SPECIAL STICKER WILL ALLOW NFC-LESS ANDROID PHONES TO USE GOOGLE WALLET

Though it hasn’t been officially announced, during the Q&A session at the Google Wallet press event, Google mentioned it would be releasing a special sticker that will act as an NFC chip and will let NFC chip-less phones work with Google Wallet. This is a good move on Google’s part as the company said most Android phones in the future will support NFC technology but that’s a year away at least.

The sticker would have just one set of credit card information attached to it. So, unlike the way Google Wallet with a built-in NFC chip works, you would not be able to attach different loyalty accounts, use Offers, and so on. It would basically be just a way for you to make purchases with your smartphone.

VERIZON ADDING LOCATION TRACKING WARNING STICKERS TO PHONES

In an effort to be “clear and transparent” with its customers and the government, Verizon Wireless has sent a letter to Congress detailing plans on how it will better inform consumers about location data collection on their smartphones. The wireless carrier will soon apply a removable stickers to its devices with the following warning:

“This device is capable of determining its (and your) physical, geographical, location adn can associate location data with other customer information. To limit access to location information by others, refer to the User Guide for Location settings and be cautious when downloading, accessing, or using applications and services.”

Verizon Wireless will also issue alerts more clearly in its V CAST applications, some of which can be used to track family members or friends voluntarily. It confirmed that it does not sell or rent out personal user information, and that user habits are only used for internal marketing purposes. Verizon says it only collects location data for “various service and operational purposes,” and that it uses the data to ensure customers have solid call and data quality.