New hack circumvents Verizon’s disdain for Google Wallet
Samsung’s Galaxy S III entered the commercial market earlier this month, finding a home with Verizon Wireless. The NFC-enabled smart phone is one of the first of its kind and has already found a degree of success in exposing consumers to NFC technology and mobile commerce. Verison caused a bit of a stir in the mobile commerce realm when it announced that the Galaxy S III would not support the Google Wallet, Google’s mobile payment platform. Galaxy S III owners may still be able to use the payment application, however, thanks to a new hack.
Mobile commerce competition beginning to heat up
Verison’s decision to not support Google Wallet is likely tied to the company’s work on its own mobile payment platform, called Isis. Isis is still in its development stages, but has already garnered the favor of most of the world’s major financial institutions, something that Google Wallet was not able to do. Both payment platforms make use of NFC technology, but Google Wallet has come under fire for its apparent shortfalls in security. Nonetheless, Galaxy S III owners may be able to use the Wallet application if they are willing to use a simple hack.
Hack is effective but dangerous for Galaxy S III
The hack comes from Mike Beauchamp and Dustin Evans, technology enthusiasts with experience in tampering with the Android platform. The hack circumvents some of the programming found in the Galaxy S III operating system, allowing Google Wallet to be installed on the smart phone and used with no trouble. The hack is not recommended for those without some experience in manipulating mobile technology, however, as it may potentially destroy a Galaxy S III handset.
Isis already poised to become a powerful force in the mobile commerce industry
Mobile commerce is becoming a highly competitive industry. Google is currently one of the largest companies with a high-performance mobile payment platform available to consumers. The technology company is expected to compete with Apple and, eventually, Isis in the near future. Thus far, Isis has shown itself to be a powerful competitor despite the fact that it has not yet been released.