Google Wallet will reportedly become the latest addition to the family of Google Glass applications. A source close to the company recently told TechCrunch that payment integration would be coming to Glass so that users can send money with their voices.
The Google Wallet payment system has been rolling out to a wider array of Google services over the past year and as a result, it is becoming a platform remarkably reminiscent of PayPal. Users can put money into their Wallet with a bank account or credit card and then send money to other users.
Google Wallet on Google Glass: Fees
One of the biggest downsides to Wallet–this goes for other services like PayPal as well–is that the fees involved are quite substantial. Right now, Google charges 2.9 percent or $.30 per transaction, whichever is higher.
Since the fees are not small, real-world use of Google Wallet through Google Glass may not be particularly helpful. Although in theory you could send money to a friend or place of business with a voice command and some swipes, you would end up paying more than if you simply used cash. Obtaining cash is far from difficult–you go to an ATM–so is paying extra to use the socially-unacceptable Google Glass as a payment method really worthwhile?
Google Glass Is Meant For Real-World
If this reports turns out to be true and Google does integrate Google Wallet into Google Glass, it should be understood that the wearable is meant for real-world usage. As much as using Wallet in Gmail when you are at home does make sense–much like the way you use PayPal–sending money to individuals and businesses in the real-world with Glass seems odd.
Plus, any expansion of Wallet makes the assumption that more people are going to start using it. So far, Google Wallet has not become a major payment system and it is far less common than PayPal.
Summary: Google Wallet is reportedly set to become integrated into Google Glass. The payment system could be utilized for real-world real-time payments. Wallet has already been added to a variety of services and Google is continuing to expand its applications.
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