Pop quiz: List, in alphabetical order, all of the Google Nexus phones that officially have access to Google Wallet.
If you aswered the Sprint Nexus S 4G — and only the Sprint Nexus S 4G — you’re exactly right. And it looks like it might stay that way for the time being. 9 to 5 Google, citing an unnamed source, reports that the Verizon Galaxy Nexus won’t have access to Google Wallet, despite that sweet NFC chip tucked into the phone’s battery.
And the kicker: Verizon is said to be the one keeping Google Wallet off its Galaxy Nexus. (Never mind that it’s a Nexus phone, and remember that we’re expecting a couple of Verizon-specific appliations preloaded. We called it Verizon’s Nexus for a reason.) And the reason for no Google Wallet on the Galaxy Nexus, according to the anonymous source, is that it’s a direct competitor to ISIS, another NFC standard backed by Verizon, along with manufacturers LG, HTC, Motorola, RIM, Samsung and Sony Ericsson.
Oh, and guess who else backs ISIS: AT&T and T-Mobile — two U.S. carriers that have network-specific versions of the Samsung Nexus S in the United States, which, despite also having NFC capabilities, have no official build of Google Wallet. (Like with the Galaxy Nexus, you can hack Google Wallet on just fine, thank you very much.) Maybe that’s just our tinfoil hat talking, but you can’t deny that Google Wallet’s only officially available on a single phone.
Source: 9 to 5 Google;
via Verizon reportedly blocking access to Google Wallet on its Galaxy Nexus | Android Central.
