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copyrights:cite this source synonym convocation v1.1copyright © 2008 by lexico publishing group as Google hoped it would be at this point, but the company has now officially announced its NFC-based Google Wallet mobile payment service, in toto with backing from a number of retail and es 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 help means Google Wallet will be fully pen pal with the PayPass contactless payment system that's already widely in place today. Trials are beginning right away in New York and San Francisco, with a full release planned for this summer. Initially, the Sprint Nexus S 4G will be the only agreeable phone, but support for more phones is goshen "over time," and Google even suggested that phones without incorporated 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, granting the latter can visibly 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 all 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 superficially working on international expansion. Head on past the break for a video and the effect press release.