallet until every store on Earth has an NFC reader anyway.)
  - lonnyk 15y ago
    I don't recall. I remember knowing the the Galaxy Nexus was supposed to be the first Android phone with NFC (and Google Wallet) for several months and then I recall learning that GW was blocked by Verizon, but I think I learned this after I received the phone. Either way - it was highly disappointing.
- Steko 15y ago
  If you're unhappy with it you needn't stick with it for 2 full years. Many iphone users like to stay on the latest model and have found that the Early Termination Fee if often not that much more (if any) then the Ebay value of phone. For example here is completed listings for Verizon 4G Galaxy Nexus: http://www.ebay.com/csc/i.html?LH_Auction=1&LH_ItemCondition=4&_nkw=galaxy+nexus&LH_Complete=1&Features=4G%2520Data%2520Capable&rt=nc&_dmpt=Cell_Phones&Carrier=Verizon http://www.ebay.com/csc/i.html?LH_Auction=1&LH_ItemCondi... One sold this morning for $390 incl a couple extras like car charger etc. If you bought in December your cancellation fee later this month will be $350 - (5 * $10) = $300. Now obviously that's not a free phone you're going to be out some money you laid down but you also can wait a bit more.
  - lonnyk 15y ago
    That is great thinking - I never thought about this. Does this work for phones that are the newest as well? For instance - my original incredible from 2 years ago?
- CrazedGeek 15y ago
  If it helps: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1365360 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1365360
_pattern 15y ago
why would verizon block it?
- jsz0 15y ago
  All the US carriers besides Sprint are backing the ISIS payment system. They've invested tens of millions of dollars into ISIS. They aren't going to let Google walk in and eat their lunch when they have the power (granted by Google ironically enough) to simply shut them out of the market. You can still side-load Google Wallet but it's DOA without wide support so it doesn't really matter.
  - earl 15y ago
    I think you didn't really get to the motivation, which is simply that the carriers want a piece.
  - redwood 15y ago
    Extractive vs. Inclusive. They say failed states' institutions are characterized by the former.
  - nextparadigms 15y ago
    Shouldn't FCC or DOJ try to stop that? It's kind of anti-competitive...
redwood 15y ago
Not to mention capitulating on net neutrality to win over verizon...

schraeds 15y ago

You know who stands up to carriers? Apple. Not a good sign when your project leads leave before the products they were working on start shipping in earnest.

lonnyk 15y ago

I did the exact same thing and have the exact same resentment. Now I am stuck with a GIANT phone for 2 years.

Cherian_Abraham 15y ago
You know its pretty easy to install the GoogleWallet.apk file on it, and be up and running with GW in under five minutes?
- lonnyk 15y ago
  I had no idea. I will check this out. Thank you!
wmf 15y ago
Didn't y'all know that Google Wallet was blocked before you bought the phone?
- jrockway 15y ago
  Nobody really advertises, "capable of Google Wallet, but we won't let you have it". That's the problem with letting the carrier own the phone. The Galaxy Nexus is a pretty nice phone, Wallet or not, and I'm not sure if anything else would have been as good anyway. Verizon's 4G network is better than Sprint's, anyway. A reasonable tradeoff for what amounts to a novelty. (I will need to carry my physical wallet until every store on Earth has an NFC reader anyway.)
- lonnyk 15y ago
  I don't recall. I remember knowing the the Galaxy Nexus was supposed to be the first Android phone with NFC (and Google Wallet) for several months and then I recall learning that GW was blocked by Verizon, but I think I learned this after I received the phone. Either way - it was highly disappointing.
Steko 15y ago
If you're unhappy with it you needn't stick with it for 2 full years. Many iphone users like to stay on the latest model and have found that the Early Termination Fee if often not that much more (if any) then the Ebay value of phone. For example here is completed listings for Verizon 4G Galaxy Nexus: http://www.ebay.com/csc/i.html?LH_Auction=1&LH_ItemCondition=4&_nkw=galaxy+nexus&LH_Complete=1&Features=4G%2520Data%2520Capable&rt=nc&_dmpt=Cell_Phones&Carrier=Verizon http://www.ebay.com/csc/i.html?LH_Auction=1&LH_ItemCondi... One sold this morning for $390 incl a couple extras like car charger etc. If you bought in December your cancellation fee later this month will be $350 - (5 * $10) = $300. Now obviously that's not a free phone you're going to be out some money you laid down but you also can wait a bit more.
- lonnyk 15y ago
  That is great thinking - I never thought about this. Does this work for phones that are the newest as well? For instance - my original incredible from 2 years ago?
CrazedGeek 15y ago
If it helps: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1365360 http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1365360

_pattern 15y ago

why would verizon block it?

jsz0 15y ago
All the US carriers besides Sprint are backing the ISIS payment system. They've invested tens of millions of dollars into ISIS. They aren't going to let Google walk in and eat their lunch when they have the power (granted by Google ironically enough) to simply shut them out of the market. You can still side-load Google Wallet but it's DOA without wide support so it doesn't really matter.
- earl 15y ago
  I think you didn't really get to the motivation, which is simply that the carriers want a piece.
- redwood 15y ago
  Extractive vs. Inclusive. They say failed states' institutions are characterized by the former.
- nextparadigms 15y ago
  Shouldn't FCC or DOJ try to stop that? It's kind of anti-competitive...

redwood 15y ago

Not to mention capitulating on net neutrality to win over verizon...