News
Google Wallet rolls out in the Philippines
Android users can now tap-to-pay and store digital essentials in one app
Google has officially launched Google Wallet in the Philippines. This gives Android users a secure and convenient way to pay in stores, online, and in-app. The service also supports digital items such as loyalty cards, boarding passes, event tickets, and more.
Google Wallet is available for download on the Google Play Store starting today. You can add a participating bank card to Google Wallet, then pay with your Android phone or Wear OS device wherever contactless payments are accepted.
Prep Palacios, Country Manager of Google Philippines, said the launch aligns with the country’s growing digital lifestyle and supports faster, safer transactions.
FinTech Alliance PH chairman Lito Villanueva noted the service strengthens financial inclusion, backed by collaboration between the private sector and government.
BSP Deputy Governor Mamerto E. Tangonan emphasized that banks and e-money issuers remain responsible for risk management when working with technology service providers. DICT Secretary Henry Aguda said Google Wallet supports the nation’s digitalization agenda.
Features and supported partners
Google Wallet stores digital credentials securely. The app holds your payment cards, and Google Pay completes the transaction. You can also add boarding passes from Philippine Airlines and other carriers, with instant alerts for flight changes. The app supports event and cinema tickets, loyalty cards, vouchers, and digital car keys.
Participating issuers include Visa and Mastercard cardholders from banks such as China Bank, EastWest, RCBC, GoTyme, Maya, UnionBank, Wise, Zed, and GCash. Online payments are supported on platforms like Shopee and select merchants via partner payment service providers.
For transit, users can tap and pay at MRT-3 stations, modern jeepneys in Cebu and Mandaue City, and other terminals that accept Visa or Mastercard. Google Wallet supports digital tickets from Easybook. Beep App integration will follow soon.
Setup and security
To enable tap-to-pay, users can add a card inside the app, agree to terms, and complete verification. Google Wallet uses tokenization and device-specific security codes for every transaction, with screen lock required for access. Lost devices can be secured or erased via Find My Device.
Google Wallet is now available for download through the Google Play Store.
Nothing goes together more than a Chinese smartphone brand and the relentless pursuit for a bigger battery. For years, Chinese brands have engaged in a war for this particular component. Now, the latest salvo has been fired. Honor is reportedly working on a phone with a gigantic 14000mAh battery.
Today, the biggest battery capacity you can find on an Honor phone is 11000mAh. The Honor X80 Pro Max already offers a battery that can last you more than a single day. At this point, it’s certainly more than enough for our daily needs.
According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, a smartphone brand is currently working on a 14000mAh battery. Though the leak does not explicitly pinpoint Honor, the emoji used (a wolf) is historically used to imply the Chinese brand in Weibo parlance.
A 14000mAh is just absurdly huge. With a battery larger than some powerbanks, battery anxiety becomes moot. It’s bordering on “can we bring this on a plane” territory.
As with all rumored features, the next question is when this battery will arrive on a consumer-ready device. Given how serious the battery wars are for the Chinese market, it’s only a matter of time.
SEE ALSO: HONOR continues APAC expansion, to launch 600 series in Taiwan
Yesterday, Nothing officially teased the Phone (4b), an all-new line positioned below the Phone (4a) series. At the time, the teaser revealed nothing but the design of the upcoming phone. However, ahead of its July 7 launch, the Phone (4b) suddenly appeared on Geekbench, spoiling a few of its mysterious specs.
According to the listing, the Phone (4b) will run the SM6650, more popularly known as the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4. It’s a modestly powered processor built for the budget to midrange segments of the performance spectrum. Having this processor does confirm that the phone belongs to the step below the Phone (4a), bringing affordability to a name other than CMF.
Besides the processor, the new phone will come with an Adreno 810 GPU and 8GB of RAM. Inside, it will ship with Android 16 out of the box, but this will likely be upgradeable to Android 17 later this year.
It’s already confirmed that the Phone (4b) will be quite the looker. The phone will slightly depart from the design philosophy of the Phone (4a) series. Though it will still have a sizable rear island, the camera setup will just be a small vertical strip on the top-left corner. Additionally, the lighting element typical of all Nothing phones will be a small horizontal strip on the bottom-right corner.
Thankfully, the wait for more specs won’t be long. Nothing has confirmed that the phone’s launch is set for July 7.
News
Polaroid says, enjoy the beach before AI ruins it
“We know what we stand to lose if we don’t protect it.”
Tongue-in-cheek marketing is a soothing balm for a world where false promises are more often advertised. But, what happens when those tongue-in-cheek jokes strike a nerve and make you think, “maybe this isn’t a joke anymore”? Polaroid, a huge proponent of analog technology, has put up such a billboard to enjoy the beach “before the data centers drink it all up.”
Right in front of Coney Island (and right in time for summer), Polaroid has a simple message: “Go jump in the water before the data centers drink it all up.”
Though funny by itself, the message plays on an ongoing fear that today’s data centers, built for AI, have such a high water requirement that each query takes up gallons every time. This is, of course, slightly hyperbolic, but data centers are indeed exerting a lot of pressure on their area’s resources. They take a lot of water for cooling and electricity to keep open.
In a statement, Polaroid says that they’re not anti-digital. Rather, “we know we have to live alongside it, but we’re deeply pro-human and know what humanity gives us. And we know what we stand to lose if we don’t protect it. That’s a fight worth fighting,” says Polaroid’s creative director Patricia Varella, via LBB.
Now, this isn’t a completely altruistic ad. It’s still advertising the new Go Generation 3. Still, if you’re looking for a product to go alongside today’s shifting sentiments against AI, a Polaroid might be it.
SEE ALSO: The Loop PH rebrands as lifestyle-tech destination
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