Google Wallet Card Will Not Be Shown At Google I/O – Report

Google will not launch a physical Google Wallet Card at the I/O Developer Conference next week after Osama Beider, vice president of wallets and payments, was forced out of the company.

AllThingsD reports that Google CEO Larry Page was displeased by a glitchy demo he saw last week, ending plans to show off the card at the event next week.

Google Wallet currently allows users to make payments using NFC-enabled phones, but it was believed a plastic card would have more success because consumers would be more familiar with the method.

Google Wallet card

Those who have seen the card claimed it was black with a Google Wallet logo, standard magnetic strip and raised numbers typical of credit and debit cards. However, Page has long been a sceptic of such a solution and it remains to be seen when and if the card makes a public appearance.

Google still plans to show improvements to Wallet at the upcoming event, such as new rewards offers and loyalty points, to make it a more credible rival to Apple Passbook.

But these will not be compatible with features in Google Now, which includes support for United Airlines boarding passes on Android.

One product that is expected to be on show at Google I/O is the Motorola X Phone, images of which were supposedly leaked earlier this week. Google acquired Motorola in an £8.5 billion deal in 2012, largely because of the manufacturer’s vast patent portfolio. Yet Google has been unable to use this against its rivals in any significant way to date.

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