Isis trial begins as MetroPCS welcomes Google Wallet

Google Wallet
Let the mobile payment battle begin

Monday marked a busy day for mobile commerce in the U.S., as two contenders for customers took strides towards converting the market towards digital payment systems.

Mobile wallet service Isis was up first as it announced the official launch of its service in Salt Lake City, Utah and Austin, Texas.

The two locals will serve as trial runs and hopefully provide Isis the boost it needs to spread further throughout the country.

Starting Monday, residents of these cities can download the Isis Mobile Wallet from Google Play to their HTC Droid Incredible 4G LTE handsets. They can also pick up SIM cards at local retails and add credit, debit and loyalty cards to the wallet.

Motorola's Droid Razr HD and Droid Razr Maxx HD will also get Isis compatibility later this week.

Google Wallet comes to MetroPCS

Google Wallet, which is considered the top dog in the mobile commerce market, also announced Monday that its services are expanding.

"Happy to announce that @metroPCS now supports Google Wallet!" a Google Wallet tweet boomed.

The service will start on the Samsung Galaxy SIII. Google Wallet is also carried by Sprint, though the service is available nationwide, unlike Isis.

What's more, Google is taking invite requests for "the next version of Google Wallet," an update that's coming soon.

Square, by the way, is apparently going on a hiring blitz, posting a slew of job openings for engineers. That, combined with the other mobile commerce news of the day, points to some exciting times ahead.

Via Verizon, The Verge, TechCrunch

Michelle Fitzsimmons

Michelle was previously a news editor at TechRadar, leading consumer tech news and reviews. Michelle is now a Content Strategist at Facebook.  A versatile, highly effective content writer and skilled editor with a keen eye for detail, Michelle is a collaborative problem solver and covered everything from smartwatches and microprocessors to VR and self-driving cars.